The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the official start of spring is right around the corner. It’s the perfect time for an outdoor wedding. You've planned every detail and worked out the day’s timeline, but even if every single thing is in order, there’s one thing that is completely out of your control - the weather. It’s probably the biggest fear of brides planning an outdoor wedding. While there are many resources out there that predict the weather, is there one you can trust more than the others? We did a little research on some of the top weather websites for you, and here’s what we found:

National Weather Service (weather.gov)
This is often the source that other weather services get some of their data from to start with, so it is pretty accurate, for the most part. It is a little bit more of a scientific and provides A LOT of information, so it is sometimes difficult to decipher. This particular site only goes about a week out for most information, which does help to keep it a bit more accurate.

Accuweather
Accuweather gives you a whopping 45 day forecast. While that may seem handy for checking the weather leading up to your wedding day, most experts would caution against taking their predictions as gospel. Taking a look at historical temperature averages would give you about the same information. The one thing you should definitely NOT rely on this information for is whether or not it will rain. Really, the most accurate information you’ll get will be no more than seven days prior to your event.

The Weather Channel (weather.com)
As far as rain prediction goes, The Weather Channel usually says there is a higher probability of rain than there really is. The Weather Channel uses data and forecasts from the National Weather Service as a starting point, and they do typically tend to be more accurate in their forecasts.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that brides from different regions of the country have stated that certain sources seem to be more or less accurate in their area compared to other areas. A great resource you can use for this is ForcastAdvisor.com. They give you a 5-day forecast and go through the work of determining the most accurate service for your area. So, for example, Accuweather ranked all the way down in 9^th place for predicting weather last month in Fort Worth, TX, but it was the most accurate service for the last month in New York, NY.  So, while you still might not get a completely accurate forecast, you can at least know which service is the most reliable for you.

As we all know, weather predictions are rarely 100% accurate, so the best thing you can do for your wedding day is hope for the best and be ready for the worst. If you’re hoping for a mild day and it ends up being hot and humid, have hand fans and bottles of water for your guests.

Parasols are also great for a sunny day, and can be found in lots of different colors and styles. 

If you’re worried about rain, have a backup tent or indoor space the ceremony can be held, or suggest that your guests bring umbrellas. Rain boots and umbrellas make for adorable wedding photos, too, so don’t get down if it does rain on your big day! 

If the day ends up being chillier than expected, baskets of blankets available for guests to cozy up in will give your ceremony a cozy and intimate feel that your guests will love, and fleece blankets coordinated with your wedding colors would make great favors!

The most important thing is to remember that regardless of the weather challenges on your wedding day, if you smile and enjoy the day and end up married at the end of it, then it was still a perfect day.