Mary Alice Sublett
Amber Housley
Leigh Hosek
Stephanie Mahoney
Kerren Barker
Jessica VantreaseOutdoor Weddings- Pros and Cons
It's that time of year where brides are in the process of planning their spring and summer weddings. So many brides have that fantasy of an outdoor wedding, under the stars, with a tent draped in fabric and beautiful light, dancing the night away. The Wedding Report has estimated that 2.3 million weddings are going to be planned for outside this year alone.
However, there are many things to consider when planning an outdoor wedding. Sometimes that fantasy becomes rainy, with a muddy ground, and unhappy guests with dirty shoes. I don't at all want to discourage a beautiful outdoor wedding, but definitely take all issues into account, and always, always, always, have a Plan B! Here are some things to consider when looking at the outdoor wedding option:
- Being outside you have such a natural backdrop for your event. Decor should be minimal to play up what is around you. Choosing an outdoor location with beautiful surroundings will be decor enough. Having a focal point for your ceremony, such as a large oak tree, or a natural arch created by trees is going to provide the natural beauty that outdoor brides are looking for.
- Check the weather! This isn't something that you can predict, especially months ahead of time as most brides are planning. But take into account the times of year that you have the best luck for great weather. Take into account the area that you live in and how your region's climate changes each season. The Weather Channel's online wedding planner can help when considering weather in areas all over the world you aren't familiar with; www.weather.com/activities/events/weddings.
- Survey the area that you're going to be holding your event in. Does it have the potential for bugs? Is it near water? Do your guests suffer from allergies that are going to inhibit their enjoyment? Does the area have shade in case of the hot sun, or do you need to provide parasols or umbrellas? Does the area have an even ground to prevent any twisted ankles during dancing or lopsided tables? Are their noise disturbances in the area like water, an airport, or a high traffic area? These are questions to ask yourself to determine if this area is going to be the best, or if you need to be doing some other searching.
- Do you need professional help? Hiring a wedding planner will truly relieve the headaches and the questions behind an outdoor wedding. They will have resources that you will need and have dealt with these types of issues before, so you really want to consider hiring someone who'll handle all the details on the day of so that you can enjoy your beautiful wedding day! While you're getting dressed, you don't want to be making decisions about an uneven dance floor, making sure all your vendors have electricity, etc.
- Get ready to spend! There are a lot of items to think of as you're starting with a blank slate. First think about the size tent you're going to need for the number of people you're going to have. You want your guests to be comfortable and free to move about and have plenty of dancing room. Also flooring, air conditioning for heat, heaters for a chilly evening, embellishments like draping and lighting, on top of all your other rentals such as tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, flatware, etc. Your budget is really going to guide you as to how elaborate you can get.
- Put your guests first! Think of their needs and as the host, you want them to feel comfortable and enjoy your big day! If it's a warm and sunny venue, think about sunscreen being provided. If it's a beach, have a shoe check in and provide your guests with flip flops. If it's a fall wedding, provide space heaters to keep your guests cozy. Make sure to let you guests know it is an outdoor wedding with information on your personal website or on the invitation. Also, think about your vendors and provide them seating and water if it is a hot day and they will be setting up for an extensive period.
- Choose a menu that is going to work for the setting. Talk with your caterer about the setting and what types of foods would be a do and a don't for being outside. Also, your cake and it's frosting is going to be a huge factor with wind and heat. Also, definitely pay attention to the weather and the foods you choose. For warm weather, choose fun, cool foods that people are going to want to eat. They're already hot, so they won't necessarily want hot foods. Same for cooler weather, choose warm comforting foods.
- In choosing your blossoms, make sure you coordinate with your florist on flowers that won't wilt with warm or cold weather. Always make sure that your florist will have spare flowers on hand in case of drooping flowers. Some suggestions per Mark Held from Mark's Garden says that roses and small cala lillies hold well in warm weather. As well as green hydrangea, but more risky choices would be tulips and lily of the valley. Flowers on the cake most definitely will wilt in warm weather, so if florals are a must, go with sugar flowers created by your cake designer.
- One last note, always, always, always have a Plan B, C, and D! There are a lot of things that can occur, so hire a planner than can carry out as many plans as needed to have the most wonderful event for you and your new husband!
~ Mary Alice
