Four Tips for Beautiful Outdoor Weddings

When it comes to beautiful decorations, it's hard to top outdoor weddings. Instead of relying on venues with impressive artwork and architecture, they utilize natural scenery to provide a memorable site for your special day. However, you often have to deal with challenges that aren't concerns with indoor ceremonies and receptions. If you're worried about your nuptials going off without a hitch,
though, these four tips can help keep the day on track.
Be Prepared For Weather
The biggest challenge with outdoor weddings is the possibility of inclement weather. Let's face it- who wants to get married in the pouring rain? To make sure your special day doesn't get derailed, you must have a backup plan. In some cases, such as a beach or park event, you may want to rent a tent so that you can hold the ceremony outside even if it's raining. If you're having your wedding at a hotel, golf course, or another commercial venue, then you may want to ensure that there is an indoor location where the event can be held if the weather is bad. It's also a good idea to plan to have the ceremony outdoors and the reception indoors so that you only have to deal with the weather for a short period of time.
Think About Guests
Even if the skies are clear for your nuptials, you may encounter other weather conditions that cause discomfort for your guests. If you're getting married in the summer, you may end up with an extremely hot, sunny day. Consider having ushers hand out cold bottles of water to guests as they sit, or have a table with water, lemonade, and other refreshments nearby so they can help themselves. Passing out travel-size tubes of sunscreen is also a good idea to prevent sunburn. If you're having your ceremony in the fall when the weather might be cool, rent some space heaters to surround the site and pass out lap blankets to keep your guests warm.
Watch Out For Wind
Wind can be another problem at outdoor weddings. Consider it when you're choosing your gown, bridesmaid dresses, and your hairstyle. For the dresses, skip lightweight or gauzy fabrics such as silk or chiffon that will blow around too much. Explain to your hairstylist that your ceremony is alfresco, so she can come up with a style that won't move too much if the wind picks up. For the groom and other male members of the party, some gel or pomade is a good idea to keep their hair looking neat.
Bug Off
Even if the sun is shining and the temperature is mild, outdoor weddings can face a serious problem- insects. To keep bugs from bothering you and your guests, you may want to have an exterminator treat the site a few days before the ceremony. You can also place citronella candles or bug zappers throughout the space to keep pests at bay.