Ault Park Pavilion in Cincinnati—a city likely to see millions of cicadas—is a favorite outdoor wedding spot, and permits to use the site must be acquired a year in advance. Historic Properties Management, the rental agents for the city's park department had the foresight to put together a cicada informed-consent form for couples to sign stating that they knew about the impending cicada explosion. Business is way down this May and June.
"It was only right. As the bride, you would want to know about something like that," said a company spokesperson. "We have all the Saturday evenings booked, but usually we might also have events on a Friday or Saturday morning and Sunday. Instead we're down to four or five events for the month."
Go With Mother Nature
The number of couples who get married outdoors varies regionally and is very climate dependent.
"Not more than 10 percent of my brides get married outdoors," Smith said. "The weather in Cincinnati is too unpredictable, and an outdoor wedding can really run the bill up because there are so many rental items, and things like bathrooms and parking can be issues."
But the trend is definitely on the upswing, "ever since Jennifer Aniston had her wedding outdoors," said Naylor, one of whose books is titled The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner.
And where many people view swarms of thousands or millions of noisy, crunchy flying insects as disconcerting if not downright disgusting, cicada expert Kritsky sees romance. He has counseled dozens of couples inquiring about cicadas this year.
"There are those who want to have their wedding outdoors but want to avoid the cicadas, and I advise them to set the date before May 15 or after July 1," he said. "Other couples decide to move their weddings indoors."
But nearly half of the couples who have spoken to Kritsky have decided to hold an outdoor wedding and see what the day brings, he said.
"I think people have better lives if you go with what nature gives you and stop wanting to control all this stuff.
"I keep telling people there's nothing more romantic than a cicada wedding," he said. "Nobody celebrates their 17th or 34th wedding anniversaries as a very special occasion. I'm on a campaign. I think Hallmark should have a glass or porcelain cicada for the 17th wedding anniversary, a silver cicada for the 34th, and a gold cicada for the 51st wedding."
Of course, "other than giving reporters a good laugh," his campaign hasn't progressed very far, he comments dryly.
The bottom line, according to Naylor: "It all comes down to your research skills. You can't make too many calls. It's an important investment in every sense of the word, and you have to be your own best advocate."
For more cicada news stories, scroll down.
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