By MELINA WALLING and JOSHUA A. BICKEL, Associated Press

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, they breathed a sigh of relief.

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

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.

Venues recognizing the shift

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.

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)

“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.”

Some summer lovebirds have to adapt

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.

Options for keeping cool are key

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.

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)

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.

Related Articles

Nonalcoholic beer and mocktails can help people stay sober or drink less, but are not for everyone

Literary calendar for week of Aug. 31

Minnesota’s first K-pop convention coming to St. Paul RiverCentre

Skywatch: So much going on this September

Readers and writers: A reading list for a thrilling fall

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.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By LAURA UNGAR, Associated Press

Several years into her sobriety, Logan Denzer decided to try nonalcoholic beer and mocktails while others around her drank real booze.

“A lot of people feel out of place” when everyone else is imbibing, said the 27-year-old from Los Angeles, who considers these beverages “an excellent solution.”

Millions of Americans agree — including others recovering from addiction, people trying to cut down on their drinking and the rising number of young adults forgoing alcohol altogether.

They’ve fueled a booming industry. Recent research shows that drinking less, or nothing at all, is a much healthier way to go. Alcohol has been linked to cancers, injuries and a host of other problems.

Bartender Shelby Campos mixes a nonalcoholic beverage – or mocktail – at the nonalcoholic Good News Bar, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Still, health experts say nonalcoholic beverages aren’t for everyone, especially if they might trigger cravings for alcohol. These so-called NA drinks are meant to mimic alcohol in many ways, such as appearance, smell and taste.

“It’s important to recognize that these are probably not one-size-fits-all products,” said researcher Molly Bowdring of Stanford University. “You might see peers or friends or family members use them and have no problem with them, but it really comes back to your own individual experience.”

‘Zebra striping’ helps cut back on booze

Retail sales of nonalcoholic wine, beer and spirits surged to $823 million last year. That’s according to market research firm NielsenIQ, which says more than nine in 10 NA customers also buy alcohol.

“They’re wanting to not necessarily drink during the week, or they’re wanting to switch out at a particular occasion,” said Marcos Salazar of the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association. “So they may have an alcoholic beverage and then an adult nonalcoholic beverage. That’s called zebra striping … and it kind of extends the night.”

Bartender Shelby Campos mixes a nonalcoholic beverage – or mocktail – at the nonalcoholic Good News Bar, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Retiree Ann Kopp Mitchell, who recently tasted various NA beverages at Monday Morning Bottle Shop in San Diego, does a version of this.

“If I want a glass of wine with my dinner, I don’t feel guilty. I can enjoy that glass of wine. And if I wanna have a spirit because we’re celebrating someone’s birthday, or champagne, I will do that. But I’ll only have one, and then let it go, and then maybe go to a nonalcoholic,” she said. “It’s a way of continuing with that social pattern of drinking that I enjoy.”

While a typical beer has about 5% alcohol by volume, NA drinks are only allowed to have up to 0.5%, about the same as a ripe banana. People sometimes pick them when they don’t want to be intoxicated, like before exercise or driving.

More mocktails on the menu is a positive health trend — but watch the sugar

An online survey Bowdring conducted with colleagues found that the vast majority of people who drink both beverages say NA drinks help them reduce their alcohol use.

That makes their growing popularity a positive trend overall, said Dr. Joseph Lee, CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, an addiction treatment and advocacy organization.

Bartender Shelby Campos mixes a nonalcoholic beverage – or mocktail – at the nonalcoholic Good News Bar, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

“More and more when I go to restaurants, mocktails are just offered, like they’re on the menu and it’s just part of the norm now,” said Lee, an expert in psychiatry and addiction medicine. “Those are really healthy things to see on a broader public health level.”

But there is a catch: Some drinks, like mocktails made with soda and sweet syrups, have high levels of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than about six teaspoons a day for women and nine teaspoons a day for men. A 12-ounce can of soda on its own contains 10 teaspoons.

Who should be wary of NA beverages?

The picture gets murkier for people with drinking problems.

Those entering treatment for alcohol use disorder say they’ve had mixed success using NA beverages to reduce or stop their drinking, Bowdring said.

“They do contain a lot of the alcohol-related cues,” she said. “Because they are so similar to alcohol, it could be that they actually trigger craving for full strength alcohol and may lead people to revert to alcohol use.”

Bartender Shelby Campos adorns the top of a nonalcoholic beverage – or mocktail – with fruit and a flower at the nonalcoholic Good News Bar, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

When Denzer first got sober seven years ago, she and her friends avoided drinking NA beverages.

