Outdoor Wedding Planning 101
December 21st, 2005 Posted in Wedding Planning and Ideas
Sharon Naylor, author of The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, knows her outdoor weddings, and she’s been kind enough to share her expertise, providing some quick tips and tricks to ensure that your naturally glorious event goes smoothly.
Among her advice is the need to alert your vendors, a task that should be at the top of your list. Every detail of your ceremony can be affected by the fickle weather and changing conditions, and so everyone from the DJ to the caterer needs to be aware of your plans.
The whole purpose of an outdoor wedding is to celebrate in the beauty of natural surroundings. Select sites that play up nature as much as possible, with fountains, gardens, or the perfect view of the sunset if you plan on reciting your vows at dusk. Consider sites where most of the decoration is already done for you by Mother Nature, and you can save a bundle on floral arrangement costs, and decoration.
In case the weather doesn’t cooperate you should always, always have a plan B. Knowing the weather forecast for the day of the wedding will only get you so far, as meteorologists have been known to be wrong on occasion, so make sure that you’re prepared should you beautiful sunny day turn into torrential rain. Naylor suggests booking outdoors weddings at sites that offer both outdoor and indoor facilities, so that if the skies open up, a nice dry banquet hall is only a few steps away.
Having a stunning outside ceremony and following reception is really only a matter of a little bit of special consideration. Sharon Naylor’s expanded list of suggestions entitled "10 Tips for Planning an Outdoor Wedding" can be found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
(photo: Flickr Creative Commons)