Outdoor wedding ceremonies have a romantic feel to them. It doesn’t matter where you are married; nature always provides a gorgeous backdrop. It also gives you the freedom to design your wedding creatively and personally.
When planning an outdoor wedding, couples are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild. However, if holding a wedding ceremony or reception in a public place, it’s crucial to get the proper permits before proceeding. Otherwise, you may have to get officially married at the courthouse – after paying the fine for failing to secure the right permit!
Assuming you’ve secured the venue, here are several more tips for planning an outdoor wedding this summer:
Serving Food
High temperatures and insects are just two factors making food service difficult in an outdoor setting. With this in mind, indoor catering prep and enclosed food stations should be available for the food service personnel. Fortunately, most catering services handle most prep off-site, with experience in serving food that remains fresh and tasty despite the hazards of hot weather wedding receptions happening outdoors.
Offering Refreshments
Your guests will be naturally thirsty when they are outside in the heat. Ensure plenty of drinks and water stations are available to keep them hydrated. You may set it up in various areas throughout the venue so that your guests can go over to the nearest one and get some water. Drinks of all kinds, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, should be on hand. Popsicles are an excellent choice because the weather is expected to be hot. If there will be kids or non-drinkers in attendance, make sure to keep alcohol popsicles separated from the non-alcoholic ones at all times. Doing so will avoid a regrettable and potentially dangerous mix-up.
Decorating the Outdoors
Your nuptials are an opportunity to take advantage of any outdoor location’s natural beauty or aesthetic, whether it be a backyard or a beach, or a flower-filled field, so take advantage of it. A more formal or less formal event will depend partly on your choices in terms of décor. When planning an outdoor wedding, you can choose to make it as formal or casual as desired. The area can be covered if desired for a more formal ceremony.
Keep Guests Cool
Sitting in the sun, especially when it’s hot, is painful. You should ensure that the guests can relax in a covered area at your site. A lack of wind can make summer weddings more taxing. Set up fans around the tent’s perimeter to keep your visitors comfortable and cool. Printing the wedding program onto fans might serve as a second means of distributing it at the reception. Or, as an alternative to traditional wedding favors, consider giving your guests elegant hand fans that they can use to keep cool.
Stick to a Budget
A beach, campground, or park accessible to the public does not necessarily mean it is free for weddings. You can save money on your wedding by finding out if there’s a cost for the site or a “recommended contribution. Ask around ahead of time so you don’t have any shocks at the end of the day. If so, are you in a rural area? Additional delivery fees may apply if the location is a significant distance from a road and parking lot. Do you have to contribute to the cost of sanitation? A common rule in parks is that visitors must return to a location in the same condition they found it.
Highlight Lighting
Your lighting, sound, or temperature settings are entirely up to you. The caterer will need generators for their culinary appliances, and the band or DJ will need amplifiers for their speakers. After sunset, there’ll be a period of darkness. Regardless of the season, fans, air conditioning, and portable heaters are always required. To estimate how much electricity you will require, you should hire an electrician to inspect your setup.
Keep Your Dessert Safe
When the temperature rises, buttercream frosting can become mushy and liquid. For this reason, smooth fondant is the best choice, and you should request that your caterer bring it out shortly before you want to slice it. If you must showcase your cake, make sure it’s in a screened-in area to keep it away from insects and the sun’s sweltering rays.
Conclusion
We can’t get enough of outdoor weddings. Nature provides a beautiful backdrop for romance, color, refreshment, and relaxation. On the other hand, an outdoor setting has its own issues. Indoor venues have fewer variables to deal with. As a result, coordinating an outdoor wedding isn’t always simple, but it can be done.
Last modified: April 29, 2022
