Tips for an outdoor wedding. Mind the wind!

Thanks Emilie and Samtam! These are all great tips! I had already taken wind into account as the property where we are getting married is on a hill. We plan on writing a blog post on our wedding website concerning outdoor ceremony and heels! We are also going to remind people to bring something to cover up with in the evening as late September can get chilly.

There are so many elements to consider when doing an outdoor ceremony or reception!

-Temperature- Too hot or too cold? Make sure that your guests aren't going to be sitting directly in the sun and that the sun won't be in their eyes during the ceremony. Maybe consider providing fans and keeping it short if it's hot out. And make sure to provide plenty of cold refreshments! If it's cold, maybe consider providing shawls or blankets and make sure that the chairs aren't too cold to sit on. (Metal chairs would be awful in the hot or the cold!)

-Bugs!- I went to a wedding and I literally had to keep moving during the ceremony because flies kept landing on every piece of exposed skin. It was so gross. Their reception was also outside on a lawn underneath pretty lights and while it was very nice, at night there were swarms of moths flying around the lights and we had to try to avoid them! If you're going to do an outdoor ceremony or reception, keep in mind the time of year and if there will be a lot of bugs around. Maybe provide bug spray for your guests or invest in citronella candles?

-Bird Poo- The same wedding that I mentioned before had an outdoor reception. I'm not sure when they set the tables but you should have someone check all the tables before the guests sit down. My chair had bird poop on it and there was some on our table as well and I had to try and find a napkin and water to clean it off. If the venue sets up everything early, make sure that the tables and chairs are covered and double check before guests arrive. No one wants to get bird poop on their nice clothes!

-Make sure everyone can hear you- The accoustics outside can be harder to control. There could be wind or birds chirping or construction going on so make sure that all the important parts are said into a microphone so that everyone can hear you.

-Proper shoes- If your wedding is outside on the grass, make sure to give the ladies a heads up not to wear heels! As a guest, I would appreciate knowing in advance so that my shoes aren't sinking into the grass and getting damaged.

-Rain location- Always have a Plan B in case of rain or other bad weather. See if your location has an indoor venue that you can use as a back up or reserve a tent just in case.