Outdoor Weddings: Improving on Mother Nature

by Jen

Outdoor weddings are a treat because they are beautiful and inspirational almost by default. Ocean? Trees? Meadow? Mountains? Fjords? Ma Nature didn’t do too shabby a job on any of them. On the other hand, Ms. Nature isn’t exactly known for being cooperative on demand, so a little extra planning is in order.

If you’re planning a destination wedding, check on the local weather patterns.
Every place has a rainy season or that weird two weeks when winter comes back in the middle of May or whatever that local weather quirk is that you may not have known about. If you got suspiciously low travel and hotel rates, double and triple check on the weather. An incredible rate on an inn by the lake may not be worth battling clouds of mosquitoes, and no discount on that Bavarian castle is worth the hassles of an outdoor wedding during dragon season.

Have a backup location.
Even if you are getting married in the desert during a drought, failing to have a rain location is just asking for Mother Nature to mess with you. Think of it as a hail, locusts, or oobleck location, or whatever you want. Just have one.

Add a little structure.
You don’t need to have a full-on tent (though you may want to think of a canopy, especially if you’re combining older guests and summer heat), but an archway or two can be nice – walking through one or standing under one for the ceremony will make a beautiful tableau. You can easily decorate an arch with ribbons or flowers or twine it with greenery.

If you do go with a tent, you are not doomed to look like you’re having a big top wedding (unless you really want a Barnum and Bailey theme, or have included tigers in your wedding party). Tents come in lots of colors, and poles were made for twining decorations. You can also spruce up a tent with garlands of flowers or with standing or hanging potted plants around the sides. Paper lanterns can also make a beautiful effect and will remind you to think about a backup power source.

While you’re thinking about practical concerns and your tent or archways, get the biggest worrier/engineer in your circle to think about wind concerns. If you have a choice between being over-cautious or under-cautious about how far to drive in those tent poles, go with the worrier. Your guests should only be romping around under covers with each other if they really want to.

Every community can use a pillar.
If you want to add pillars or potted hedges to your wedding look, by all means do so. They’ll look nice in most grassy areas, and you or favored guests can use them in your own yards or gardens later. Just make sure they’re easily portable, both for ease of setting up and for the ability to quickly carry them under the tent when that rain of frogs starts.

Carry a torch for your love.
Or at least stick one in the ground. Tiki torches make an evening outdoor wedding both fun and beautiful, and at a beach wedding they make your guests feel like they’re in a surf movie, which means twisting and/or frugging could break out at any minute. It’s a good mood to set. You may also want to think about citronella torches or candles. They pull double duty as light sources and insect repellents, though there is anecdotal evidence that they attract dragons. Strings of Christmas lights or lanterns are also beautiful, and will once again remind you to think about that backup power source.

Have you been thinking about that backup power source?
You may not need one at all, but, really, think about one. If you suddenly need to set up space heaters or electric fans, you don’t want to have to recruit guests to pedal exercycles to power them. That engineer/worrier you talked to earlier? Ask him or her to help you look into your options. Don’t forget sound concerns – a gas-powered generator may be a lifesaver if you suddenly need to bring in electric fans or space heaters, but may also drown out your string quartet if it’s placed incorrectly.

Congratulations!
Now that you’ve worried about everything, La Mere Naturelle is much more likely to be kind and lay off the surprises.

But if she does decide to get cute with it, at least you’re prepared.

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