Officiants: Adapt Your Business as Climate Change Fuels More Fall Weddings

Climate change is leaving its mark on the wedding industry: How to shift your officiant business toward eco-conscious services & a busier fall wedding season

 

Climate change is reshaping wedding season as more couples choose fall dates to avoid extreme summer weather like heatwaves, floods, and wildfires. As a wedding officiant, now’s the time to adapt your marketing and services to this growing trend.

 

To help you prepare, here’s a look at a few ways climate change is impacting the wedding industry, and tips on adapting your officiant business to take advantage of a busier fall wedding season.

 

 

(Photo: anatoliycherkas  / iStock)

 

 

The fall wedding trend

 

The trend toward fall weddings became undeniable a few years ago, around 2019. At that time, wedding planners speculated over a “stark shift” toward September, October and November wedding dates, and a WeddingWire report confirmed it. This move away from the traditional spring season (with its April, May, June weddings), was initially attributed to convenience – not climate:

 

“Fall works for many of our couples because it doesn't compete with family vacations, reunions and holidays over the summer and winter,” Kerline Docteur of Joie de Vie Weddings & Events, LLC noted at the time. 

 

And while that might have been true then – that couples chose fall weddings because they were convenient for families – it seems weather plays a more important role now. 

 

Namely, couples are planning around the effects of climate change – heatwaves, tornados, flooding, and wildfires – not school schedules. 

 

Just take a look: 

 

“I'm having an October 2025 wedding in NoVa. Main attractions for us are beautiful (and free!) fall scenery… [and a] higher likelihood of pleasant weather… I guess one con is it might make our out-of-town guests with children less likely to attend, but that's a small percentage of our guest list, so we are okay with that risk…” (WeeLittleParties)

 

“I am a bride that initially planned on a summer wedding…However, the NYC heatwave has been so bad this year it's made me nervous about doing anything outdoors, and [is] making me consider pushing the wedding to maybe September.” (Drflorista)

 

“Fall weather tends to be more reliable.” (verminousbow)

 

“It’s a sad truth that smoky weddings are now common out west [in the summer.]” (1yellowmagnolia)

 

“October all the way. It’s brutal being in formal wear in the heat [of summer]… Plus it’s way easier to make a tent warmer than cooler! Or to add a cute wrap or jacket to your outfit. Plus fall gives you a beautiful color palette and flower/decor options.” (WanderingWedding)

 

“I'm getting married Saturday, and that day last year was 89F, but the 5 day forecast is out and we're looking at 99F…I'm concerned about getting heatstroke myself, I'm mostly worried about the enjoyment of my guests.” (__raeofsunshine__)

 

“I’m so sorry this is happening during your wedding. It seems, these days, that if it isn’t smoke it’s extreme heat and if it isn’t that it’s tornados…My area has gone through this several times in the last three years.” (Mmcdowell1956)

 

 

This fall trend has continued to increase each year. According to The Knot, October became the most popular wedding month of all in 2024, with 17% of all weddings happening in that month. May – usually a bustling time for ceremonies – saw only half that volume, with around 10% of weddings. And September was the second most popular month, with 15% of weddings. 

 

Meanwhile, June has fallen from first place into third place, despite decades of holding the top spot. In 2010, for example, 15% of couples married in June. In 2024, only 12% of all wedding dates were planned for June. If we run the numbers, that's a 20% decrease in overall popularity, and 72,516 fewer weddings overall for June! 

 

 

How extreme weather reshapes popular wedding dates

 

As we mentioned above, June has fallen in popularity from first place to third place in recent years. Other months have also fallen out of favor – consider August, which tied for first place in 1999, but is now tied with May for fourth place. And all signs suggest that the once-unbeatable spring and summer seasons will only become less and less popular in the years to come, as intense heat waves and weather anomalies become increasingly common. 

 

According to NOAA, “June 2024 was the warmest June on record for the globe in NOAA's 175-year record.” And it was “the 48th consecutive June with global temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average.” 

 

This year, experts have also highlighted “a tragic surge in deadly flash floods across the United States [in summer months], underscoring the escalating volatility of our warming world,” as well as “an unusually humid summer with record amounts of moisture in the air.” Recent studies agree, showing that “such weather patterns have tripled in incidence since the mid-20th century during the summer months.” (via CNN)

 

Since January 2025, spring floods caused by a changing climate closed wedding venues in Northern Kentucky; a wave of multiple tornados shut down weddings in Texas; a March “megastorm” threatened a huge section of the US with fires, blizzards, tornadoes, and flooding; flash floods devastated communities across the south; and even the controversial Jeff Bezos wedding in Venice was moved indoors because of a freak thunderstorm. (And so on - it's been a busy seven months.)

