An outdoor wedding is favored by many and held in the summer season. You will likely be afforded gorgeous sunshine, luscious surroundings, and a fitting backdrop for your day. But before you start booking, there are a few things to consider. Every part of your day should be tailored to your venues, from location to food and outfits to photograph.
To help you get started, here are five tips for choosing an outdoor wedding venue…
Location
If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, the location is certainly important. Typically, wedding venues in areas with more rural landscapes are both more picturesque and their grounds vast. This doesn’t mean you need to head to the depths of the UK’s countryside but simply look to places outside the big cities. Look at wedding venues in Essex, kent, or even Suffolk for beautiful grounds and manicured gardens.
Licensing
When searching for an outdoor wedding venue, it’s important to find out whether or not they are licensed for outdoor ceremonies. Most will be, but some will only hold a marriage license for indoor ceremonies, which could mean you have to say your vows indoors and only enjoy the grounds for the later celebrations. If you fall for a venue that is not licensed, you might also consider a celebrant ceremony in the gardens with guests and a private legal ceremony inside. Sometimes it pays to compromise!
Menu choices
An outdoor wedding has a different feel. It is typically more relaxed, fun-filled, and often carries a suited theme. If this is the case for your wedding, consider curating a wedding menu to match. If you’re having a festival-style or boho-themed wedding day, think of food carts, barbeques, or fresh pizzas straight out of a garden oven. On the whole, an outdoor celebration is too informal for a sit-down meal, so if you have your heart set on a three-course meal, you might want to consider a wedding breakfast inside.
Picture opportunities
Perhaps one of the most important parts of your wedding day is ensuring you capture beautiful photos to remember that your day can be heavily influenced by the venue you choose. When perusing potential venues, take a moment to walk the grounds to spot spaces that will form the backdrops to your wedding photos. And not to forget the places you fell in love with when it comes to your wedding day. Take photos of different areas you want to be taken when you look around. You can send them to your wedding photographer, so they know where to lead you on your special day.
Outdoor entertainment
If you want to hold your entire wedding day – from vows to evening reception – you’ll need to ensure your chosen venue can accommodate outdoor entertainment. Whether you dream of a live band to a soundtrack for your wedding celebrations, a DJ to get the party started, or simply plan to plug your phone into speakers to play a carefully curated playlist if the venue doesn’t allow music to be played outdoors, your plans could all fall apart.
Featured Image by oleynikkonstantin from Pixabay