“We were pretty opposed to it because we were like, ‘Well, this tastes like beer and we’re a year sober, and so we’re going to associate that taste with actual alcohol,’” said Denzer, who was treated at Hazelden Betty Ford. “As time went on, we became more open to it.”

But it’s not for everyone, she said, “particularly for people who are either newer in recovery or who are on shaky ground.”

Related Articles

How you can pack a lunch that a child will actually eat

A five-mile run through the Minnesota State Fair? Sure, if fried-food stops are included

Dave Terry’s Top 10 Minnesota State Fair food commandments (plus one)

St. Croix Chocolate Co. in Marine on St. Croix has been sold

Labor Day grilling on a budget: Summer chicken, bruschetta and peach crisp

Experts agreed that NA drinks are more appropriate for those further along in recovery.

“Everyone’s journey is going to be a little bit different,” Bowdring said. “I encourage folks to just sort of be aware of how these drinks are impacting them.”

That’s the bottom line, even for those who aren’t dealing with alcoholism.

You should have “an honest appraisal, without judgment, about your own health risk in much the same way that most people can look at their family history and gauge their risk for everything from diabetes to breast cancer,” Lee said. “What it comes down to is: You really need to know yourself.”

Video journalist Javier Arciga contributed to this story from San Diego.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In California’s Moss Landing, more than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate in January when one of the largest storage facilities for lithium-ion batteries in the world caught fire. Days later, the toxic metals nickel, cobalt and manganese were found at a nearby estuary, Elkhorn Slough, in unusually high concentrations. One county supervisor called it a “wake-up call” for battery safety in the ongoing push for sustainable energy. Local residents sued several companies involved with the batteries and their storage, claiming negligence and that the lithium-ion batteries being stored there were “prone to thermal instability.”

Related Articles

AI Apocalypse? Why language surrounding tech is sounding increasingly religious

St. Paul computer systems slowly return to life after July cyberattack

Japan uses AI-generated eruption of Mount Fuji to prepare Tokyo for worst-case scenario

Afton City Council Zoom meeting hijacked by digital porn

Online age checks are proliferating, but so are concerns they curtail internet freedom

Though the federal government deems lithium-ion batteries “generally safe,” law enforcement agencies periodically remind the public of their risks, such as fires and explosions. But one company opening its new headquarters in Alameda, California, says they have created the “next generation” of batteries that are safer and will revolutionize industries from portable devices to electric vehicles.

While most batteries use a liquid lithium-ion core that can leak and combust, Anthro Energy’s solid-state batteries use a patented technology to solidify the core. The result is a non-flammable, semi-solid battery with 35% more energy density than traditional batteries, and is resistant to leaking, warping and combustion, Anthro Energy claims. According to a review from the University of California, Riverside, solid-state batteries are safer than their traditional counterparts.

Anthro is the latest technology company to set up shop on Bay Farm Island in Alameda, which is gaining a reputation for fostering innovation. It’s also attracting the attention of venture capital investors seeking to get in on the ground floor of the company’s 31,000-square-foot facility that will produce half a million Anthro battery cells annually.

“What we’re doing is building advanced technology that redefines what’s possible for lithium-ion batteries,” Anthro Energy CEO David Mackanic said to an audience of employees and investors this month. “We’re building a highly-scalable platform that can respond to rapidly accelerating electrification demands across virtually every industry.”

David Mackanic, CEO of Anthro Energy, shows a lab for lithium-ion battery development to Congresswoman Latiffa Simon during a tour of the Anthro Energy headquarters in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Producing solid-state batteries at an industrial scale has been a challenge for technologists since the earliest solid-state lithium-ion batteries were invented in the 1970s, according to the 2020 book “Advances in Supercapacitor and Supercapattery (sic).” The new batteries were more expensive to produce than their liquid core counterparts, which stymied commercial adoption.

However, the growth of battery-dependent industries like portable electronics, green energy storage and electric vehicles over the past 15 years has fueled a race to create safer, more efficient batteries, Anthro’s Chief Technology Officer Joe Papp said.

In that time, California’s Bay Area has come to lead the charge on battery research and development with start-up companies like Blue Current and QuantumScape seeking to produce a commercially viable solid-state battery.

“The difference is that they are redoing the entire manufacturing process,” Papp said. “We saw that they had been struggling at this for 10-plus years and couldn’t get the manufacturing right. So we were like, ‘OK, what can we do that fits into the existing manufacturing infrastructure but still gives some of these benefits?’”

Anthro’s approach has helped them secure $43 million in federal awards from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Department of Energy, in addition to $5 million from the California Energy Commission. At the grand opening this month, Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-12) said the “young spirit” of Anthro and its co-founders shows remarkable potential.

