Outdoor Wedding Tips

I am often asked to officiate outdoor weddings. Outdoor weddings are very popular. As someone who has officiated well over a hundred outdoor weddings, I think any bride and groom would be well advised to take into consideration an alternative if the conditions don't meet the needs for them and for their guests on their wedding day. You can't control the environment outside. I have been to outdoor weddings where it's been windy, a little bit of rain, an impending thunderstorm, hot in the sun, cold, a lot of bugs, and other factors. Most golf clubs, resorts, and party houses that regularly host weddings usually have an indoor location ready in case the weather turns bad before the ceremony starts.

While rainy or stormy weather would be an obvious reason to move the ceremony indoors, any couple should seriously take into consideration that their guests might be uncomfortable if the conditions are not right for other reasons. For example, I've done weddings where the couple making their vows are in the shade, but I see guests, especially older guests such as grandparents in the first row, sweating in the hot sun. If the wedding does not start on time for some reason, that means these people are sitting in the hot sun for an even longer time. Sometimes the wind is a bit too much; I've had at least a couple brides have their veils blown off in the wind. String quartets and other musicians have a difficult time keeping their music sheets in place when it's windy. I've seen arbors blown over in the wind. I've been to places where there are so many bugs that the couple and/or their guests spent most of the ceremony trying to fan them away.

Outdoor weddings are definitely beautiful. But when you choose a wedding venue, I would advise you to not just look at the outside, but also take a look at the inside to see what it would be like if you actually have to move indoors if the conditions are not favorable. If you like the view from whatever outdoor spot you pick, take a look and see if the venue has the same or similar view from an indoor spot such as behind a large window from where you are standing. If you're getting married in a colder season, consider a venue that has a heated porch with a nice view. That way you can still be married outdoors and have a great view, but you and your guests won't be freezing.

Wherever you choose to have your wedding, make sure you are as happy with an inside alternative location as you are with the outside. On the wedding day, be flexible and be willing to move indoors if the conditions don't meet the needs of you and your guests.


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Paul Pakusch
Upstate Wedding Bells, www.UpstateWeddingBells.com