Hurricane Season Wedding Planning : 5 Pro Tips for your Florida Wedding

5 Pro Tips for your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning in Central Florida.

Marjorie will give you 5 Pro Tips for your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning in Central Florida. We photograph weddings in Florida. Of course, weather is a huge part of planning your wedding. Every decision basically has to take into account this aspect. Naturally, we always want to be safe. Also, the family of the couple getting married plan the wedding well. Without a doubt, having a safe event for your friends and family is top priority. In our career, we have photographed many weddings. Marjorie photographed a wedding the day before Hurricane Matthew. We photographed another the day after Hurricane Irma. We know all too well how stressful it can be to make plans. Because we have to make plans too. Even the heat of Downtown Tampa can be stressful.

That being said, there are a few really smart decisions you can make. Especially if you are considering a wedding during hurricane season.  We desire organization. Our couples are after the details. Their family desires peace of mind. Being photographers in Central Florida, we have to plan all the time. Wedding Vendors in Orlando face this situation often. Hurricane Season Wedding planning is stressful for everyone. Planners coordinate with vendors. Venues line up access. Orlando Wedding Photographers protect their gear. We feel responsible for being professional and reliable. Here are our top 5 Pro tips for hurricane season wedding planning.

1. Research your Wedding Vendors Well.

From Planners to Photographers to Dj’s, this much is true. Central Florida Wedding Vendors are very professional. That being said, you want to fully vet them. That is to say, you need to know who you are hiring. As well as their experience in dealing with adverse weather. Experienced Vendors know insurance is important. They also know that their gear is critical to their business. True professionals will not put themselves in a position to be stranded without backups. Your chosen team should have a plan B, C, and even D. Central Florida Weather can chance daily, even hourly. Chiefly from the nature of the weather, we need to be your eyes and ears. Be certain your vendors are insured. Also, that they have the necessary backup plans in place for your event.

For example, photographers should have a plan for backing up your images. Especially right after your event. Your photographer should be able to show you what happens with your images every step of the way. Basically, those images should be on multiple hard drives. As well as an offsite storage backup. Online cloud storage truly is a must for any working event photographer. As inexpensive as storage is, there are truly no excuses for having no plan for backing up a clients images.

We go to great lengths to protect your images.

We do not allow you to wonder about your images. Hurricane Season Wedding Planning should not include that stress. Firstly, Marjorie takes your photos. She then carries them on her person. Marjorie has them with her from the moment they are taken until we get home. Even if we are driving from as far away as DeLeon Springs and Harmony Gardens, no stopping. Then, we immediately downloaded the images from storage cards to 3 hard drives. Next we upload them to an offsite, cloud based storage website. We cannot call ourselves professionals if we do anything less. Catastrophic fire or theft or other loss due to events such as hurricanes will have no effect on the safety of your images with us. That is the way it should be. You deserve nothing less.

If you think a Photographer couldn’t possibly ask to keep a portion of their commission after losing images through their negligence, you’d be surprised. It has actually happened.

As you interview your photographers, plan well your questions. You are in control. Basically, this is your vision. This is your budget. Your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning comes with risks. Minimizing those risks starts with due diligence. We work with true professionals. Marjorie trusts her preferred vendors. They perform better than most. Especially at reducing wedding day stress. You deserve just that. Whether you are planning an outdoor ceremony or not, remember this. Your vendors are there to guide you. Perhaps you are getting married at the Mayor Tree  . Maybe you are wanting your engagement photos done at Disney boardwalk or Rollins College. We know the weather. Marjorie monitors the local forecasts. From the Lake Mary Event Center to Disney Boardwalk, we monitor everything we can. Hurricane Season Wedding Planning is a challenge. We are up to it.

2. Consider more than one option for Ceremony Sites during your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning.

At some point you have to select your ceremony site. Florida is beautiful. We photograph many stunning outdoor locations. Leu Gardens is especially beautiful. Hurricane Matthew almost dampened a Ceremony there for us. Janitza and Brian were able to get their ceremony completed. Just in time. We photographed the couple coming back up the aisle as the rains began. In fact, it was a torrential downpour.

The chosen venue can spare you stress during your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning. We believe it can also stretch your budget well. Even if your Reception is at a chic romantic location such as Rosen Centre. All in all, from a high rise in Downtown Orlando to Disney Boardwalk Resort, choose wisely. Certainly as Orlando Wedding Photographers, we are always willing to help find your perfect venue.

3. Details for inclement weather are critical to Wedding Planning. 

The small things matter. Especially when planning a wedding. Of course, Remember this. Some or many of your guests are travelling to your town. They may not be equipped for the Central Florida Weather. Consider providing for them in this regard. Umbrellas, ponchos, and other rain gear are helpful gifts. You could even color coordinate for your theme!

4. Find a single location for all activities if possible. 

A horse drawn carriage may be very romantic, in sunny weather. Florida afternoon storms can really spoil that dreamy vision. In fact, consider removing all transportation. Especially if you can have your ceremony and reception in the same location. Your guests will appreciate the convenience. Your wedding planner will also love that idea. Photographers perform very well this way. We photograph single location events beautifully. Having a single location which also serves as accommodations for your guest is superb.

5. Wedding Insurance simplifies your Hurricane Season Wedding Planning.

Wedding Insurance is exactly how it sounds. If certain scenarios happen, your expenses for your wedding are reimbursed in whole or in part. Here is a great article on the topic from thebalance.com.

From the article:

“There are two types of wedding insurance:

  • Liability Coverage
  • Cancellation Coverage 
You can also purchase the two in a bundle that will cover both. Before buying wedding insurance always ask the venue if they cover event liability. Wedding event liability coverage may cover different things, for example, bodily injury and property damage.
 

You may also need to add Host liquor liability insurance which covers alcohol-related incidents you may be held accountable for.”