Luxury Picnic Planners Become Extreme Weather Watchers

livemint.com:

This year, bugs haven’t been the biggest problem at picnics. Summer in Denver started with almost nonstop rainfall. Rachel LeBar, owner of Colorado Luxe Picnics, had to chase down or break down several of her setups.

An outdoor wedding event in Frisco, Colo., in June turned into a two-hour battle with wind. Gusts destroyed the food, knocked over cups and plates, shattered glass candleholders and sent floral arrangements flying. LeBar and her fiancé, Bryce Oldfield, who helps run the business, had to put food in containers and keep picking up tableware and decorations.

At one point, he held the wedding cake for a few minutes so it wouldn’t get tipped over, too. “I texted the bride about 10 to 15 minutes before she was going to show up and let her know that, ‘Hey, I’m so sorry but this is going to be a setup that’s going to look a little bit rough,’" LeBar said. They haven’t used glassware for picnics since, she said.

Luxury picnics, some costing upward of $300 per person, have been rising in popularity since the pandemic, when indoor gatherings were restricted. Customers hire picnic companies to provide food, lavish table settings, elaborate tents, delicate wine glasses, plush pillow seating and candlelight ambience for outdoor gatherings ranging from a romantic date to birthday parties to weddings. Not invited but showing up anyway this summer: heat waves, thunderstorms and high winds.

To cope, owners of luxury-picnic companies say they are choreographing new ways to quickly dismantle tents, swapping delicate décor for sturdier options, changing picnic hours and developing better methods to deliver bad news when Mother Nature cancels an event. They are also amping up their meteorological vigilance. Jennifer Meister