Will it be too hot?

light539

So, we were going to have our wedding on a beach in Southern California this August but I'm finding it way too stressful to plan something like this long distance so we are thinking about moving the wedding closer to home...and by that I mean backyard wedding...in Arizona...in August....It definitely wouldn't start until around 7 or 8, just before the sun goes down, and most of the festivities would happen after dark. I'm not too worried about native Arizonians, to me August at night is perfect. But we will have people from Colorado and Washington state coming down. Is it going to be too hot for them? We didn't really want to change the date for the wedding but if we have to we will... Help? Anyone planning/planned/been to a wedding in August?

twoitalians

It's nice to think about the comfort of your OOT guests, but remember, the day is gonna be about YOU, your FI, and YOUR comfort level. If you're comfortable in August then it will be fine. Try not to worry about them being hot too much, and just make sure they are able to stay hydrated especially while they are waiting for the ceremony to start.

sb9411

Our wedding is 9/4/11, which makes it pretty much the same weather as August. I am really tentitive about the whole wedding being outdoors, even at night. I know you said it will be in the backyard, will there be mist-ers available?
Do you plan to have dancing?

Girlie1030

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_will-hot?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:71Discussion:6553b3df-9cd2-4401-adf1-fcf48261a700Post:12339773-c63d-4ad9-aec9-cbea77b57f9b">Re: Will it be too hot?</a>:
[QUOTE]It's nice to think about the comfort of your OOT guests, but remember, the day is gonna be about YOU, your FI, and YOUR comfort level. If you're comfortable in August then it will be fine. Try not to worry about them being hot too much, and just make sure they are able to stay hydrated especially while they are waiting for the ceremony to start.
Posted by twoitalians[/QUOTE]

I disagree with this.  Unless it's only she, fiance and officiant there, it is no longer just about their comfort. 

It will be hot for even those who are used to it, so I'd certainly consider holding it indoors and at the very least making sure fans and misters are set up and that there is plenty of cold water available. 

AllyG303

I had the same dilemma.  We're getting married July 29, 2012 and don't want to change our date.  We ultimately decided on Southern California, since only about 5 guests will be from Arizona (rest are from Northern California, Illinois, Washington State and Florida) and I think they would melt (funny thing, fiance's grandma told us about 4 years ago that if we got married, she didn't want us to get married in arizona in july...almost made we want to have it here just for saying that).  I also didn't want to wear my fuller dress in the AZ heat.  So with that said, if you're fine with it and there are plenty of water and misters to keep everybody comfortable, do it. 

If you DO want a SoCal wedding, I will tell you that planning one isn't as difficult as you might think.  The venues are the most difficult since you have to find time to go visit them.  Other than that though, most of the venues have preferred vendors that know their venue well, so that cuts down on a lot of stress.  Also, a lot of vendors in Arizona will travel to do your wedding in SoCal with no travel charges since the wedding business is slower here in the summer and they want to get out of town. I went to the bridal show in January and asked every photographer if they travel for free or if they charge for late July.  I would say about half wouldn't charge any more than what the photography package costs.  I also found some florists  and officiants that said the same thing.

jm521

Also don't forget it's monsoon season here. Not to put a damper on plans but weather played a huge factor in what month we were going to get married because we wanted outdoors.  It would be good if there was an indoor alternative just in case!

Celles

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_will-hot?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:71Discussion:6553b3df-9cd2-4401-adf1-fcf48261a700Post:12339773-c63d-4ad9-aec9-cbea77b57f9b">Re: Will it be too hot?</a>:
[QUOTE]It's nice to think about the comfort of your OOT guests, but remember, the day is gonna be about YOU, your FI, and YOUR comfort level. If you're comfortable in August then it will be fine. Try not to worry about them being hot too much, and just make sure they are able to stay hydrated especially while they are waiting for the ceremony to start.
Posted by twoitalians[/QUOTE]

This is one of the more ridiculous things I've read on The Knot -- and that's saying a lot. 

