If you are getting ready for you wedding after a recent engagement, then congratulations! If you have decided to have an outdoor wedding, again congratulations! Outdoor weddings are romantic and beautiful and are becoming even more popular among brides-to-be who are looking for a new and unique wedding ceremony. However, they aren’t as easy as they may look. Outdoor weddings come with additional caveats and pitfalls, but the wedding planning team here at Cashmere Dreams Wedding & Event Planning is here to help! To get you started, we wanted to sharer with you some helpful tips to help you begin planning for the perfect outdoor wedding:
Be Comfortable
You must think about the usual weather your area gets at the time of year your wedding will be. If it is usually hot then take septs to ensure there is shade for people, have cold water bottles and drinks available, and try to time the wedding for a cool part of the day. If it is usually cooler then find way to keep people warm, have a tent or similar elegant shelter to have your ceremony in, and have blankets and shawls on hand in case your guests get cold. You should also remind guests that your wedding is outdoor and that thy need to dress accordingly. This is easily done in your save the date notices as well as the RSVP invitations you send out for your wedding. You will also want to make sure you, your groom, and the rest of the wedding party are also comfortable during the ceremony so be sure to plan your dresses and outfit accordingly.
Have a Backup Plan
Weather is fickle and Mother Nature can be cruel at times, so what will you do if it rains? The ideal outdoor wedding venue will have easy accessed indoor areas that you can move into quickly if the weather suddenly turns bad. Many brides and grooms opt to have their ceremony outside and reception inside. In a pinch, you can move reception tables tit he walls and have the ceremony inside and then set things up for the reception if it comes to that. A light drizzle or quick shower can be guarded against with a tent or canopy but remember that anything more than a sprinkling will leave the ground muddy! To put your mind at ease, talk to your wedding planner about what can be done in the event of bad weather and what the contingency plan is.
Plan for Wind
Many outdoor weddings have beautiful settings and a gorgeous set up that ends up suffering from windy conditions. Avoid light fabrics like chiffons and china silks in your dress and the bridesmaid dresses. Opt for a hair style that is more pulled back and one that is secured in place to guard against the rogue wind gust. Men in the wedding party may want to use some pomade or other styling gel or product on their hair to keep things under control. Again, tell your guests that they should plan for an outdoor wedding and consider that there may be some wind at some point during the ceremony. And of course, make sure your tent will stand up to gusting winds or find an indoor backup plan. Another factor to consider is what elements of your ceremony may need to be adjusted to take wind into account. A candle lighting portion of the ceremony may not be doable on a windy day and may be too risky with a lot of wind that day.
Can Everybody Hear?
When you picture your dream wedding outdoors you may be picturing a beach with the crashing waves, a garden with a waterfall in the background, or some other beautiful place with the sound of bid chirping in the sky above. These can create a romantic ambiance for your wedding but they can also make it har o hear what is being said during the ceremony. Look into renting a sound system and clip on microphones for those who are speaking in the ceremony. Your DJ or band may be able to easily arrange this for you and your wedding planner can also help you take care of this important detail.
Decorations
One of the bonuses of an outdoor wedding is the need for decor is greatly reduced as the beauty of your selected location will serve as the backdrop and a lot of your décor will be left to Mother Nature. You will still need to do some planning and work to get everything just right. If your wedding is at a public park, ask about when thy have planned spaying, maintenance and work done to make sure nothing will get messed up the day before your wedding. If it’s been an especially cold season, you may want to get some potted flowers to bring in to decorate around you ‘alter’ space and other areas where your ceremony will be held. Other decorations you may want to consider include an arch or trellis to focus the ceremony and frame the bride and groom as they say their vows. Lighting is also a great way to added a unique touch to an outdoor wedding venue -strings of lights or lanterns in the trees; luminarias; torches; or farolitas are all great options and are very popular among brides who choose an outdoor wedding theme.
Food and Drinks
Does your caterer have experience planning an outdoor wedding menu? Can you have food at your venue outdoors or will you have to move to an indoor area of you venue for your reception? Make sure they’re planning things that will keep well outdoors in the heat. Avoid dishes and condiments that have to stay cold. If you are planning a laid-back wedding where you are doing your own cooking such as BBQ or a bonfire cookout after the ceremony ae sur you and your team have gone over everything and consider everything you will need so everything can go off without a hitch. Remember that alcohol is dehydrating, and think instead about offering your wedding guests a variety of lemonades, teas, and punches so everyone stays hydrated and cool. Be sure to have plenty of ice and water around as well for people to grab as they need. For a fancy cocktail, why not serve a classic mint julep or a mojito? It is a fresh and cool idea that gives people their alcohol without going too heavy with the dehydrating booze.
In some areas bug are to be expected. They live outside and you are in essence holding your wedding in their backyard so you should expect bug sin some way and should take steps to limit their impact on your wedding. Be sure to put out citronella candles or a bug zapper so that your guests won’t spend the whole ceremony swatting at the air. If you are able to, ask about treating the area where you are going to have your wedding to make sure there are no ants or spiders or other creepy crawlies invading your ceremony.
Avoid the Sun
You want your guest to be able t see but if lighting can be brought in you may want to plan for a later in the day wedding. Consider timing your outdoor wedding for sunset where your guests will see you take your vows surrounded by the warm glow of the sun. If your wedding it being held in the daytime, be sure you have things set up so the sun is at the guest’s back so they can see what is going on. Also remind your guest to bring a hat or sunglasses in case the sun gets a bit too bright for them.<
Don’t forget to contact your city parks department or other local government to get a permit for an outdoor wedding! Some public venues are open to the public and need no permit but this also means anyone who is in the area will be there and able to stop and watch your wedding if they wish. Be sure to ask about rules concerning trash removal, candle or torch lighting, and pre-wedding photography. Make sure your permits, if they are required, are all filed and approved at least a week before your wedding to make sure there are no last-minute issues.
Seating Arrangements
Another aspect of outdoor weddings that can be a little more challenging than a traditional indoor wedding is figuring out the seating arrangements. You want to make the most of your beautiful venue but you also want your guests to be comfortable and enjoy themselves during your special ceremony. This is where working with a wedding planner who has experience with outdoor weddings can help make things easier and can handle all the details for you to ensure everything falls into place.
Photo Ops
The final point we wanted to highlight when it comes to thinking about what needs to be done for an outdoor wedding is the photography. You will want to find out when you an come in for photo shoots and if you can have a designated time of privacy set aside for photos before your wedding if the ceremony itself cannot be exclusively private. You will want to take time before the wedding to walk around the ceremony area and the nearby areas and mark out where you want photos done so that the actual photo shoot will go faster and be less stressful on everyone.
Contact Cashmere Dreams Wedding Planners
These are just some of the points you must consider when planning an outdoor wedding ceremony. There is much more that needs to be done and many more things that have to be considered. We here at Cashmere Dreams are ready to help you so call us today and schedule a consultation appointment with our expert wedding planners and let us help you get your dream outdoor wedding! Your wedding is one of the biggest and most important days of your life so don’t let the stress and worry of dealing with every little detail rob you of the joy of this day. Let our skilled and experienced local wedding planning team assist you every step of the way. No wedding is too big or too small so contact us today and let us help you get the wedding you have always been dreaming of- right down to the smallest detail! Take the first step today and set up your consultation with us here at Cashmere Dreams- we are ready to go to work for you so let us know what you need and we will get to it!