Lake Toxaway, North Carolina – site of a FAVOR Events 2009 wedding.  Photos by LaCour.

Well, tomorrow officially welcomes Summer to 2011, although if you are in a warm climate area like me, we have been experiencing hot temperatures since mid-March!  With outdoor weddings so popular among couples, we sometimes spend weeks praying for no rain on the wedding day, only to be faced with extreme heat when the wedding day finally arrives.  What’s a wedding planner to do to stay cool when working an outdoor event in warm temperatures?

Before I share with you my favorite tips, let me add that I’m not sharing this post for purposes of vanity only.  Oh no, working in the hot sun and heat is a serious matter and we need to be careful out there.  Some possible side effects of working in extreme temperatures are:

Increased body temperature and pulse rate
Dehydration
Heat stroke
Heat rash
Increased risk of heart attack or other cardiac problems
Fainting
Nausea/vomiting

I highly recommend creating a buddy system among your staff or vendor partners.  All of us want to do our best work and not slow down production on a wedding day, so having vendors watch out for each other throughout the day can go along way in the prevention of a heat related incident.

Here are some practical tips for surviving the heat:

Build exposure to outdoor conditions over a period of time.  Seriously, spend at least 15 minutes outside for a few days leading up to the wedding day.   Try to replicate the conditions you will be working under – full sun, partial shade, etc.  Humans are, to a large extent, capable of adjusting to the heat. This adjustment, under normal circumstances, usually takes about 5 to 7 days, during which time the body will undergo a series of changes that will make continued exposure to heat more endurable.  With each succeeding daily exposure, any negative responses will gradually decrease, while the sweat rate will increase.

Pre-determine a shady area for tasks and breaks.  By the time you are a week out from an event, you probably have the “lay of the land” when in comes to the areas surrounding the wedding venue.  Choose a shady spot out of the way of other vendors where your staff can assemble set up items, or just sit for a 15-minute break throughout the course of the day.  Providing cool rest areas in hot work environments considerably reduces the stress of working in those environments.

Hydrate – this is a given, of course, but I can’t stress enough how important it is.  Most people exposed to hot conditions drink fewer fluids than needed because of an insufficient thirst drive.  Therefore, we really cannot depend on thirst to signal when and how much to drink. Instead, we should drink 5 to 7 ounces of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes to replenish our body’s necessary fluids.  In the course of a day’s work, a person may produce as much as 2 to 3 gallons of sweat. Because so many heat disorders involve excessive dehydration of the body, it is essential that water intake during the workday be about equal to the amount of sweat produced.

Eat light snacks throughout the day.  Even though it may seem counterintuitive, this is a good time to skip heavy meals.  Light, crisp vegetables or fruit with a little protein will suffice if you are hydrating properly throughout the day. 

Now that we’ve addressed the physical aspect of keeping cool at a summer wedding, here are a few ways to remain looking polished in the heat:

Hair:  Summer weddings are not the time or place for fussy hairdos.  My go-to hairstyle is a simple side-part bang and bun pulled back at the nape of my neck.  I wrap it up pretty tight in the morning and all I need to do later to freshen up is comb through my bangs again and spritz with hair spray.

Make-Up:  Likewise, I keep my make-up very simple and light when it is hot.  Moisturizer with SPF is a must, and I wear very light foundation and eye make-up.  I carry a small bag with me for touch up’s that includes my eyebrow pencil, powder blush, mineral foundation with brush, and lip gloss.  I can touch up in 5 minutes.

Cool water:  One thing I do to stay cool is rinse my hands frequently with cold water, concentrating on my wrists.  Years ago, I read somewhere that if your wrists are cool, you remain cool all over, and I have found that to be true.  Rather than drying my hands off with a towel, I will pat my arms and neck after rinsing to cool my body.  It doesn’t create a mess; it dries very quickly and really does the trick. 

Clothing & Shoes:  I actually find light, knit dresses to be more comfortable than pants or even shorts when working in extreme temperatures.  I find cotton to be the best all around choice.  Not only will it absorb sweat, but also the loose fibers breathe easily, wicking away sweat from your skin instead of trapping it on the surface, which leads to body odor.  Also, my feet swell terribly in hot weather, so as much as I love my comfy running shoes, you won’t find me wearing them for set up at a summer wedding.  My go to shoes for summer weddings are Yellow Box flip-flops.  I probably could not find a less glamorous shoe but they offer the support and cushioning that I need for long days on my feet.  While my summer wedding look is definitely not as stylish as I like to be, I know that I am much more effective for my clients when I keep my look simple and comfortable.

Happy Summer Planning!

NOTE:  Parts of this article were taken from The Centers For Disease Control site: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/86-112/