People spend their entire lives dreaming of that one special day where they walk down the aisle. As heat waves become more common, many of those aisles have been forced inside. Sometimes, the move inside is a last minute decision to keep guests safe.

Tyler Jones and Kayla McDonald both grew up camping, so when it came time to plan their wedding, they hoped for it to be outside, to celebrate with friends and family in nature.

They also wanted a late summer wedding. And so they ultimately chose a venue that could move the event inside at the last minute — just in case the weather didn't cooperate.

Stickier, hotter, longer summers driven by human-caused climate change are also changing another time of year: wedding season. Many couples who pick the summer to get hitched now face hitches from melting makeup (McDonald did a test round with her makeup artist that she said held up well for 12 hours) to the comfort of their guests. As a result, some are choosing venues that are better suited to handle the heat, or opting for dates earlier or later in the year.

At a desert-themed venue outside Cincinnati, co-owner Christina Elsass has both an outdoor space and an indoor space that can readily be used if temperatures become a safety concern. Over the years, she’s noticed a shift from summer wedding season to more couples opting for weddings in October as temperatures start to cool.

For those who choose to stay the course with summer nuptials, some wedding experts are adding to the list of planning to-dos. Brides, the nearly century-old bridal magazine, last year advised readers to communicate with their wedding planners and caterers about the heat, consider extra hair trials or an updo and look into switching to shorter dress lengths for bridesmaids. It also urged them to come up with a heat plan for guests.

McDonald and Jones liked Mojave East for the extra heat-combating elements it will provide: fans, misters, water stations and the opportunity to duck inside for fresh air if needed. 

When Elsass opened Mojave East, she wanted the indoor space to not be a backup plan, but a second option for ceremonies that have to move indoors because of weather or heat. She worked to keep the aesthetics and light of the indoor space bright and appealing to couples. 

On their wedding day, McDonald and Jones were able to keep the ceremony outdoors, but their “first look” photographs were moved into a shaded area to avoid the afternoon sun. When some guests arrived early, many of them waited indoors, cups of water in hand.

During the ceremony, guests used fans to keep cool and shade themselves as the sun began to set. And once the knot was tied, almost every guest went inside for the cocktail hour to cool off in the air conditioning. Misters ran outside for anyone who wanted some fresh air. Keeping guests safe and comfortable was the couple's main priority. 

(AP Video by Joshua A. Bickel)