Wedding Planning Tip: Florida Weather

Spring is in the air here in Florida. So as the thermometer hit 80 and we turned on the air conditioner for the first time today, we thought this would be a good time to reflect on the weather and how it effects planning for a beach wedding in Florida.

For those of you short on time, here's a quick rundown of Florida's Weather:

• January - Chilly (lows in the 40s, highs in the 50s and 60s). Occasional rainy days as cold fronts push through.
• February - Still chilly, similar to January, warming slightly by the end of the month (if we're lucky).
• March - Can still be slightly chilly near the beginning of the month, but generally one of our best months for weather. Lows in the 50s and 60s, highs in the 70s and 80s are typical.
• April - Almost perfect! 80 degrees and sunny more often than not!
• May - Very nice, getting very warm, with highs approaching 90 towards the end of the month.
• June - Very warm. Highs in the 90s not uncommon. Occasional afternoon thunderstorms.
• July - Hot and humid. Highs in the 90s common. More frequent afternoon thunderstorms.
• August - Sauna-like! Very hot and humid. Afternoon thunderstorms common. This is when most Floridians take their vacation. On the plus side, it's one of the slowest months for weddings, so there can be lots of availability (if you can find a vendor who is not on vacation!)
• September - Still very warm, with cooler temperatures (highs in the 80s) towards the end of the month. Less frequent afternoon thunderstorms, but (statistically) it's the busiest month for hurricanes.
• October - Another of our best months for weather. Highs in the 70s and 80s. Still a slight chance of hurricane activity.
• November - Cooler temperatures (highs in the 70s), with more frequent "cold" fronts pushing through and causing occasional rain. Decreased chance of hurricane activity.
• December - Generally cooler, with highs in the 60s, occasional colder weather and chilly nights. Getting colder towards the end of the month.
• Notes: Obviously, these are just personal observations about the weather here in the Tampa Bay area. Our weather can vary at any time of year, and no guarantee of nice weather is implied herein! In general, you can subtract about 10 degrees for northern Florida and add about 10 degrees for southern Florida.

So there you have it. Spring and fall are our nicest (and busiest) times of year for beach weddings. But this is all relative, folks. If you're shoveling snow in December in the midwest, a 55 degree evening on the beach doesn't sound too bad! And the fact is, Florida actually has very good weather year-round by most peoples' standards.

In fact, our lovely home City of St Petersburg holds the Guiness world record for the most consecutive days of sunshine - a 768 day streak starting in 1967! Our average annual temperature is 73 degrees. Not too shabby!

All that being said, what it boils down to is on average, some times of year are better than others. But just like anywhere else, it's possible to have bad weather on any day of the year. So, you need to have a backup plan if you're planning a florida beach wedding.

We always discuss this with our clients and work with them to come up with a "Plan B" that suits their style and budget. A couple of our favorite options here locally are the Sunset Beach Pavilion on Treasure Island and the Don Vista Cultural Center on St Pete Beach, both of which can be reserved (directly, or through us) for a relatively small fee. Trust us, the peace of mind is worth every penny! Another possibility is to buy "Rain Out" insurance - for a small fee, you can purchase a policy that pays a set amount if the rainfall total exceeds a certain amount on your wedding day. There's nothing like having your wedding paid for to ease the stress of a rainy wedding day! See http://www.bigdayumbrella.com/ for more information.

Finally, we cannot just end this post without explaining the "H Word" - Hurricanes! We get a lot of questions about this, expecially during the summer. Here's the deal: Technically, the Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to November 30th. But in reality, the busiest months for hurricanes in Florida are mid-August through mid-October.

California has earthquakes, the midwest has tonadoes, and the northeast has blizzards. Every area has it's weather hazards. A least we can see hurricanes coming from a long way, and a hurricane is not going to just "pop up" and spoil your wedding day like a tornado or earthquake would!

The last time a hurricane made direct landfall in the Tampa Bay area was in 1921! The chances of a hurricane making landfall on your wedding day are extremely small, and even if one did, we would know days in advance and work with you to plan around it. So...think sunshine, and find something else (that's more likely to actually happen) to worry about!

For a more complete discussion of Florida's weather and the best time of year for a Florida beach wedding, check out our Florida Beach Wedding Guide!

How has the weather impacted your wedding plans? Do you know of any other great backup venues in Florida? Please share by leaving a comment below!

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