Wedding Planning Advice and Tips from the Experts in share their knowledge

We know planning an outdoor wedding is not as simple as it may seem. So we have put together a few tips and suggestions to help perfect your outdoor wedding:

1. Make sure your guests are comfortable. Whether it's in the heat of summer or the cold days of winter, keeping your guests comfortable and happy are the key. For a summer wedding you could be resourceful by printing your program on fans or renting a heater if it's cold out.
2. Have a back up plan just in case. With mother nature you always have to expect the unexpected. Have a plan B- Either book a venue that has inside space available or rent a beautiful white tent. The tent could actually help in the comfort of your guests (as discussed in tip 1).
3. Make sure your venue has the appropriate facilities-bathrooms! If not, rent portable units.
4. Consider the time of day your ceremony will be. If you plan your ceremony around sunset, you not only escape the heat but you'll also have the beautiful colors of sunset as the backdrop to the most important day of your life. Click here if you need to know what time the sun is setting on your wedding day.
5. Creepy, crawly, flying things or in other words, pesky bugs! You know in the south especially, mosquitos are a HUGE problem. Have your place exterminated before the big day to keep the number of bug related incidents to a minimum. Also, as a decorative idea, use tea lights with citronella in them as an extra defense.
6. Keep your guests from getting parched. Keep an open bar with refreshments, even if it's just water, tea or lemonade.
7. Less is more. Let the beauty of the natural surroundings be your decorations and to help accentuate the look and feel of your wedding.
8. Consider hiring a DJ service that can supply a sound system. You want your guests to be able to hear you proclaim your love for one another and they may not be able to without it.
9. Discuss with your caterer the kind of menu that is appropriate for the outdoors. If it's being held during the summertime, you want to make sure it is stored in the proper way so not to spoil. But also you may want to keep the menu light with lots of fresh fruit or anything refreshing to the palate. Consider the opposite for a winter wedding- lots of hot foods, such as soup or chowder.
10. Remember the parking. It would be wise not to invite more guests than the parking space available. If your venue or location does not have adequate parking space, consider providing your guests with alternate transportation from a secondary location.