Me Obsessed? Guests and Shade

Okay, so I might be a bit obsessed with this topic, guests and shade. As many of you know I run a wedding venue on our property. Our property sits on a ridge that has a beautiful view and it gets very hot in the summer months during wedding season. Shade comes late in the afternoon to our huge lawn.

Me Obsessed? Guests and Shade
Shade trees a year later. Beautiful butterfly bushes in-between.

I love the view, it’s amazing!! The problem is I want the view with shade, you know…shade at three in the afternoon not eight in the evening. What to do?

We have umbrella tables but the way the sun goes down makes the umbrellas pretty useless. The sun just goes under the umbrella even if you try and “tip” it in the right direction.

So last fall I insisted on getting some shade trees (the biggest I could haul in my truck) to put at the top of the hill, on the side that the sun sets. I just knew this was the answer to my shade problem. I also need you to know that my husband was not on the same page as me on this project.

So, I proceeded to our local nursery to purchase two trees. They had a great selection and I picked out one that would be green in color and the other deep purple. These trees would grow fast and make lots of shade. I was excited, just what I was looking for.

After the nursery worker put these trees in my truck I went about 2 miles and realized I would not make it home without them falling out or causing a wreck! Um, I had a dilemma… I tried to adjust them myself for at least an hour making a small difference but knew I needed to call hubby, dang-it anyway.

Didn’t Want To-

I did not want to call hubby because he was not pleased with me over the trees anyhow.  Ugh, I made the call.  My husband had to leave work and drive 30 minutes to get to my location to help me get the trees strapped in properly so I could get home.

He worked in silence… okay, there were a few “looks” and maybe a few words, I’m sure they weren’t meant for me to hear? By the time he had everything secure his hands, arms and work shoes were covered in mud, oops!!

Yes, he had to go back to work. Don’t worry we have made up and everything. I just keep reminding him that his life would be so dull if he hadn’t married me, I think he might be tired of hearing that… sorry?!

Well, I did get home safe and sound because of hubby securing the load that the nursery worker neglected to do. So, what does this have to do with guest and shade? Well, if not this year, hopefully in the near future we will be able to have early afternoon weddings in the summer as well as evening weddings.

Guest like to be comfortable and that is why I will be looking for ways to make shade. Actually, I just purchased shade sails (yes, my husband rolled his eyes at this also) at Costco to try this summer but that will have to be another post.

Now for a question… will your guests be comfortable, weather wise, at your backyard wedding? Will you have to plant trees?  Just kidding!!

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2 Comments

  1. Jeannie Mariner, Windmill Creek Vineyard says:

    We have wind and sun to deal with. I’ve got my hubby working on large planter boxes on wheel barrel type wheels. I will plant some with fast growing trees like Leland Cypress and others will have a trellis and flowering vines like clematis and honeysuckle. There “home” will be standing around the shed to make it pretty but when we need them they can be rolled around the property to provide a wind block and shade. Hubby did tell me that the planters with the large trees are going to be SUPER heavy and probably not rollable, even with the big wheels, but we have a forklift on site to allow us to move them. I wouldn’t suggest using that option without the heavy equipment to move them. There are some great examples on Pinterest. I like the one that has lemon grass as it’s supposedly a mosquito deterrent. I might have to try that one.

  2. Jeannie! What great ideas. I love that you have found a solution to a problem. 🙂 Clematis is one of my favorite plants and I have several. I also love honeysuckle but they get aphids really bad every year so I pulled them out, sadness. I will check out the Pinterest ideas, thank you.
    Blessings, Teri : )

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