Weather Advice for Our Beach Weddings

RAIN INFO:   less than 1% of our 1,200+ beach weddings have been altered due to weather! Besides being "charmed" ;) here's why:

For the coastline area between Wilmington NC and Myrtle Beach SC, the weather is relatively stable and dry. Rainfall is very brief, real storms are few, and sunshine is plentiful. Why?  The geography affects the atmosphere and weather pattern:  the North Carolina coastline curves inward as it becomes South Carolina. See red circle on this map:

That inward curve creates a weak eddy ("whirlpool") in the atmosphere overhead, and that eddy sweeps rainstorms inland or out to sea!  Often, it storms in Wilmington NC or in Myrtle Beach SC, but remains clear and sunny skies inside that red circle.  Thus national forecasts for the beach here, are always very wrong.  So we recommend you avoid the "r" word, disallow joking and worrying about it, and think only "clear, calm weather" instead. Don't manifest the "r".  Think about clear, calm, dry light breezes and perfect weather!


Friend, it DOES get wet here sometimes...in 5-20 minute scattered showers. It may not come down at all where your ceremony is, but sprinkling on the next block! So if it sprinkles on you, just wait a few minutes... it will leave soon:

• Want to accurately track those scattered showers in real time?  Download the free cellphone apps "Raindar" and "AccuWeather" and "My Radar" that we use. 
• Also if THESE forecasters says 30% chance or less of precip, then no worries. If its 50% or less, you MIGHT wait a few minutes if it comes to your neighborhood.

HEAT PROBLEMS & TIMES!

• May, June, July and August middays are VERY HOT (heat index of 100+ degrees--seriously! Climate change is real here too), so its humid, sweaty/sticky, searing bright sun (no sunglasses during your ceremony), and crowded-with-noisy-tourists on the beach between 830am and 5pm EVERY day - so avoid then!  
• A beach breeze will not help at 100 degrees in direct sun! 
• Painful sunburns happen within a 1-5 minutes between 10-2pm for fair skinned.  Use sunblock especially on kids.
• You can hope for overcast skies, but its rare and temporary, plus the humidity and crowds will stay.  
• The best time for weddings is sunrise time (about 6-6:30am) or the last hour before sunset (about 7-7:30pm).
  
  We have done over 1,200 weddings here--we have seen midday weddings be cut short due to burning heat, wilted & fallen expensive hairdos and sweat blotchy clothes, crying burned kids, burned toes, and blinding sun.
  
  Go early or late instead of midday. Seriously.