Camp-out wedding

Wait...so you want people to camp without tents?

For the food, are you providing anything or are you just wanting people to bring their own food and camp out with you?

View Quoted Comment Sorry, I should have been a bit more specific. I meant an event tent, we are skipping the large canvas event tent. We will definitely be camping in tents or RVs. We will be providing all food and beverages, I do not expect my guests to provide their own food by any means. Some things will be premade such as salads and cold sides, but anything that needs to be cooked goes on the fire/grills. The group campgrounds we are looking at generally sleep 50-100, since we are keeping the wedding small, anyone who wants to camp out with us is welcome to do so without having to pay fees. If they decide to stay in a hotel or B&B they will need to pay for that, but I don't think that is out of the realm of normal for weddings.

What would the differences be between hosting a camp-out wedding and a typical wedding at an outdoor venue? Just that the guests would be staying in tents afterwards instead of at a hotel?

View Quoted Comment Probably not a whole lot. I think that a lot more of the work falls on our shoulders as this is a state park, so there is no staff. The food is the big one as a majority of it will not be prepared since catering companies don't generally come out to the campgrounds. There is little to no electricity available so any lighting has to be solar or battery operated, and music options are limited. Other than that and the overnight accommodations, everything else is just an outdoor wedding altered to the campground "venue" we pick.

This sounds like a lot of work. but it looks like you know what you are getting into. I'm going to a wedding like this in the fall and the couple essentially paid for an entire cub scout camp site and is renting back the cabins and camp sites to guests, its not going so hot and they were really hoping it would. Since you are not doing this, you are already in a much better financial shape! My only real suggestion (but you likely have covered), is to be ready to feed for all meals starting on Friday at dinner for example through Sunday brunch ( and make this clear on your website etc). The couple in question wasn't prepared for that either and thought everyone should fend for themselves and that they should only be responsible for the wedding meal; nice in theory but doesn't work - same with booze etc.

eta - they are bringing in bbq, so maybe that is an option for you?

I think it's an awesome idea. I kinda feel bad that it seems you're being criticized. I haven't been to a wedding like this, but I did attend an anniversary party at a Christmas tree farm where we all camped out in tents in the rows of trees. It was a blast! There was a large building, with bathrooms and a bar, and catered food, but other than that, everything was outside. Had a huge fire, did some fireworks, and everyone had a great time. If you are outdoorsy, and love to camp, go for it! I think it'll be awesome. And definitely a wedding your guests will remember.

I haven’t been to a wedding like this, so I don’t have much advice, but I totally love the idea! We are both frequent campers, so it fits us as well. Love to hear how it goes!

Sounds so cool! Cant wait to see how it goes!

I absolutely love this idea. We're not camping, but our reception is going to be at a park near where my grandma is and we're kinda doing like a picnic type thing. Picnic blankets, picnic foods (I know that probably sounds so lame but I felt like it was so much easier).

That sounds really cool. I don't really have any tips or ideas but I would definitely check into the park 's rules if you're planning on having alcohol at your wedding. I think there are some places that don't allow it but I'm not sure if that's true or not.

View Quoted Comment Oh absolutely! We plan to provide food from the first night we rent the grounds until Sunday when we clean and pack up. I expect the food to be one of the larger expenses of the wedding which is why we decided to go the route of " we provide the food but you have to cook it on the fire".

View Quoted Comment That sounds really fun! Don't feel bad, I completely expected some people not to understand since it isn't a very traditional idea. Honestly though, this type of thing has a deeper meaning for us. It's sort of a play on our first weekend away as a couple (we were friends for 4 years before we began dating). We wanted to kind of recreate that moment since it was very special to us. Plus, we have kids and my FH has a huge family with lots of kids so we thought this might be an enjoyable reunion/wedding idea for everyone.

View Quoted Comment I will definitely keep everyone posted on the progress and how it turned out. I am so excited, but also have fear that things will get forgetten or turn into a disaster.

View Quoted Comment That sounds really wonder and intimate. I love it. Picnics are always a lot of fun. I think that will be something very memorable.

View Quoted Comment That is definitely on my to-do list. I have already spoken to a ranger who was very helpful and assured me that hosting a wedding at the group campgrounds was completely acceptable, but I still need to inquire further on details such as this.

I think this could be awesome!! Does the camp site have nearby cabins or anything? You would want to be sure there are plenty of bathrooms nearby too.

For the reception - it would be really fun to hire an acoustic guitarist and have everyone sit around a campfire making s'mores while this person sings.

View Quoted Comment Since we are still deciding on the exact site, we don't know those details yet. If there are rentable cabins near by, they will be included in the information about sleeping accomodations. I'm hoping we will be decided and reserve by next month since our date is May 18th. Although that isn't a popular camping time (they told us there may even still be a little snow on the ground) you never know, and I don't want to take the chance of missing out on the perfect one. I like the idea of acoustic guitar actually, I'll have to look into that, and yes smores for sure! We are doing smores, a small Birch tree themed cake (play on FH's last name) and probably cupcakes (although I am considering cake pops since it's a camping theme) as desserts.

I think this is such a unique idea & it seems to me like you are very prepared & on the right track. I can't wait to see your progress! My only confusion lies with the guests cooking their own food over a fire. I'm just thinking of safety concerns ( I come from a family of firefighters), especially if alcohol is involved. Are you planning to have designated "grill/fire cookers"? I like the idea you're going for with the theme/style, I'm just concerned someone might burn themselves or worse. Best of luck my dear!

View Quoted Comment Thank you, that's very sweet. I feel very unprepared, but I guess I always tend to worry. You bring up a valid point, and my answer would probably be our "manly men" lol. I imagine that my bridal party, SIL's (5), MIL, mother, and I will work together to prepare hot sides, hot drink, and getting the campsite "set-up" so to speak, and my FH, His brother/ BIL's, groomsmen, and maybe my father (if he comes) will take care of the mains and direct fire foods. I should my mother is a personal chef and caterer and my soon to be MIL was a restaurant owner. Cook-outs and grilling are kind of our thing. I imagine I will hire a few extra hands for basic stuff (my mother knows a lot of young college ladies/guys who look for little jobs) and I will be hiring a sitter or two to help with the younger kids and clean up.

So here is a question... What kind of dress would you pick if you were planning on this type of wedding? I was thinking long sleeve style would be nice, and I seem to gravitate more towards lace designs. Since they told us that we could very well still have snow on the ground at the site around May 18th, and it's all outdoors, I wonder about my dress getting ruined. I feel like it's inevitable that at least the bottom will get very dirty, should I just get what I want and accept that the damage may not be cleanable, or do you have other tips/tricks that you would like to share so I can keep my dress out of harms way?