Outdoor Weddings: Don’t Let Mother Nature Fuck Your Day
Outdoor Weddings: Don’t Let Mother Nature Fuck Your Day
Outdoor Weddings: Don’t Let Mother Nature Fuck Your Day
Let’s get something straight: If you want to get married outside in Colorado, you better be ready to wrestle Mother Nature—and she fights dirty. This state is where it’ll be sunny and 70 at 2 p.m., and by 4 p.m. you’re dodging golf-ball-sized hail and watching your beautiful ceremony arch become a projectile. If you’re hoping for a perfectly still, bluebird day—go book a ballroom. But if you’re here for the adventure (and maybe the best damn photos of your life), buckle up.
A True Colorado Shitshow (and Why It Was Epic)
Picture this: It’s Colorado in spring—could be May, could be June—fields bursting with wildflowers, blue skies overhead, and everyone’s living their “Pinterest-perfect” fantasy. Then, in true Colorado fashion, the weather decides to go full chaotic neutral. Maybe the wind picks up out of nowhere, threatening to yeet your entire decor setup into the next county. Or maybe it suddenly drops thirty degrees and starts snowing on your “sunny” wedding day. Or hell, you could be dodging hailstones the size of golf balls just hours after applying your makeup.
One couple I worked with faced literally all of these in a single afternoon: blazing sun at the ceremony, clouds rolling in like the apocalypse, wind so strong it took out a cocktail table, and a surprise rainstorm that had everyone laughing as they ran for cover. The couple? They just rolled with it. Got epic photos in every kind of weather, danced in the rain, and made memories that blew every boring ballroom wedding out of the water.
That’s what it means to get married outdoors in Colorado—being ready for four seasons in one day, and having the attitude to laugh it off, soak it in, and make it legendary.
Don’t Be Dumb: You NEED a Backup Plan (or Two)
Want an outdoor wedding? You don’t “hope for the best,” you PLAN for the worst. Actually, plan for the second-worst too. Here’s how you do it like a pro (trust me, after 450+ weddings, I’ve seen what happens when people skip this):
- Tents aren’t just for camping and music festivals.
Even if you think “it never rains here in May”—shut up and rent the tent anyway. And not the cheap, open-sided ones you see at grandma’s garden party. Get the kind with sidewalls, weights, and the ability to stop your centerpieces from flying into the next county. Yes, it’s extra money. No, you will not regret it. - Umbrellas are a non-negotiable.
Bulk buy them online, pass them out as (actually useful) favors, or have your wedding party carry matching clear ones. They look fucking amazing in photos—trust me, a line of clear umbrellas and a couple making out in the rain beats every dry-day portrait, every time. - Flip the damn schedule if you have to.
Don’t get precious about the order of your day. If the weather’s good at 2 p.m., move the ceremony up. If it looks like a monsoon is coming, do the first dance right away. Get the important stuff done while the sky is in a good mood, and be ready to roll with it when it throws a fit.
Vendors: Don’t Hire Anyone Who Panics
Not all vendors are built for Colorado chaos. Some have only ever worked perfect sunny days and will lose their shit if it drizzles. You want the battle-hardened ones—the ones who laugh when it starts to hail and know exactly how to protect your three-tier buttercream. The Engaged AF Directory is full of these pros.
Special shout-out to photographers and videographers: If you’ve invested in real, professional-level gear, it’s built to handle weather—rain, snow, sleet, the works. I’ve shot in everything from sideways blizzards to full-on rainstorms with zero fear for my cameras. If your photographer is whining about their gear getting a little wet, politely suggest they only shoot weddings in Arizona, because Colorado will eat them alive.
Ask vendors about their wildest weather days. If they get quiet or start sweating, move on. You want the people who light up and start telling stories about the time they shot a wedding in a blizzard and still made it look like a Vogue cover.
Weather-Proof Everything (Including Your Sanity)
- Paper goods are for suckers.
Programs, menus, place cards—if it’s not waterproof, it’s doomed. Go digital with a QR code or print backups on something that can take a beating. Or laminate them like you’re prepping for toddler art class. - Weigh everything down.
The wind is not your friend. Your pretty florals, delicate linens, and ceremony arch? Sitting ducks. Bring clips, rocks, sandbags, or whatever the hell it takes to keep your decor from ending up in the neighbor’s pond. - Forget the tiny stuff.
Nobody—NOBODY—will remember if your napkins were dusty blue or “whispering hydrangea.” What they will remember is if you kept the mood up and laughed when everything went off the fucking rails.
Why Shit Weather Makes the Best Weddings
Want to know a secret? The most iconic, legendary weddings I’ve ever shot are the ones where everything went wrong—on paper. The sky opened up, hair got ruined, dresses got trashed, and the bride and groom and the guests just leaned into it. The stories are insane, the photos are next-level, and the memories? Way better than a picture-perfect, forgettable day. Your guests will be talking about your “wild storm wedding” for YEARS. You’ll get to brag that you survived the great 2025 hailpocalypse with style.
Resources So You Don’t End Up on Wedding TikTok for All the Wrong Reasons
- Engaged AF Magazine Directory: Only book vendors who know how to handle real weather.
- Epoch Moment Blog: See real couples who embraced the chaos and got epic photos.
Bottom line: If you want a boring, safe day, rent a hall and keep it basic. If you want a wedding that feels like an adventure, embrace the weather and plan like you mean it. Because Mother Nature might f*ck with you, but if you’re ready, she’ll help you throw a party nobody will ever forget.
