Melting makeup, sweaty tuxes and overheating guests are shifting summer weddings

NEWTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Tyler Jones and Kayla McDonald both grew up camping, so when it came time to plan their wedding, they wanted to be outside to celebrate with friends and family in nature.

They also wanted a late summer wedding. That meant choosing a venue that could move the event inside at the last minute if the weather in the Cincinnati area didn't cooperate.

“It could be a hundred degrees, you know, with humidity,” Jones said. When their big weekend forecast came up a mere 84 degrees (about 29 Celsius), they breathed a sigh of relief.

Stickier, hotter, longer summers driven by human-caused climate change are changing another time of year: wedding season. Many couples who pick the summer to get hitched now face hitches that range from melting makeup to uncomfortable guests. Some are choosing venues better able to handle the heat, or shifting to dates earlier or later in the year.

“More and more, we kind of get the feedback of, ‘I don’t want to be hot during my wedding,’” said Christina Elsass, co-owner and venue manager of Mojave East, where Jones and McDonald wed in August.

Six years ago, Elsass and her husband — who used to be a wedding photographer — opened Mojave East, a play on the Mojave Desert, to honor her roots and their West Coast love story. Since they started the business, she said they've seen a shift to more demand in October and November and less in May, June and September, which are traditionally big wedding months.

“We have noticed that the weather has gotten a bit hotter during those, like during September, I would say, most specifically, and even into October,” she said.

Some venues are now even advertising the changing trend on their websites. Westmount Country Club in New Jersey writes that fall is becoming the “it” season for weddings, citing milder weather. The Beaumont Inn in Pennsylvania says that a spring wedding means guests won't have to bundle up in layers, but it also won't be “unbearably hot.”

But other factors still play into the decision. Some religious sects advise against wedding during certain months of the year; for instance, some Christian denominations limit weddings on certain days of Advent and Lent, in winter and early spring, respectively. Other couples still want a summer wedding because it's more convenient for their visiting guests, or because a particular date is important to them.

In the name of love, for an event that is often costly and a significant challenge to organize, many couples don't want to back out even if the weather poses a challenge. One couple in the Philippines walked down a flooded aisle this July after Typhoon Wipha intensified monsoon rains.

Rylee Kennedy, who got married last June in Pennsylvania during a heat wave, had to pivot in the hours leading up to the ceremony. She didn't walk down the aisle surrounded by blooming flowers and trees, as she had envisioned. Due to the heat and concern for guests' safety, everything moved to their backup indoor space where they held the reception.

“With weather just being so unpredictable now, you really have to make sure that if you do have to switch gears, you’re not going to have a wedding that isn’t part of your vision or didn’t align with what you wanted it to be," Kennedy said.

For those who choose to stay the course with summer nuptials, some wedding experts are adding to the planning list. 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.

Elsass didn't want Mojave East's indoors space to feel like an inferior backup plan, so she worked to keep the aesthetics and light bright and appealing.

“Because we’ve been intentional about how we run the indoor ceremony, it doesn’t feel like an afterthought,” Elsass said.

Grace Mattingly, a wedding planner in Richmond, Kentucky, said she talks with couples right when planning starts about how to keep guests safe in heat, whether it's using tents or umbrellas to create shade or moving indoors. She said it's a conversation that doesn't happen enough across the business of wedding planning.

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.

All those options meant that no matter the weather, Jones and McDonald would have a day that stayed true to their vision, even if some things had to change last-minute.

“I think we’re both believers in what happens, you make the best of it,” Jones said.

Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @melinawalling.bsky.social. Follow Joshua A. Bickel on Instagram, Bluesky and X @joshuabickel.

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Bridesmaid Dakota-Jade Jones, front center, poses in a photo booth during a wedding reception Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Kayla McDonald walks down the aisle with her father, Chris, during her wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Legend McNeary, 4, takes a sip of water while sitting inside between bridal party photos before a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Zuri Jones, right, hands a fan to a guest as they arrive for a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Christina Elsass, co-owner and venue manager of Mojave East, poses for a portrait Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Family photos sit on display in the entrance to Mojave East before a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Groomsman Ethan Morton takes a break after finishing bridal party photos at a wedding on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Tyler Jones, left, chats with family members before his wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Bridesmaids Alyssa Gunning, from left, Eve Shepherd, Dakota-Jade Jones and Ndiah Jones use fans for shade and to keep cool during bridal pictures before a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Kayla McDonald, right, uses a small electric fan to keep cool while taking bridal portraits with her sister, Jessica McDonald, left, before her wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Newlyweds Kayla McDonald, left, and Tyler Jones, right, dance during their wedding reception Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Guests sit inside during cocktail hour as empty chairs sit outside during a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Newlyweds Kayla McDonald and Tyler Jones pose for family photos during their wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A guest uses a fan to shade from the sun during a wedding ceremony Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Sunlight falls on table decorations as guests arrive before a wedding Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Newtown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.

Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.

Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, starting in his first term, but hasn't followed through. In 2020, for example, he threatened to use the act to quell protests after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.

The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.

In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.

“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Los Angeles and Chicago and despite seeing initial success, have tended to fizzle in the face of appeal. In Chicago, for example, last year a judge ordered a senior U.S. Border Patrol official to brief her nightly following a lawsuit by news outlets and protesters who said agents used too much force during demonstrations. But three days later, an appeals court stopped the updates.

Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.

Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.

Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.

The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.

St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.

Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.

Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. and Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)