May Outdoor Wedding Tips

I think thats a great idea. Saving money is the way to go. An i bet it would be beautiful outside! You could set up chairs an an aisle an decorate as you please. The space is endless an free. I would love it.

1) We had lemonade and bottled water available at the ceremony because you never know how hot it will be.

2) Have a rain plan just in case.

3) Make a flowers a focal point if you want because in May (most places) the flowers are gorgeous.

4) Don't make an outdoor ceremony super long and if you live where it may be hot have quiet fans or make your program a fan.

5) Plan to face your guests away from the sun (we faced the sun but it was better than having our guests do it).

6) Have bridesmaids in sleeveless or short sleeve for sure cocktail length if it fits your style. Same goes for the poor groomsmen and jackets (ours wore vests and I had them roll their sleeves up to 3/4 length).

Hope that helps!

I'm having an outdoor wedding also but the reception will be somewhere else. I'm only doing that because I wanted a different cater and they didn't allow outdoor caters. But if I were you, I would have the reception there :-)

Depends on where you live...My cousin had her wedding may 31st and for the ceremony it was fine to be outside but by the time we were leaving the reception it was pretty cold...Definitely too cold to have been outside all night!

Thank you! Ooh yea the guys are gonna wear light stuff! NO jackets lol that was my fiancé first statement he doesn't want to sweat

Hi Cassandra! No matter what - make sure you have a backup plan in case of bad weather!!

I'd price out how much you think a reception would cost at your grandfather's farm versus renting a venue. Backyard weddings can frequently be more expensive than booking a venue! You'll need to think about power, restrooms, tables, chairs, linens, silverware, plates, glasses, a dance floor, a tent, room for your caterer to cook, etc.!

Just keep in mind, May could get REALLY hot depending on where you're located. My friend did a mid-day outdoor ceremony in May, and it skyrocketed that day to the 90's (in Maryland, so not too far south where that would be expected) Luckily her reception and cocktail hour were inside. but her MOH fainted! right in the middle of the ceremony, their dad had to run up and catch her as she fell! It was a little scary. I'm wary of doing ceremony and reception all outdoors for reasons like this.

Rule #1: Consider your guests first when making decisions. Do what will make them most comfortable.

Do some research on rentals in your area. It will likely be more expensive to have a backyard wedding than to have your reception at a wedding venue.

Oh well if it's your only wedding...

Weddings at non-venues are MUCH more expensive than people think.

First of all, you have to rent *everything.* The tent floor. The dance floor. Every table. Every chair. Every spoon. Every napkin. Every glass. The chafing dishes and the serving tongs and the plate covers and the hot boxes and the coffee pots and the sugar bowls. Every. Little. Thing.

Plus caterers typically charge an off-site fee. The farther away and more difficult the location is to deal with, the higher the fee. How will they keep warm food warm and cold food cold on location? Where will they do last minute prep work? Is there even electricity available at the location, and if so is it sufficient to support all the needs of the caterer and the guests?

And where are your guests going to go to the bathroom? Even if there is a house nearby, is there a minimum of one bathroom for every 10 guests? If not, you are going to have to rent bathrooms. And we aren't talking porta-potties, either. If you want to host properly that means a full service restroom trailer.

What if it rains? Or is too warm? Too cold? Too windy? Where will you go then? You can't expect your guests to sit outside and endure those conditions. What is your Plan B, how far away is it, and how much does it cost to reserve it as a just-in-case option?

You can do this if it's really what you want. Others have done it before you, and others will continue to make this choice. But be very aware that this is NOT a budget option.

I'm having my reception outdoors on a lawn in May. We live in LA and you never know how the weather will be, but typically it tends to be on the warmer side. So, we're starting the reception at 5:30, that way it won't be too warm by then (hopefully). The whole thing won't be tented, but there will be a large section that is tented and will have seats and tables for in case if guests want to sit in the shade.

Also I too rented everything instead of going with an all inclusive venue. In the end it's going to cost me the same, so no, not saving money. Some people don't like piecing everything together, it can be a pain, and whatever money you do save the hassle might not be worth it for you. For me, I enjoy the process of hunting for each piece, finding local vendors, etc. so it works for me, but I definitely don't recommend it.

A few things will for sure need to be thought out and planned for :

- rain ... tent

- if the ground is wet, people walking around/dancing in the mud or wet grass. There some kind of walkway.

-bathrooms

- power

- chairs, tables, glassware, eating utensils, plates, linens/napkins

These are the minimum must haves that the property will need to have for everyone.

I'm not poo pooing your idea I just want to make sure you know that most of the time DIY is not cheaper.

Having done backyard weddings for over 20 years, I can tell you that the numbers can get staggering, and before you finally decide on this, you need to call a good rental company and get a firm number for tenting, tables, chairs, a cook tent and stove, tableware, linens and lighting.

We never charged an 'off site' fee, and in fact, I've never even heard of that, but there are things we need in an off premise site; ovens, tables, water.....all of that costs.

It can be beautiful, but it's never cheap.

The only people that will tell you this is the cheaper option have a) never actually done an outdoor wedding like this or b) didn't properly host their guests and instead let their "perfection wedding vision" get in the way of their guests' comfort.

I would seriously considered everything that goes into this.

Outdoor/backyard weddings can often be much more expensive than a more traditional wedding venue. Where are you located? Please consider the possible weather in your location. You need to provide some type of shelter for your guests (ideally a tent with a floor). I would also look into fans/AC for that tent in case it's hot.

The best thing to do is to list out everything you would need to rent (look to PPs for a good start to that list) and price it out. You might find it's cheaper and easier to have a traditional venue.

As others have said, it's not necessarily cheaper to have an outdoor wedding because you have to supply everything yourself. A lot of venues provide seating, catering, alcohol. The one we're booking even does the cake and DJ and it's cheaper in the long run.

Your farm wedding can be absolutely beautiful but you've got to think of everything. It can be helpful to get a binder, print out checklists, and get a DOC to make sure everything runs smoothly. Some important things to consider, off the top of my head: where's everyone pottying. If most people are like me, they're going to be pissing up a storm.

Depending on where you live and the time of your wedding, will it be too hot or too cold? Shelter, like a tent, can help but you don't want people to be uncomfortable.

Mosquitoes. Granted I live in Louisiana where this might be more of a problem, but I went to an outdoor wedding last September and they ate us up. They had some bug repellent wipes available but they were useless.

Proper lighting so people can actually see their dinner. Another bad experience.

Definitely do your research!

I agree with most of PPs suggestions. I'd also like to add insurance and parking as considerations when having a wedding on private property.