Planning & Concept: Bella Weddings UK
Photographer: Lumiere Photography UK
Styling/decor: Vintage Florrie
Venue: The Shropshire Wedding Company
An outdoor wedding can be a beautiful and romantic way to tie the knot. Whether it’s in a garden, a park, or on a beach, an outdoor wedding allows you to enjoy the beauty of nature while celebrating your love with family and friends.
However, planning an outdoor wedding can be a bit more challenging than an indoor one. Here are some ideas and inspiration for your wedding decor and things to consider when planning an outdoor wedding celebration.
Choose a Space
The first step in planning an outdoor wedding is choosing a venue. Look for a place that has beautiful natural surroundings, such as a garden, woodland or a beach. Make sure to check the weather patterns for the area and the time of year you want to get married. It’s important to have a backup plan in case of rain or inclement weather. As you aren’t hosting your wedding reception or nuptials in a typical venue, you may wish to consider hiring a wedding planner or stylist who’ll be able to oversee managing suppliers, coming up with a vision for your day and ensuring all the health and safety needs are met too.
Planning & Concept, Tent Hire: North Skye Yurts
Photographer: @glixphotography_wedding
Venue: @rossmoorepark
Hire a tent
Even if the weather is perfect, it’s a good idea to hire a yurt, bell tents or tipi for your outdoor wedding. A yurt, bell tent or tipi will provide shade for your guests and protect them from the sun or rain. You can also decorate it with tassels, bunting, macrame or whatever you want to match your wedding theme. Use it for parts of your day, such as your ceremony, serving your meal, cutting the cake or as the dancefloor for the evening party. If having a tipi sides can be raised and link numerous Tipis together, and can create larger spaces for your wedding.
Set up a dance floor
An outdoor wedding can be a little tricky when it comes to dancing. Grass can be uneven and muddy, and it’s not exactly ideal for dancing. Set up a dance floor on a level surface, such as a patio or a flat piece of land. A dance floor will also give your guests a designated area to dance and have fun and can be an area where your band, DJ or other musicians or entertainment can set up too. As a general rule of thumb your dance floor should equal around 3sq ft for 30% of your guest list to be using it at any one time.
You can typically expect around 30% of your guests to be actively dancing at any given time, and each guest needs enough space to move around. You may want to set aside enough space for 40-50% of your guest list if you know you’re going to have a crowd full of dance enthusiasts on your hands.
Get a sign and fun decorations to alert guests that it’s a dance floor. Either make your own dance floor sign, or hire from a prop company or your stylist may include decor hire within your package, so that your guests know exactly what the area is going to be used for. You can also pick up stanchions to rope the area off, or hang string lights overhead so that the area stands out as a dance floor.
This is important since your guests may not automatically know your dance floor isn’t set aside for something else. You don’t want to spend 30 minutes walking around to tell your guests it’s a dance floor. You just want them to get up, dance and start partying!
Compliment your wedding colours
When planning your outdoor wedding, consider the colours that will look best in the natural surroundings. For example, if you’re getting married on a beach, consider blues and greens to complement the ocean. If you’re getting married in a garden, consider pastels or bright colours to match the flowers, or a woodland would look amazing with both neutral and bright festival colours which either compliment or really stand out and will look completely
Planning & Concept, Photography:
Michael Calders Photography
Styling/decor: Vintage Florrie
Venue: Hinwick Hall
Use natural elements
One of the great things about an outdoor wedding is that you can use natural elements as part of your decor. Consider incorporating elements such as flowers, branches, and leaves into your centrepieces and other decorations. You can also use natural elements such as rocks or shells as part of your table settings. Just because the wedding is set in the great outdoors, it doesn’t mean it has to be less elegant than a traditional wedding. In fact, you can increase the charm of an outdoor wedding by using the influence around you as inspiration, incorporating natural elements alongside rustic farmhouse tables, hay bales, lounge seating areas of vintage or boho furniture for additional seating, hanging lights and an outdoor drinks serving station or two. Having outdoor games is a great way of entertaining guests, both children & adults enjoy these fun activities and can be as rustic or fairground vibe as you want.
Plan for lighting
Excellent lighting should not only be found on decorations such as your tables or centrepieces. Hanging lights for your wedding reception should also be intertwined into your decor as they will be part of the backdrop of all your photos.
Real Wedding
Tableware/decor Hire: Vintage Florrie
Outdoor weddings can be especially beautiful at night, but it’s important to plan for lighting. Make sure your guests can see where they’re going and that the important areas of your wedding, such as the dance floor and the bar, are well-lit. You can use string lights, lanterns, or candles to create a romantic and intimate atmosphere. You can also purchase solar powered lights. The great thing about these lights is that you can fully charge them the day before your wedding to make sure you can dance the night away without running out of juice.
Hire comfortable seating
Your guests will be spending a lot of time sitting during your wedding, so it’s important to hire comfortable seating. Look for chairs that are sturdy and have padded seats. You can also consider hiring sofas or bamboo furniture for a more relaxed seating area.
Hire a sound system
An outdoor wedding can be noisy, with birds chirping and the sound of waves crashing and guests can typically be spread out further than an indoor venue. Hire a sound system to make sure your guests can hear your vows and your reception speeches. You can also use the sound system for your music and to play special songs during important moments, such as your first dance. Consider your surroundings when doing this, the wildlife, neighbours, there maybe a curfew on finish times. Check with your venue.
Consider the weather
No matter what time of year you’re getting married, it’s important to consider the weather. If it’s going to be hot, consider providing fans or umbrellas for your guests. If it’s going to be cold, consider hiring heaters or providing blankets. Make sure to have a backup plan in case of rain or other inclement weather.
Planning an outdoor wedding requires a little extra effort, but the end result is most definitely worth it. With careful planning and attention to detail, you can create a beautiful and romantic vibe ensuring you have enough lighting and seating. Every detail counts when it comes to planning an outdoor wedding. With these ideas and inspiration, you'll be well on your way to creating the outdoor wedding of your dreams.
Real Wedding
Co-ordinator: Vintage Florrie
Florals: The Original Octavia