Nine Tips for Planning an Outdoor Wedding
Planning an outdoor wedding? This can be romantic and beautiful but some careful planning is needed to turn it into your perfect day.
1. Location: It is a good idea to look for a venue that has both indoor and outdoor facilities in case the weather is not great. Make sure you know the rules of the venue you choose such as parks and other outdoor locations which may not be experienced in hosting weddings. Find out if you need a permit or if there is a limit on the number of guests? Are you allowed to serve alcohol? Are there toilets available for guests?
2. Power: You will probably need electricity for the lighting, caterers. If you’re using a generator for your power supply, check the noise level in advance and make sure it’s positioned well away from the ceremony.
3. Shade: Provide some shady areas to retire to and think about activities to keep children such as miniature bouncy castles.
4. Timing: Think about the time of day the ceremony is, what direction will the sun be shining in. Make sure the sun will be on the guests back rather than on their faces.
5. Decorations: One of the bonuses of an outdoor wedding is the natural beauty around you, which means you don’t necessarily need very much decoration. Visit the site a week before your wedding to make sure the grass is mown, the ground raked, and the flowers have bloomed. Decorations you could consider are an arch or trellis to focus the ceremony and frame the bride and groom as they say their vows; Ho about some fairy lights or lanterns in the trees for a magical effect in the evening.
6. Bugs: When planning an outdoor wedding a good idea to keep the bugs and flies at bay is to put out citronella candles or a bug zapper so that your guests won’t spend the whole fighting them off.
7. Invitations: You should let guests know they’re attending an outdoor wedding, so they may want to dress appropriately. In addition, it is a good idea to send weather information to guests coming from afar, who may not be familiar with the climate.
8. Food: A common way to cater for an outdoor wedding is having a barbecue. It means you can have it buffet style and guests can mingle about.
9. Drinks: If you are having your wedding in your garden then you can easily stock up on great supermarket offers or an off licence on sale or return. You can set up a bar or have wine on tables. Make sure you have plenty of soft drinks available in case the weather is hot.
