How to Plan for a Garden Wedding
Planning a wedding can be a very stressful process, and it can truly be a test of your relationship. With the guest list, catering, outfits, decorations and a million other things to arrange, you might want to have something that is familiar and always available: a home turf venue. Having a wedding at your own home, or in your childhood home can be wonderful and you will feel a lot more connected to it than you would to any other rented venue. But if you want to have your wedding in your backyard, then you have to consider these few things:
Choose the season carefully
People will try to solve this problem by saying “just get married during summer”, but that is not how things work. First of all, you might not want to get married during the summer; maybe you’ve dreamt about a fairy tale winter wedding your whole life. But there are other factors to consider as well: is the season rainy and prone to quick weather changes? Sometimes winter can be the best option, because you can simply prepare for snow and be pleasantly surprised when the weather turns out to be just fine. Of course, you want all your guests to feel comfortable, so a depending on where you are summer weddings might not always be the best idea.
Make your guests comfortable
As we said, this is your top priority. Your guests will arrive dressed appropriately for the season, but if you are planning on having large cooling fans around the garden, make sure you tell them to bring something they can throw on as well in case it gets a bit chilly. The same goes for winter: you need to get heaters that are strong enough to keep all of your guests warm, or if only a part of the ceremony will be held outdoors, inform them to bring some warmer clothes, and that the party will continue inside, where it will be nice and warm. Also, by offering emergency kits such as fans, gloves, bug sprays, spare shoes (because nobody likes to walk on grass in heels) will make your guests feel like they can really relax and enjoy themselves.
Have a backup
Weddings are always emotional and you can be pretty sure that some unexpected things will happen. However, if you prepare enough backup solutions, you will be able to tackle anything that comes your way. Notify a local emergency electrician who will be able to come by if there are any problems and fix them ASAP. Locate the nearest supermarket that will be open during the wedding, so that if you notice mid-ceremony there is a crucial detail missing, you know where to go. In the heat it can be difficult to keep your flowers from wilting, opt for silk flowers so that your blooms will stay looking fresh all day. And the best thing you can do is make sure you have a place where you can move your guests if the weather gets rough.
Of course, you will want to make sure that there are no unpleasant surprises like loud neighbors, wild animals, swarms of bees or anything similar, so you might want to spend a lot of time in your garden and have a few rehearsals to spot any potential problems. Make sure there is a tent or shade sail for your guests to hide under in the event of rain or scorching sun, and if you are having a buffet, it’s a good idea to regulate the heat of that spot, either by placing the platters on a tray of ice, or by keeping small heaters or candles around the area. And even with all the hassle, rest assured that an outdoor wedding is well worth it.