There are many beautiful locations for your outdoor wedding. Some have family, friends or neighbours who offer their landscaped back yard, others opt for a public park, the beach or area outside of a resort or hotel. There are a few considerations to take into account when planning your outdoor wedding. First of all… always have a “Plan B”. While many places can accommodate guests with cool indoor areas and pitchers of water for very hot outdoor weddings… rain, wind or cool temperatures can create not so pleasant experiences for guests. While you have your heart set on an outdoor wedding, think of your guests… and their comfort during the ceremony. You don’t want the only thing they remember about your wedding to be how cold they were sitting in their chairs, or how the wind ruined your hair do.Another consideration for outdoor weddings is sound. Sound travels a few feet outdoors, so make sure there is a microphone and speaker system so your guests can hear the ceremony. Also make sure other ambient noises are minimized. That beautiful fountain you are getting married in front of will drown out the sound of your well written vows most times even with a microphone.
When planning where to have the ceremony in an outdoor location, check out the area at your wedding time. Look where the sun will be.. and locate yourselves so that neither your guests or yourselves will be blinded by the sun. This is of particular importance later in the day, when the sun gets closer to the horizon. I have officiated at a wonderful evening wedding, that took place at dark. The couple had a chandelier hanging from a beautiful pine tree. While the lighting was great for us, the photographer had difficulty getting pictures of the wedding party coming and going as well as pictures after the ceremony as it was dark. Consider what pictures are important to you.
Plan well and then enjoy your day. If it needs to be moved indoors, remember its the wedding itself that is important… not so much the location.