With the recent scare of hurricane Florence hitting Virginia Beach, we thought it would be a great idea to cover what you should do if a hurricane threatens to crash your wedding! Lesner Inn had four scheduled events to take place September 14 – 16th. However, with the media that hurricane Florence had received, all four of our weddings decided to say their “I do’s” at a later date. Now, even though the storm no longer threatens us, we are here to tell those couples that they made the right decision and to share their wisdom with you all!

1. Contact your wedding venue
Our Lesner Inn couples began contacting us on Monday about the impending storm and gathered information about cancellations and modifications that would be allowed due to the hurricane. The catering agreement that each of our clients sign covers what would happen if a natural disaster hit and states that we offer a one-time date transfer in these cases.

2. Contact your other wedding vendors
If you are considering cancelling or rescheduling your wedding, it is best to contact each of your vendors as soon as possible. That means reaching out to all of the vendors involved in your big day and finding out their policies on cancellation or modification. Every vendor that we worked with this week to reschedule Lesner Inn weddings was more than accommodating given the threat to Virginia Beach.

_{Right: Echard Wheeler Photography}

3. Consider your guests (and wedding vendors)
When a natural disaster occurs near your wedding venue, consider what hoops your guests (and vendors) may need to jump through in order to attend your wedding. Whether they are flying, driving, or walking across the street it is important to consider the conditions they would have to travel in. In some cases, it may be best to have them reschedule their travel plans to attend your wedding another weekend.

4. Set a deadline
With an unpredictable storm like hurricane Florence, you should set a deadline to make your decision by with your vendors. Lesner Inn allowed our clients to make their decisions by Wednesday morning, so we would hopefully have the most accurate information about the storm.

5. Follow through
We realize how difficult it must be to even consider rescheduling the day you have been preparing for so long! However, the safety of your family, friends, and wedding vendors is what is really important in making this difficult decision.

We feel for the couples that felt they needed to reschedule their wedding dates, because of the possibility of the storm hitting the Hampton Roads area. However, we are extremely grateful that they chose to think about the safety of themselves, their guests, and their vendors in the midst of chaos.

Our hearts go out to all affected by hurricane Florence, and we hope that the areas damaged receive the help they need to rebuild!