“Anthro is going to power Alameda,” Simon said. “We want to be able to breathe clean air and empower the next generation of folks who understand that innovation doesn’t have to be an attack on our environment.”

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon takes a closer look at an electrotype used for lithium-ion battery development during a tour of the Anthro Energy headquarters in Alameda, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Four years ago, Mackanic and Papp took weeks to create 10 grams of the Proteus electrolyte in the corner of a small lab. Now, Anthro’s new manufacturing facility will allow the company to produce it at 1,000 times the previous capacity, enabling the production of up to 500,000 battery cells per year, Mackanic said.

The grand opening was proof that the next generation of battery technology can also be manufactured at scale on U.S. soil, Mackanic said.

Mackanic sees the application of Anthro’s batteries across myriad industries, meeting the critical needs of modern technology.

“Batteries are changing the way we collect data, we communicate with each other, the way we move around, and the way we power our electrical grid. Building better batteries to accelerate this transition is one of the defining challenges in our time,” Mackanic said. “Quantitatively, this facility represents the full scale-up and production capacity for Anthro, producing enough advanced electrons and advanced battery cells to power millions of devices with this next-generation technology.”

By Christine Benz of Morningstar for Associated Press

I was chatting with a friend the other day about his retirement — possibly an early one. At age 60, he has worked hard and invested well — and he’s burned out.

He’s received wonderful guidance from his financial advisor, with whom he’d discussed the viability of his investment portfolio. But as he and I talked, it was clear that the key inputs were more nuanced than his portfolio value and asset allocation. There were lifestyle decisions, too.

Will you continue to work in some fashion?

Working longer wasn’t my friend’s first choice. But continuing to earn an income would help him worry less about his portfolio’s ability to last.

Even if he downshifted into a lower-paying or part-time position and couldn’t save as much, he’d still be forestalling portfolio withdrawals. So, when he did fully retire, he could spend without worry.

It would also help him delay Social Security. If he continued to work in a position with healthcare benefits, he could avoid paying health insurance out of pocket until Medicare coverage kicks in. And as much as his job has been exhausting him, he’s had a wonderful career and his professional life seems intertwined with his identity.

Ultimately, my friend decided to pursue a reduced schedule. At 30 hours a week, he could still maintain his healthcare coverage.

For someone else, a clean break could make sense, especially if continuing to work has implications for physical or mental health.

Related Articles

Slowing economic growth, ongoing ‘war for talent’ worry Minneapolis-St. Paul business leaders

Your Money: 5 ways the new tax bill could impact your wallet

Working Strategies: Finishing the summer strong

Edmunds: Five big mistakes you need to avoid before buying your next new car

Kid entrepreneurs to sell wares at upcoming Dakota County markets

What lifestyle changes will you make?

We also talked through whether my friend’s spending would change when he retired.

He owns a condo in an expensive part of the US and has considered moving back to the Midwest when he retires. This would free up funds that he could plow into his portfolio but would also take him away from his social network and the center of his industry.

Staying put seems like the right call for now, especially as continuing to work is in the mix.

How flexible can you be with your spending?

This is a major dimension in our retirement income research.

If a retiree can tighten spending when the portfolio takes on losses, that improves the portfolio’s ability to last. The reason is simple: Lower portfolio spending during and after losses leaves more to recover with the market.

Our research also shows that flexible spending strategies increase total lifetime spending relative to strategies that maintain static inflation-adjusted spending, like the 4% guideline.

My friend is willing to adjust his spending as he goes. He’s not a big spender, and years of work travel mean that he’s not interested in expensive globe-trotting, unlike many new retirees.

When Social Security comes online for him at age 70, he’ll be able to adjust spending. It’s also worth noting that retiree spending tends to trend down over time, though some retirees have high healthcare-related costs toward the ends of their lives.

How do you feel about lifetime spending versus leaving a bequest?

Do you want to maximize spending (and/or giving) during your lifetime, or do you aim to leave a bequest?

That was the idea behind the “spending/ending ratio” in our retirement spending research. We wanted to help retirees see whether retirement spending strategies helped front-load lifetime spending or facilitated portfolio leftovers for bequests. Strategies like the guardrails strategy tend to encourage lifetime spending, whereas more rigid ones tend to leave more leftovers.

My friend is single and doesn’t have children, so a bequest isn’t a priority. That underscores the value of taking steps to enlarge lifetime income rather than using a more rigid strategy that could cause him to underspend.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance.

Christine Benz is the director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar.