Outdoor brides - any regrets?

No regrets. Get a tent. Even if it doesn't rain, it will provide shade.

I had an outdoor backyard wedding. No regrets but things to consider:

- like everyone said - have a back up plan. We had a tent to eat under and dancing was held inside due to the cool temps after the sun set. (Reserve a tent now and know when can you cancel without a huge fee or figure out how to incorporate it even if you don't need it).

- Timing is everything! What time will the sun set that day? This will help you determine a timeline for pictures; discuss this with your photog.

- What position will the sun be in for your ceremony? We actually waited until 2 days before the ceremony to choose our exact location on the property because we were worried about the sun

being in people's eyes.

- bathroom facilities - are they adequate for your number of guests?

- Temperature - will you need heating if it's cool outside? What about shade and ways to cool down if it is hot out?

- Catering setup - I didn't have this issue since we were in my aunt's yard right next to the house but if your venue is completely outside, where will catering set up? You might even consider a small tent just as a prep space for the caterer/ bar tender.

Ooh thanks for the map @Lmac, now I'm looking for my month

Thank you for that info Lmac. I go by this one. I didn't consider shade though since its a night wedding.

I would definitely rent a tent! My fiance and I are having our reception outdoors in a local garden, and we are renting a tent. I would want to have something to cover everyone, just in case it does rain.

As I see my other friends planning their weddings in indoor venues, yes it looks much easier. And their plans look beautiful. But, an outdoor garden reception is what FH and I want. And it will be beautiful, and so fun and so us. So I think it's worth the extra work. We are also not hiring a coordinator. We are working with a rental company to set up the basics (tent, lights, chairs, tables, etc.) but we will be decorating ourselves.

It really depends on whether or not you (and your family and friends) are willing to do the extra work or not.

It doesn't typically snow here in October and May, but sometimes it does.

Thanks for the advice all! Just to clarify, the outdoor location would have a pavilion. But I'm trying to decide if that's adequate enough in the event of rain. Renting a large tent (and therefore tables and chairs) is out of my budget from what I've seen.

We are doing an outdoor wedding, we always knew that's what we wanted. We were very afraid of what to do and budget if it rained but thankfully our venue has the room inside the reception hall for them to move the ceremony if needed

I think all outdoor weddings should have a plan B or C. We had the battle some serious wind and threat of rain. We had to use our Plan B ceremony space (still outdoors), thankfully not C (indoors).

Just because it's not the rainy season doesn't mean it isn't going to rain.

Anyways, we had an outdoor ceremony and had a backup plan. No regrets. It was beautiful. Just have a backup plan just in case.

You defiantly need to have a backup plan. What if it pours! I wouldn't press your luck. I'm having an outdoor ceremony but my venue is prepared for plan b. I just have to let them know 2 hours prior to let them know what we want to do.

If you are renting tables and chairs you can talk to that company and they can add a tent the week of if it looks like rain. I talked to 3 companies and they it wouldn't be a problem at all renting a tent last minute. Just talk to them and keep them informed.

If you are renting tables and chairs you can talk to that company and they can add a tent the week of if it looks like rain. I talked to 3 companies and they it wouldn't be a problem at all renting a tent last minute. Just talk to them and keep them informed.

Mine had an indoor area but we ended up doing most of everything outside, more than we planned in fact. We were going to have the ceremony outside, dinner inside, first dances outside, and finally the bulk of the dancing inside. It was so nice we ended up going all the dancing outside! Just decided it that afternoon as we were heading over and getting ready. To me the outdoor thing was a must have. I had dreamed of an outdoor wedding my whole life. I did like that we had the indoor space so we had a backup plan but I must say I would have been very disappointed if we had had to use it. Plus, the photos indoors just weren't as good as those out in the natural light. Still lovely, just not as magical to me. I would personally have picked outdoor only over indoor only easily. We had a tent ready and waiting to be set up if we'd needed it (luckily we already owned one) but it only sprinkled a bit that morning and then was perfect the rest of the day. If you really want an outdoor wedding then to me it doesn't make sense to pick an indoor venue just in case it might rain. Find a place that rents tents and will do set up and tear down. You do not want to mess with that on your wedding day, esp if you've never done it before.

ETA: just saw your other post. If there is a pavilion you should be fine for light rain your only real concern would be if it was a torrential downpour or such.

Ours is outdoor, but they have AWESOME backup plans in place if the weather isnt great. The veranda is open air but large and well covered if it isnt too terribly windy/rainy. If it is, they have clear covers that can be pulled down over the open sides. We also have the upstairs bar/lounge which has beautiful vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, floor to ceiling windows and a stone mantle. Ideally, we will have the ceremony at the soundfront, and come back to the veranda and front lawn for the reception.

Barring ridiculous june hurricane, our backup rain plan is to have the ceremony under the veranda and the reception upstairs in the lounge. Honestly their backup plan for inclement weather was probably the #1 reason we picked the venue we did - at a lot of other places, the rain location was just a total afterthought.

It takes a lot of stress off your mind to know that no matter the weather, you'll still have a beautiful location. Ask your venues what their backup plans are. Ask to see the spaces they have available. A good venue worth their salt will have a solid plan in place no matter the weather.

I'm having an outdoor ceremony but we have 2 backups -- a covered terrace for light rain and completely indoors if the weather turns REALLY bad. We're fortunate our venue automatically offers this with our package. I wouldn't do an outdoor wedding without a rain plan. Too much stress and a potential soaked wedding.

@MaryEllen, I lived in Florida for 13 years and can tell you that "rainy season" just means that it rains everyday. It can still rain during the parts of the year that don't fall under rainy season, but it's less likely...I said "less likely" not "impossible".

According to the Charlotte County website, http://www.charlottecountyweather.com/wxhistory.php?date=201504, it rained 11 of 30 days in April of 2015. While that is less than the 22 out of 31 days it rained in August 2015, it still RAINED in April...11 times!

Oh my I'm not saying it definitely won't rain. I've lived here for 21years. And as we floridians know rain could mean a monsoon and a tent isn't going to help. Especially with DJ equipment. So then we would just move everything in to the house.

Let's just hope we all have beautiful days for our weddings the only rain i want to see on that day is on my marriage certificate.. The future Mrs. Rainwater

We went with a new tent company and our tent was $600 including lights and 70 garden chairs. Our tables were from ikea. Shop around.