Outdoor Wedding ~ What Time Of Day?
How did you make the decision to have an outdoor wedding? And… have you thought through the “what time of day” question? Here are a few things to consider before you chose.
Guests:
Most outdoor weddings will take place between 10:00 am to after 9:00 pm in the evening. Will there be shade provided by trees and shrubbery? Or will you need to consider a tent to keep your guest comfortable? Some facilities will have an extra building or barn that could provide shade to those who would rather not be out in the direct sun. And, what if it rains? Just make sure there is a plan B in place if the weather turns nasty. Rain is always a possibility when having an outside wedding. There really shouldn’t be an issue if you have thought through and planned before-hand.
Also, will your guest be heading to a hotel or trying to catch that plane to get home. Will having the wedding in the evening make it difficult for them on their return home, or does that really matter?
Food and Beverages:
These items will need special attention. If you hire a caterer they will take care of these details. However, if you are trying to save money by doing things on your own you’ll need to address the issue of making sure everything is kept from spoiling. You definitely do not want your guest getting food poisoning. Even on hot summer nights ice will melt quickly. Be sure there is enough on hand.
People will also drink more beverages if it’s hot out. It’s a great idea to have tubs situated around the yard filled with ice and water bottles, juice boxes for the children are a great addition too. If your guest will be doing any kind of dancing this will also increase beverage consumption.
Bugs:
We found that the bees and bugs were worse during mid-day weddings than during an evening wedding. If it gets too late though, depending where you live, the mosquitoes start to come out (mosquitoes are very rare at the Ridge). Since it’s an outside wedding it might be nice to have a basket under the cake table with bee sting supplies and mosquito spray in it.
Flowers:
This is a biggie! Some flowers just do not do well in the heat. Be sure and ask your florist about this. You don’t want your flowers wilted before you even get to walk down the aisle. Taking pictures before the wedding is always a good option.
Also, putting the bouquets back in the water containers until the wedding takes place is a great idea, but taking off all those boutonnieres and putting them back on would be a hassle I wouldn’t want to have to deal with, so choose wisely.
Outdoor weddings are my favorite! Just plan ahead and think through that “what time of day” question and what it means in your situation.
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