dearest brides and grooms, 

now, i don't want to rain on your parade {ha}. obviously, no one - absolutely no one - wishes for rain on her wedding day. however, as with most things in life, you should always plan for the worst-case scenario. for your wedding day, that means you need to plan for rain. 

if you have your heart set on an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception, your rain-plan contingency will be a bit less complicated. the most common rain plan for this situation is to reserve an indoor location, whether it a church or a portion of your already-reserved reception venue, in which to hold your ceremony.  while this is not the most ideal option, it is often the best since the alternative - to reserve a tent under which to hold your ceremony - is both costly and, in most cases, detracts from the outdoor setting that you loved in the first place. you can't exactly enjoy the view of oaks dripping with spanish moss from underneath a tent, you know? 

now, if you have your heart set on an open-air ceremony and an outdoor reception, your best option may well be to reserve a tent to cover the reception space just in case. if you are a week out and the chance of rain on your wedding day is 0%, some rental companies will allow you to cancel on the tent, which you may as well do. if the weather forecast indicates the potential for rain on your wedding day, keep the tent on your rental order. as it takes quite a few hours to put up a tent, you will have to make the call the day {rather than hours} prior on whether or not to raise it. 

either way, trust me on this: MAKE A RAIN PLAN. if you don't have one, it will definitely rain. if you do have one, it more than likely will not rain. 

if you want extra assurance {in addition to coming up with a rain contingency}, check out this southern tradition to ward off the storm clouds on your wedding day: 

"Southern folklore says if you bury a full bottle of bourbon upside down at your wedding venue exactly one month before your wedding day, you will keep rain away. The co-founders of Borrowed & Blue did it before their wedding day &, as you can see, they had bright & sunny skies despite the threat of a hurricane. It can't hurt to give it a try, & is an awesome event around which to center your engagement photos." 

- borrowed and blue's top ten southern wedding traditions