Outdoor Weddings: Don’t Let Mother Nature Fuck Your Day
Let’s get something straight: If you want to get married outside in Colorado, you better be ready to wrestle Mother Nature—and she fights dirty. This state is where it’ll be sunny and 70 at 2 p.m., and by 4 p.m. you’re dodging golf-ball-sized hail and watching your beautiful ceremony arch become a projectile. If you’re hoping for a perfectly still, bluebird day—go book a ballroom. But if you’re here for the adventure (and maybe the best damn photos of your life), buckle up.
A True Colorado Shitshow (and Why It Was Epic)
Picture this: It’s Colorado in spring—could be May, could be June—fields bursting with wildflowers, blue skies overhead, and everyone’s living their “Pinterest-perfect” fantasy. Then, in true Colorado fashion, the weather decides to go full chaotic neutral. Maybe the wind picks up out of nowhere, threatening to yeet your entire decor setup into the next county. Or maybe it suddenly drops thirty degrees and starts snowing on your “sunny” wedding day. Or hell, you could be dodging hailstones the size of golf balls just hours after applying your makeup.
One couple I worked with faced literally all of these in a single afternoon: blazing sun at the ceremony, clouds rolling in like the apocalypse, wind so strong it took out a cocktail table, and a surprise rainstorm that had everyone laughing as they ran for cover. The couple? They just rolled with it. Got epic photos in every kind of weather, danced in the rain, and made memories that blew every boring ballroom wedding out of the water.
That’s what it means to get married outdoors in Colorado—being ready for four seasons in one day, and having the attitude to laugh it off, soak it in, and make it legendary.
Don’t Be Dumb: You NEED a Backup Plan (or Two)
Want an outdoor wedding? You don’t “hope for the best,” you PLAN for the worst. Actually, plan for the second-worst too. Here’s how you do it like a pro (trust me, after 450+ weddings, I’ve seen what happens when people skip this):
- Tents aren’t just for camping and music festivals.
Even if you think “it never rains here in May”—shut up and rent the tent anyway. And not the cheap, open-sided ones you see at grandma’s garden party. Get the kind with sidewalls, weights, and the ability to stop your centerpieces from flying into the next county. Yes, it’s extra money. No, you will not regret it. - Umbrellas are a non-negotiable.
Bulk buy them online, pass them out as (actually useful) favors, or have your wedding party carry matching clear ones. They look fucking amazing in photos—trust me, a line of clear umbrellas and a couple making out in the rain beats every dry-day portrait, every time. - Flip the damn schedule if you have to.
Don’t get precious about the order of your day. If the weather’s good at 2 p.m., move the ceremony up. If it looks like a monsoon is coming, do the first dance right away. Get the important stuff done while the sky is in a good mood, and be ready to roll with it when it throws a fit.
Vendors: Don’t Hire Anyone Who Panics
Not all vendors are built for Colorado chaos. Some have only ever worked perfect sunny days and will lose their shit if it drizzles. You want the battle-hardened ones—the ones who laugh when it starts to hail and know exactly how to protect your three-tier buttercream. The Engaged AF Directory is full of these pros.
Special shout-out to photographers and videographers: If you’ve invested in real, professional-level gear, it’s built to handle weather—rain, snow, sleet, the works. I’ve shot in everything from sideways blizzards to full-on rainstorms with zero fear for my cameras. If your photographer is whining about their gear getting a little wet, politely suggest they only shoot weddings in Arizona, because Colorado will eat them alive.
Ask vendors about their wildest weather days. If they get quiet or start sweating, move on. You want the people who light up and start telling stories about the time they shot a wedding in a blizzard and still made it look like a Vogue cover.
Weather-Proof Everything (Including Your Sanity)
- Paper goods are for suckers.
Programs, menus, place cards—if it’s not waterproof, it’s doomed. Go digital with a QR code or print backups on something that can take a beating. Or laminate them like you’re prepping for toddler art class. - Weigh everything down.
The wind is not your friend. Your pretty florals, delicate linens, and ceremony arch? Sitting ducks. Bring clips, rocks, sandbags, or whatever the hell it takes to keep your decor from ending up in the neighbor’s pond. - Forget the tiny stuff.
Nobody—NOBODY—will remember if your napkins were dusty blue or “whispering hydrangea.” What they will remember is if you kept the mood up and laughed when everything went off the fucking rails.
Why Shit Weather Makes the Best Weddings
Want to know a secret? The most iconic, legendary weddings I’ve ever shot are the ones where everything went wrong—on paper. The sky opened up, hair got ruined, dresses got trashed, and the bride and groom and the guests just leaned into it. The stories are insane, the photos are next-level, and the memories? Way better than a picture-perfect, forgettable day. Your guests will be talking about your “wild storm wedding” for YEARS. You’ll get to brag that you survived the great 2025 hailpocalypse with style.
Resources So You Don’t End Up on Wedding TikTok for All the Wrong Reasons
- Engaged AF Magazine Directory: Only book vendors who know how to handle real weather.
- Epoch Moment Blog: See real couples who embraced the chaos and got epic photos.
Bottom line: If you want a boring, safe day, rent a hall and keep it basic. If you want a wedding that feels like an adventure, embrace the weather and plan like you mean it. Because Mother Nature might f*ck with you, but if you’re ready, she’ll help you throw a party nobody will ever forget.
