If you’re getting married in Winchester during the summertime, you know the magic that time of year holds. The allure of fair weather so you can take photos without freezing, trees and flowers being in bloom, plus the irresistible pull of late golden hour for photos, makes June-August prime for a gorgeous wedding.
Of course, anyone who has spent these months in Virginia knows that Mother Nature likes to surprise us sometimes! Warm temperatures and humidity give way to the occasional thunderstorm, and heat waves can come out of nowhere. Landfall Lodge has been hosting special events since 2014, and we have seen our share of weather-ruined occasions; fortunately, a little pre-planning will go a long way toward your wedding going off without a hitch!
Keep Guests Comfortable
A couple planning their wedding for summer in Winchester has the job of finding ways to keep guests cool. Little considerations make a big difference to the guest experience, especially when they offer relief from the heat throughout the day. Strategically placed water stations, or an offering of cold towels or fans at the ceremony, tell your guests that you care about the fact that they left air-conditioned homes to sit outside and watch you exchange vows.
Cocktail hour and late-night treat tables are perfect opportunities to provide sustenance to your attendees and entice them to stick around. With our vendor flexibility, what you serve your guests can absolutely reflect you and the energy you want to create! Bring in a mobile bar or ice cream vendor to serve post-dancing treats to cool off. Be intentional in your planning, and don’t forget what it feels like to be a guest!
Schedule Around the Heat
Timing is everything. Peak heat in Winchester hits around 3:00 pm and cools down in the evening, so let that guide your decision about when and how long guests will be sitting outside. Structuring your wedding timeline around the heat will ensure no one suffers and – more importantly – no one passes out. Make sure food doesn’t sit out in the sun for long, and consider extending the cocktail hour to give guests a chance to cool off with refreshments.
Have a Weather Backup Plan
The choice between indoor and tented spaces for the reception is a tactical one. August is a month with mostly reliable conditions, but surprise weather events are always a possibility! If you are planning your wedding a year in advance, it can be difficult to forecast the best weekend At Landfall Lodge, you’ll find a range of options for your day that welcome you to have your ceremony and photos outside, with an indoor reception to escape the hottest part of the day – or an unexpected storm!
Be Sun-Shade Friendly
Summer weddings are gorgeous in Virginia, but you shouldn’t underestimate the sunshine! Tell your bridal party to bring sunglasses for the wait between ceremony and reception, or for the gaps between couple portraits and whole-group photos. Once the sun dips behind the trees, the evening will be perfect for dancing under the stars or chatting with friends around a fire pit, but in the afternoon we recommend slipping a pair of shades into your pocket or purse.
You’ll find ample shade under any of our natural fruit and deciduous trees around the property at Landfall Lodge, where your in-laws can escape an unplanned heatwave, or you can keep floral arrangements out of the sun. You have flexibility with our space, so you can set up jars of water or cooling stations for your guests, bridal party, or bouquets anywhere you want!
Hydrate, and Have Fun!
At the risk of echoing every tips-and-tricks wedding blog you have perused, we’ll kindly remind you that you simply cannot forget to drink water on your wedding day. Couples are buzzing with nerves and excitement, and the drinking starts as soon as…well, when someone hands you a drink. It’s so easy to miss the hydration station as a bride and groom, but your survival the day after depends on it!
Are you ready to plan a summer wedding in Winchester, VA? Book a tour at Landfall Lodge and see all our magnificent property has to offer!