Planning an outdoor wedding... Any good advice?

Not sure where you are located but have a backup plan in case the weather is crappy. Speaking from experience with my sisters wedding standing outside on a windy day in temperatures in the low 40s (and wind gusts of 30mph) 45+ minutes is a long time in a short dress to freeze in. Sadly how cold I got overshadows everything else about her wedding.

My cousin actually planned everything to perfection, only forgot that her venue (a meadow in the middle of nowhere) had no toilets! So she had to organise toilet containers two days before the wedding, in hysterics.
I think, other than that, the biggest challenge was to somehow provide electricity.

My first piece of advice would be to have a backup plan in case of bad weather. My wedding was inside, but we had planned on taking some outdoor photos at a nearby park. However, we got married on the hottest day of the entire year so our plans quickly changed. Luckily, our venue had some beautiful locations inside to take photos. On the opposite side of this, I went to a wedding once where it immediately poured after the ceremony. Thankfully, my sister-in-law (the bride) had rented tents so we were able to stay dry. However even with the tents her dance floor, which was in her driveway since the wedding was at her house, collected water so dancing wasn't really an option because it would've been too dangerous.

My second piece of advice is to warn questions if they will have to walk through grass, gravel, etc. One wedding I went to I wore one of my favorite pair of high heels and when we got there my shoes immediately got stuck in the grass and I wasn't really able to walk. Thankfully, I had a spare pair of flip flops in the car which I changed into. It was either that or not be able to walk. You don't want guests uncomfortable or tripping and falling because they didn't wear appropriate footwear.

We had both ceremony and reception outdoors under white tents! We had fabulous weather but a bit windy. We kept our centerpieces low which worked great. Our unity candle wouldn’t stay lit so we had to pretend to lit it 😂 no biggie but something to be aware of ❤️ Our table names were in heavy frames to keep from blowing over, which worked well.

We rented a pavilion at the lake we are getting married at just in case it rains. I am worried about trying to get an aisle runner for my dress due to grass but I’m not entirely sure if it’s needed. We are doing a sand ceremony as we have heard people struggling to light candles and paint flying everywhere due to wind. We chose to have our reception elsewhere and indoors just to be safe

I gave clear guidance about our attire/dress code. I strongly suggested women wear flats or wedges because the ceremony and reception would all be on grass. I made it clear no one had to get super dressed up so that they didn’t have to be hot or uncomfortable. I also suggested to bring layers because it can get chilly at night. I also said RAIN or SHINE on my website so people should plan accordingly.


Beware of the sun. Perhaps give parasols or umbrellas to shade in the sun during a ceremony. Or plan it so you’re in the shade at the particular hour of the day where the sun is, etc.
I rented a luxury bathroom trailer with two private stalls, each with the their own sink, toilet, air conditioning and radio.) People raved about how nice they were but some people mentioned they thought we should have more than two stalls (70 guests) because there was a line at times.
We planned on doing family portraits outside but it was raining so we ended up doing them inside in an unplanned location, it worked out but in hindsight I should have planned for rain.
Have your invitation reflect the mood of your outdoor wedding. Will it be so casual that people can wear shorts and flip flops or will it be more upscale. Your invitation can set the mood. But also be really specific about dress code because ppl will ask!
What food will do okay out in the elements? We had bbq so it wasn’t so heavy in the June heat.
Good luck!

I had an outdoor ceremony and ive been to an outdoor reception.

for my ceremony i made sure to let people know it's outdoors - i think that's something big to do. make sure people KNOW it's outdoors. because that can seriously change people's shoe selection, etc haha. and it just helps people feel more prepared ya know?

the outdoor reception i went to was entirely in dirt and dust and so i was grateful i wore boots

Just make sure that you have a back up plan in case the weather goes South (rain, wind, etc.). Also, if it is hot during the time make sure you have water available for your guests, fans (hand held ones or electronic ones you can set up around), and shade (like tents or big umbrellas). If it is cold then make sure you notify your guests to bring jackets or coats, and maybe have some heat warmers set up around.

My daughter's wedding was also outdoors in August. It very rarely rains in CA that time of year but can be unbearably hot. We had parosols available during ceremony and baskets of handheld fans. The reception tent had both ceiling fans as well as electric fans . Bug spray is also essential if it's an evening wedding.