Planning a Wedding in a Heatwave
Heatwaves are changing summer weddings - here's how to plan for one
- Level
- B1
- Estimated time
- 30–40 minutes
- Reading
- 1 min read
The story
Many weddings this summer faced very high temperatures during a heatwave. Aimie Seale had chosen July for her day, but the ceremony was in a glass church. It was unbearably hot and guests needed shade and cold drinks.
Aimie and Ryan had to book an emergency marquee to give more shade. They also put fans on tables and booked an ice-cream van to help people cool down. Michelle Miles, an industry adviser, said, "It has affected the industry massively." Venues must bring air conditioning units and this raises costs for everyone.
Flowers suffered too. Popular flowers had a much shorter time to look good, so florists had to go to more growers for enough stems. Using many growers increased delivery costs and added work for suppliers and florists.
Because of hotter summers, more couples are changing dates. Wedding planners say the shoulder season now reaches into October. Couples are booking later months to avoid the hottest weather and protect their guests and budgets.
Key vocabulary
- heatwave
- A period of very hot weather that lasts several days.
- marquee
- A large tent used for events, often to give shade or shelter.
- guests
- People who attend a wedding or event.
- venue
- The place where an event, like a wedding, happens.
- fans
- Small machines people use to move air and feel cooler.
- flowers
- Plants used for decoration at weddings, like roses and peonies.
- delivery
- The action of bringing goods, for example flower stems, to a place.
- October
- The tenth month of the year; some couples now book weddings in this month.
Comprehension check
Write your answer, reveal the model answer, then score yourself honestly.
1. What weather problem affected many weddings this summer?
2. Where was Aimie Seale's ceremony held?
3. What did Aimie and Ryan book to give more shade?
4. Why did florists go to more growers?
5. Which month are more couples now booking to avoid heat?
Grammar focus
Prepositions of place
Prepositions of place show where something is (for example: in, on, outside). Use them to describe location or position in sentences.
- The ceremony was in a glass church.
- They put an emergency marquee outside the venue.
Grammar exercise
Fill the gap with the correct preposition of place. Use the verb in brackets from the reading text.
1. This summer, they (put) the marquee ___ the venue.
2. So far, guests (drink) water ___ the reception.
3. Already, venues (bring) units ___ the halls.
4. This week, the florist (go) ___ the growers.
5. Next month, couples (book) weddings ___ October.
Discussion
For reflection or speaking practice — not graded.
- Would you move a wedding date because of hot weather? Why or why not?
- What other ways can a venue keep guests comfortable in heat?
- How do you feel about changing traditional wedding months because of climate change?
- If you were a florist, how would you prepare for hotter summers?