Hurricane Irene, that is.
As I sit bunkered down in my *new* home, sacrificing my usual morning cup of coffee to help get rid of post-earthquake and pre-hurricane jitters, a thought occurred to me:
What if my wedding were happening today?
I do not envy the tough decisions those celebrating marriages on the East Coast may have had to make this weekend, such as this Connecticut couple (as I mentioned in a previous post, I have a tough time making decisions, particularly weather-related ones). Some may have put years into their planning efforts, only to have to make alternative arrangements at the last minute. Others may have close friends and family in distant locations who may not be able to travel as planned.
To these individuals, I say let’s not let Irene crash your wedding. There are certainly some very positive things about having your wedding in the midst of a hurricane:
- It will certainly be a memorable event.
- Lighter attendance than planned means extra cake for everyone else who could make it!
- You may have some very unique photographs – see if you can capture lawn furniture flying around in the background.
- Rain on your wedding day is an excellent omen – the more rain, the better the marriage!
Within my own wedding budget, I’ve decided to allot for some wedding disaster preparedness tools:
- Extra hairspray – gotta keep the bangs in place if the wind picks up.
- White rubber rainboots – who wants to wear heels in a torrential downpour?
- Glow sticks – sure, there might not be any music once the power goes out, but when you gotta dance, you gotta dance.
- Gondolas – to get our guests to the hotel down the block should the roads be washed away and unfit for walking.
Jokes aside, there is one tool that renders all other items in a disaster preparedness kit obsolete: wedding insurance. I didn’t account for it in my first draft of the wedding budget. Perhaps it’s time to re-work those numbers – I now believe it to be worthwhile for the extra peace of mind it provides.
After Mother Nature’s attack on the Mid-Atlantic this week, it’s a wonder my mother hasn’t redoubled her efforts to convince us a wedding near her in The Sunshine State would be more optimal. I can only hope that by the time next June rolls around, our home will have returned to its normal earthquake/hurricane/tornado/blizzard/tsunami/volcano-free state.