VIRGINIA WEATHER

I say this all the time, "It's Virginia." What does that mean, well it could mean a lot depending on the context, but usually when I am referring to it while speaking to a couple, it's referring to the weather. As I sit here now, its a blustery, cooler day, I would expect that in March. Last week, we had multiple days reach 70 and even 80 degrees in FEBRUARY! Two Saturdays ago, it was 80 degrees one minute, a THUNDERSTORM with HAIL (in February!), and then a low in the 30's that night. Simply stated, "It's Virginia".

Virginia can be beautiful, different areas of the commonwealth have jaw dropping beauty to them. If you have not had a chance to see Skyline Drive in the Fall, you must. Our Spring brings welcomed warm air from what can be a cold, snowy Winter and do I need to mention all of the amazing beaches and waterfront along the many coastal waterways?

HURRICANE MATTHEW

On October 8, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in South Carolina, what was forecasted, was that it would miss our area for the most part. What we got was a little different. While there was not direct landfall on our area, we received A LOT more rain than expected. The storm slowed down over night and left us with more rain that anticipated.

The morning of October 9, it was a new day. In standard Virginia fashion, other than the ground being moist and some debris scattered, there were bright blue skies and abundant sunshine. If it was your first day here, other than the news, you would not have known a hurricane had passed through in recent hours. Living in a coastal area, when people say hurricane, it usually means something more serious to residents than those who reside further inland. Residents tend to take more precautions and take storm prep more seriously. We flood easier, we lose power for days sometimes weeks and property damage is something not to mess with. We had localized flooding and some power outages, but for the most part, we missed a big one here. We were very lucky. Power outages were not as widespread and were very random, due in part to fallen trees.

Things were running smoothly that day until I got the call. The call that the venue had no power. A power line close to the venue became a victim of one of those fallen trees from the storm. What to do! The only thing I knew to do, was to react! Thanks to the incredible support of some of Leanne's family, friends and her boss, funds were not an issue. The only thing on anyone's mind was to make sure the day was perfect. I started making phone calls, and searching the internet for anyone who had a generator left. Can you believe there was not a single one left on the peninsula? Well, there wasn't. I ended up finding three at Home Depot in Gloucester. On the way from Williamsburg to Gloucester, I called my husband, he met me there with the truck. Helped me get all of the extension cords that I needed, brought me extra gas tanks and sent me on my way! While I may be a one woman show, this little business is definitely a team effort thanks to my wonderful husband. His support... ok, ok... his muscles and truck make my life so much easier in times of need.

THE WEDDING

The staff at the Williamsburg Winery were ready to go as soon as I arrived. With some quick thinking, we were able to run less extension cords than we needed to and were able to get the band, catering and lighting all running on their own separate generators. It was truly magical. A wedding was running on back up power, with limited light, and it was just as romantic and intimate as if nothing was wrong.

Leanne and Phil were so easy going about all of this. They knew, at the end of the day they were still getting married. Being an event planner herself, Leanne knows that events going off without a hitch are rare. Usually there aren't extremes such as this, but her ability to stay calm and trust that everything would work out made my job so much easier. To be honest, I spoke to Leanne I think once after I found out about the power and that was it until I got to the venue. She knew I had a job to do and let me to it, just like I knew she did not need to know about the behind the scenes stuff, she just needed to know I would make it happen.

TEAMWORK

Have you heard the saying, "teamwork is the dreamwork", well this was truly a team effort. From the family, friends, my family, the staff at the winery and the talent among the vendors that I did not have to check up on to make sure they were ok, this wedding was perfect. And guess what, the power come back on about 8:30 that night! So, do you need a generator? Chances are, you may not, but worth asking the question, so you can have a game plan just in case Virginia decides to be... Virginia.

Eventfully Yours,

Kari

Venue: Williamsburg Winery

Floral: Aleen Floral

Photography: Amanda Manupella

Catering: Chef by Design

Band: Bachelor Boys Band

Videography: Keith Raegan

Photo Booth: Shutterbooth

To see more images, click here: Leanne & Phill - Williamsburg, Virginia Wedding — To see more images, click here: Lea nne & Phill - Williamsburg, Virginia Wedding

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