The Rain Plan Test: Judge Any Wedding Venue With One Question
It seems like every venue says the same thing about rain. "Do not worry, we have options."
Options is not a plan. Here is the one question that sorts venues fast: can you show me the rain plan, right now, on this tour?
What a dodge sounds like
"We can always bring in a tent." Ask who pays for it. Tent rentals for 150 guests can run $2,000 to $6,000, and the quote usually shows up two weeks before your date, when you have zero power to say no.
"We just move things around." Ask to see the actual room. Sometimes "moving things around" means your ceremony happens in the same hall as your reception, with your guests staring at the dinner tables during your vows.
"It never rains here." It rains everywhere. In eastern North Carolina, summer pop-up storms are just part of the deal. A venue that pretends otherwise is not planning. It is hoping.
What a real answer looks like
A real rain plan is a real space you can stand in on your tour. You should be able to ask three things and get plain answers.
Where exactly does my ceremony go if it pours?
Ours goes in the pavilion, which is heated and cooled. Not a tent that might get ordered. A building that is already there, already climate controlled, already beautiful in photos.
Who makes the rain call, and when?
Ask this at every venue. The good answer is: you and the venue decide together, the morning of, with a plan already rehearsed. The bad answer is a shrug.
Does the rain plan cost extra?
Here, no. The pavilion is part of every package. At some venues the backup space or the tent is a separate line on the invoice. Neither is wrong, but you should know the number before you sign, not two weeks out.
Rain can be a gift
One more thing photographers know: an overcast sky is soft, even light. Some of the prettiest photos ever taken here happened under gray clouds. And if the sun breaks through late, our golden hour calculator tells you the exact minute to step outside for sunset photos.
Run the test
Take the rain plan test to every venue on your list. See who shows you a space and who shows you a shrug. We put real prices from 11 area venues side by side on our comparison page, and question four on our tour checklist is the rain plan. Come run the test on us. We will walk you straight to the pavilion.