 

The takeaway? Planning a wedding in the spring and summer is increasingly unreliable. Even if couples plan an indoor wedding to avoid a heatwave, local roadways, airlines, and venues can all be impacted by extreme weather like floods and wildfires.

 

Your fall wedding season will only get busier! Below are a few ways to stay ahead of the shift.

 

 

(Photo: Andreua / iStock)

 

 

How wedding officiants can keep up with climate change and prepare for busy fall wedding seasons

 

With all this in mind, here are a few things you can do to prepare for climate change’s impact on the wedding industry, and the continued popularity of fall weddings. Feel free to adjust these recommendations for your area, taking your local weather and tourism patterns into account. 

 

 

• Update your vendor contract with climate change in mind

 

Every professional wedding officiant should probably have a vendor contract, which outlines the services you’ll provide, how and when you must be paid, and what happens in the case of a cancellation or change. Now, it’s even more important to create a contract that addresses potential impacts of climate change. 

 

For example, depending on where you live, you may want to include an extreme weather clause to describe what happens if a wedding is cancelled, postponed, or relocated due to flooding, fire, and other natural disasters. This clause can also stipulate which weather conditions you won’t travel in, and who officiates the wedding if you’re unable to attend during a weather event. 

 

You might also want to consider how you will return a marriage license in the event of extreme weather following the ceremony, and how your local government handles filing deadlines during these times. 

 

Learn more: 

 

• Sample Wedding Officiant Contract: Defining Your ‘Terms of Service’ for Professional Officiants
• What to Include in a Wedding Officiant Contract, According to the Pros
• Ask an Officiant: Do I Need A Contract For My Wedding Officiant Business?
• For Couples: 12 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Officiant Before Signing a Contract

 

 

• Pack a wedding day emergency kit for extreme weather

 

All professional wedding officiants should probably have a ‘wedding day emergency kit’ packed with items you might need on the day of the ceremony. This often includes tissues, an extra tie, safety pins, and other essentials; but it should also include items that can keep you safe and informed during extreme weather events. 

 

For example, depending on where you live, you may also want to start packing a battery-powered emergency radio; a full charged power bank; a flashlight; waterproof bag for electronics; a rain poncho; an N95 mask (for smoke protection during wildfire season); and downloadable weather apps like MyRadar, Weather Underground, or the FEMA alert app. 

 

Learn more: 

 

• What to Pack in an Officiant’s Wedding Day Emergency Kit
• Summer Survival: 10 Items to Add to Your Officiant Wedding Emergency Kit This Season
• The best Officiant Wedding Emergency Kit we’ve ever seen
• You’ll NEVER Guess What’s in These Officiants’ Emergency Kits

 

 

• Market your officiant services for fall, with an eco-friendly focus

 

Consider highlighting aspects of the season into your marketing strategy to take advantage of the popularity of fall weddings. Then, position yourself as an environmentally-aware officiant. For example, you might: 

 

• Block out more peak fall wedding dates for weddings (and don’t be afraid to charge more for peak dates!)

 

• Increase your availability on weekdays for fall weddings too

 

• Use fall wedding photos on your website and promotional materials

 

• Write personalized blog posts about your favorite fall wedding decor, fall wedding vows, or seasonal wedding readings

 

Related: How to Start a Website for Your Wedding Officiant Business
 

• Create cozy fall elopement packages, with seasonal wedding ceremony scripts and extras (wedding blanket unity rituals, spiced cider toasts, witchy wedding themes, etc)

 

• Network with unique local businesses that could benefit from a boost in new business during the fall months – for example, ice cream shops, golf courses, garden centers / plant nurseries, and bicycle shops often slow down in the fall but might make sweet elopement venues for creative couples on a budget. 

 

• Promote fall and winter weddings as the cooler, calmer alternative to summer season

 

• Offer a weather-contingency plan for every ceremony package you offer

 

• Promote yourself as an eco-conscious officiant and adapt your business to be more eco-friendly

 

Related: Eco-Friendly Wedding Officiants -- How to Keep Weddings Green From Behind the Scenes

 

• Avoid using A.I. products to write and plan your ceremonies (A.I. data centers have massive environmental impacts)

 

• Offer ‘sustainable wedding ceremony’ packages (digital vow books, ceremony scripts printed on recycled paper, partner with sustainable florists or caterers, travel by public transit, plan consultations over Zoom or Google Meet, etc)
   

 

Keep in mind that these suggestions aren't one-size-fits-all. Officiants in different parts of the country will see different types of extreme weather, variations in which months are busiest, and unique client needs. Adjust these tips to best suit your location and services! 

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Read More Fall Wedding Ideas & Inspiration

 

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