As the host of ANY event, you have an obligation to consider the comfort and physical health of your guests.  An outdoor August wedding in Arizona will be miserable.  It doesn't cool down until hours after sunset, so even if the reception doesn't start until 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening, it will still be uncomfortably warm, especially for OOT guests who aren't accustomed to our heat.  Even if no one actually passes out from heat exhaustion or dehydration (which I've done twice, and I have lived her fore over 10 years!), people will still be hot, tired and unhappy.  No matter how beautiful your ceremony is or how lovely you are as a bride, all they will remember about your wedding was the insufferable heat.  (And maybe the dust storm or monsoon, because those could happen in August too.  :p)

OP -- I commend you for thinking about your guests! Please don't take twoitalians' advice. It's horrible.

sb9411

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_will-hot?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:71Discussion:6553b3df-9cd2-4401-adf1-fcf48261a700Post:bfa97f91-79b3-4983-92c5-d27e23840da2">Re: Will it be too hot?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Will it be too hot? : This is one of the more ridiculous things I've read on The Knot -- and that's saying a lot.  As the host of ANY event, you have an obligation to consider the comfort and physical health of your guests.  An outdoor August wedding in Arizona will be miserable.  It doesn't cool down until hours after sunset, so even if the reception doesn't start until 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening, it will still be uncomfortably warm, especially for OOT guests who aren't accustomed to our heat.  Even if no one actually passes out from heat exhaustion or dehydration (which I've done twice, and I have lived her for over 10 years!), people will still be hot, tired and unhappy.  No matter how beautiful your ceremony is or how lovely you are as a bride, all they will remember about your wedding was the insufferable heat.  (And maybe the dust storm or monsoon, because those could happen in August too.  :p) OP -- I commend you for thinking about your guests! Please don't take twoitalians' advice. It's horrible.
Posted by Celles[/QUOTE]

Agreed.

mrswac58

Im from LA and a summer wedding in So Cal at the beach shouldn't be to bad weather wise. It may be pretty warm but the beach gives a great breeze. The evenings tend to cool down a bit. 100 in so cal is a lot different than 100 in AZ 

Ive been in AZ in the summer and i must say, it's pretty miserable outside. You may be used to it but also factor in your nerves, your dress and the fact that you and your guest will be sitting outside for an extended period of time with the dry AZ heat.

If you dont have to eliminate the idea of so cal, don't. Maybe you can do a little more research with vendors. They should be willing to work with you even though you're away. I do understand your frustration. FI and I live in Illinois and are marrying in AZ with fam coming from Socal 

kolina93

IMO it would-be too hot and unpredictable to have an outdoor August wedding in Arizona. Think about being in your dress, even just with fitting appointment, I was warm in my dress. I can't imagine outside dancing unless you are wearing a very light and cool material dress. Then there is the food and the cake out in that weather. I'm getting married in May and was hoping for an outdoor wedding, May in Arizona is not as warm as August, but it's unpredictable some years it's very hot early some years its still cool. We decided to spend a little more money and and do an indoor wedding as most of our guest are from OOT. I don't want people to feel agitated from being too warm after spending money and traveling this far to spend the day with us. I started to consider the other aspects too like the food and cake and wanting to have a DJ for dancing, indoors just made the better sense for US.

djshumway

I say August will be too hot outside..

kimheartsscott

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_will-hot?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:71Discussion:6553b3df-9cd2-4401-adf1-fcf48261a700Post:12339773-c63d-4ad9-aec9-cbea77b57f9b">Re: Will it be too hot?</a>:
[QUOTE]It's nice to think about the comfort of your OOT guests, but remember, the day is gonna be about YOU, your FI, and YOUR comfort level. If you're comfortable in August then it will be fine. Try not to worry about them being hot too much, and just make sure they are able to stay hydrated especially while they are waiting for the ceremony to start.
Posted by twoitalians[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Um, NO.  That is incredibly ridiculous.  Read what Celles said a few times please.

</div>

light539

Thanks for all the input ladies. SoCal is just too stressful for me personally, I run at high stress anyway and had a major anxiety attack one night and that was the end of that idea. When I talked to my parents this morning about moving it here they offered to let us use their empty house (they are moving to Florida in June and just won't sell it until after the wedding) so yay AC and cool stone floors! Now I just have to figure out the decor