When you plan your wedding location, it is important to know how to filter out the best venues. There are so many options for your wedding venue, from big to small, from winter to summer locations and from indoors to outdoors. If you and your partner are celebrating your big day outside, you will want to plan your wedding so that it has the beauty and spaciousness of the outdoors but maintains the comfort of indoors. The following are 12 ideas to make your outdoor wedding comfortable and creative!
1. Cushion on the Seats
Our first and most basic suggestion for an outdoor wedding reception is to provide cushions on the seats. This simple necessity will make the biggest difference for your guests’ experience as they enjoy your beautiful ceremony. You can choose whether to pick simple white bench cushions or go with other creative wedding chair decorations.
2. Stepping Stones for Bridesmaids
Your bridesmaids worked hard to help make your wedding celebrations as successful as possible… return the favor by making sure to avoid creating a terribly uncomfortable experience for your bridal party. Most importantly, don’t stick your girls in stilettos on grass throughout your ceremony… If your reception is taking placing in a garden or field, consider placing a small platform or cement or wooden blocks where the bridal party will be standing. This will assure that they won’t need to worry about sinking into the grass or breaking a heel and can instead focus on your lovely ceremony that they came to see!
Photo Credit: Documentary Associates Photography
3. Bring the Dancing Shoes
If you’re concerned for your other high-heeled guests but want to keep your ceremony on grass, you don’t have to settle! One option is to let your guests know ahead of time to opt for their favorite classy wedding flats rather than heels. Alternatively, if you plan to have the ceremony out on a field but the rest of the reception on hard ground, you can provide your attendees with cheap flip-flops. This will increase your guests’ comfort both while strolling the venue and of course, while dancing the evening away!
Photo Credit: Tilly Mint
4. Ice Cold Drinks
If your outdoors wedding is taking place during the summer and the weather is expected to be warm, you should consider making ice cold drinks available outside. This does not have to be the location of your bar. You can ask your venue to put out ice-filled buckets with bottles of water and cans of soda or place one water bottle on every seat.
Photo Credit: Emma + Josh Photography
5. Provide Sun Protection
Along with keeping everyone hydrated, there are other factors you might want to consider about having an outdoor summer daytime wedding. For some of your older guests especially, staying out in the sun for a long time may be difficult or uncomfortable. In order to truly plan for your outdoor wedding, provide tubes with sunscreen for your guests. Also consider providing shade or shady areas.
6. Don’t Forget Temperature Drops
Similarly, if your wedding is taking place in the evening, you will want keep in mind the expected forecast. Avoid wedding day catastrophes by providing wraps and blankets for your guests to be able to throw on in the chillier moments of the evening. Although it may seem unconventional, keeping your guests feeling good outdoors will be a worthwhile investment.
7. Electronic Fans
If you are planning your wedding for one season of the year or in a humid location, regardless of whether it is a day or evening celebration, you will want your guests feeling comfortable and happy. Especially when dancing is involved, weddings tend to get warm and stuffy. Providing large electronic fans throughout the venue will help assure that your guests have a place to cool off while dancing or even just walking around.
8. Lighting
One of our favorite things about outdoor weddings is all the creative ways you can use lighting to either brighten up the venue or create a dim romantic atmosphere. You can make your walk down the aisle even more special by using string lights to create an outline of the path.
Photo Credit: The Reason I Love
9. Light Up Your Tables Creatively
Along with string lights, candles, and lamps, there is another way to creatively and beautifully lighten up your wedding venue for an evening celebration… Placing camping lanterns under tables creates a lively glow and adds a unique touch to your décor.
10. Create a Classy Entrance
There are a lot of ways you can add creative decorations to your wedding. For an outdoors wedding, you can install an entrance with a frame and lace curtains that gives a romantic and classy feel as your guests arrive. Depending on the layout of your venue, your entrance may be the first thing your guests see when they arrive, or it might better suit the start of the aisle.
Photo Credit: Christine Williams Photograhy
11. Protect the Dessert
Since your wedding is taking place outside, your party favors and desserts are vulnerable to the elements and to any pesky bugs that joined your celebration. Keep your appetizers, desserts and cake safe by keeping them under an insect-repellent canopy. Although you may eventually need to remove the net in order to make the treats more welcoming, keeping them protected at least at the start of the big day will be worth it.
12. Microphones
If your wedding is taking place outside throughout the ceremony and even speeches, it is very important to have a microphone. The outdoors doesn’t echo and the acoustics are generally not great. Having a microphone will assure that you and all your guests can hear the speakers and your lovely wedding vows.
Photo Credit: Amy Wass Photography
While outdoor weddings are conducive to a fun and easy-going celebration, they also take away some of the assured comfort, such as temperature control and good acoustics. That is why it is important for you to plan your outdoor wedding so that it can be as great as you deserve!
