WEEKEND RECAP

What an incredible weekend we had here at Two River Events! We welcomed our Fall season with a double header weekend! Gina and Brandon got married on Saturday at Cousiac Manor and Journey and Nick were married at The Inn at New Kent Winery on Sunday. I have had such a fun time getting to know both couples and I am thrilled that I was part of a new chapter in their lives!

THE BACK UP PLAN

In the few years I have been operating my business, rain is always a factor when planning an outdoor wedding or ceremony. I hate to ask the question in the planning process "What if it rains?", but it is a question that must be asked, thought about and planned for. Most couples (especially Brides) don't want to think about rain on their wedding day. Sure, people claim that it is "good luck", but I think that is just what the first person who had a rainy wedding said to stay optimistic. Of course it isn't ideal, but making the best of any given situation is the next best option. What can do you if Mother Nature is working against you? Not much, just go with the flow.

In the few days leading up to Gina's wedding, Hermine made landfall as a category 1 hurricane in Florida. What did that mean for us? Well the direction that she was heading next, was directly at us! In the couple days leading up to wedding, I gave Gina space. I knew she was watching the weather, I knew her family was watching weather, I knew her friends who coming to the wedding were watching the weather. So... I waited. I waited until we had more of an accurate forecast. Once we knew it was going to rain, we started talking seriously on the subject. Of course I asked months prior "what if it rains?" and I knew that answer, but that answer is always dramatically different less than 24 hours prior to your wedding. We talked about the possible scenarios, we talked about the #1 and #2 preferences. I knew exactly what Gina and Brandon wanted. However, it wasn't so much rain in this forecast we were concerned about, it was the wind, and BOY was it blowing! The day of their rehearsal, I arrived a few minutes earlier than her. I walked the property, I surveyed again and really broke it down into a few game plans.

Her goal: get married outside.

My goal: make that happen.

We walked the space together and talked about the options, we talked about how the number one plan was to get married under the trees. We talked about the back up, then the back up to the back up, the "if we have to" back up and then the hail mary. Then we rehearsed. We rehearsed Plan A, hoping the karma gods and any good juju would bring nice weather for the next day.

THE BIG DAY

I arrived on property quite a few hours before I needed to for their wedding. Mostly, I wanted to watch the weather, I wanted to be able to prep a few things sooner in case we needed to make a last minute decision, I just wanted to be prepared. It was windy, but it wasn't raining. Most of the storm had made its way to the East far enough that the major rain was gone from the area. I told Gina we'd make a decision at 2:00. If it wasn't raining at that point, we'd have this thing outside. So we waited. Of course, at 2:00 it started raining, and it did for an over an HOUR! I was so afraid the feeder band sitting on top of us wouldn't go away. By about 3:15 it was clearing out. We pressed forward. I set up for a ceremony OUTSIDE, in a TROPICAL STORM. The winds were still blowing, it was still a little overcast but it was outside. It was everything Gina and Brandon wanted.

WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR

Honestly, in one word: Gina. Gina was the most understanding and stress free bride she could have been on the day of her potentially rainy and terribly windy wedding day. When I saw her first thing she was smiling. She didn't start the day off with what if questions. She didn't tell me how it was going to be. She was rational. She was happy. She knew at the end of the day, she was still getting married to the love of her life rain or shine, she was making the best of it. I could almost scream from the rooftops with excitement about how amazing it was to be trusted. She trusted me to make the right call. She trusted me to make it happen, make sure her, her family and friends and the staff were safe. She was REASONABLE. I could go on and on about the sense of relief it was knowing that either way she was going to be happy. Would I have waited 30 minutes if I knew the rain was going to cut out, OF COURSE. Would I have gone out and dried chairs a third time, ABSOLUTELY. Would I have carried her dress all through the grass and crouched down like a wedding planner ninja to avoid the pictures, just so she could have a semi-dry dress for the rest of the night... you bet ya! I would have done whatever I needed to, to make sure that a less than perfect day, was a little more so for her... all because she trusted me to do so. THANK YOU Gina, for being incredibly rational on your wedding day. I am SO glad that the rain cleared out... it may have been a little windy during your ceremony, and while I was trying to light your fire pit (the first three times) for the s'mores, but it was no match for a few broken down boxes and a little... ok, ok, ok maybe a lot of tiki torch fluid. It just needed some patience, and you had it. For that, I am thankful.

To sum: Have a back up plan. Be understanding. Roll with the punches play the cards you have been dealt.

Eventfully Yours,

Kari