How to Prepare Your Venue for Snow

Winter is a gorgeous season for weddings. There’s something extra magical about snow-dusted lawns and icicles sparkling in the sun. However, winter also means there’s the potential chance for too much snow on your wedding day.

Learn how to prepare your venue for snow before your big day arrives. You’ll problem-solve potential weather complications and have contingency plans so your wedding is perfect, no matter what happens.

1. Plan Closer Parking

Some venues have larger parking lots away from the ceremony or reception area. Although the sidewalks will guide your guests inside, they’re a potential hazard if snow or ice covers them.

Talk with your venue coordinator about letting your guests park closer to the building. They may have staff parking around the back that’s easier to access or temporary tents that could shield the sidewalk from winter storms.

You could also research group travel options like a shuttle bus or horse-drawn carriages to pick your guests up from their hotel and take them to your venue’s front door. This will be most important to any guests with limited mobility.

2. Look Into Rentable Machinery

Your venue may already have snow shovels on site, but those may become inadequate if the snow falls too fast. Instead of assigning a few people to shovel snow throughout your event, you could rent a snowblower or two.

Your helpers could use them to quickly remove snow from large areas like parking lots or the venue’s winding driveway before your event ends. It’ll take less time, which your volunteers will especially appreciate if they’re family members stepping out of your reception to help.

3. Scatter Salt a Day Early

Rock salt can be an excellent preventative measure to prepare your venue for snow. Ask your venue coordinator to scatter it along the parking lot and sidewalks a day early. When it starts snowing or the melted snow begins to freeze, the salt will prevent ice from forming where your guests need to walk.

This is also essential if you have any outdoor patio areas open during your reception. Rock salt will allow the space to remain usable for anyone who needs fresh air. It could even make reception games possible after a storm. Your guests won’t have to worry about competing in a cornhole tournament in an icy outdoor courtyard.

4. Pack a First Aid Kit

Most professional venues will have some first-aid response supplies on hand, but you can always bring one from home in case the winter weather causes injuries. Your first aid kit should include essentials like bandages and antibiotic ointment so if anyone slips and injures themselves, they won’t need to worry about infections. Over-the-counter pain medications are also handy for bruises caused by falling on ice patches.

5. Save Portable Heaters

Heaters could save the day in a few ways. First, they make any outdoor space more accessible in the winter. Your guests could have their cocktail hour on a wrap-around porch and watch snow drifting down from the comfort of their patio heaters.

Indoor heaters will also keep people comfortable if the power goes out during your wedding. If you use them safely by placing them on non-flammable surfaces and unplugging them when you leave the room, your venue will still be a winter wonderland, even if a storm disrupts your day.

Prepare Your Winter Wedding Venue

It’s always a good time to talk with your venue coordinator about preparing your venue for snow. Every precaution is another helpful step toward a perfect day. Sprinkling rock salt on sidewalks, preparing snow removal equipment and storing portable heaters for emergencies will put your worries at ease if the weather is anything less than sunny.