8+1 tips for organising an outdoor wedding

There’s nothing more atmospheric than an outdoor wedding held in glorious sunshine.

The sun is shining, everything is just right, the couple are simply radiant, they look so beautiful, the bridesmaids, the wedding witnesses They’re ready for the big day, the parents are proud, the friends are in high spirits, and even the birds are chirping – that’s what an outdoor wedding is like.

That all sounds very good, but the wedding planning There are always unexpected and difficult moments to contend with before you reach this blissful moment. What should you look out for, and what pitfalls might an outdoor wedding present? We’ll answer these questions in this article.

In this article, you’ll find tips to help you organise your outdoor wedding.

1. How should you time your outdoor wedding?

This is probably nothing new to anyone: timing is a crucial factor when it comes to an outdoor wedding.

When is the best time to have an outdoor wedding?

Of course, mostly in summer. 🙂 However, even at this time of year, good weather isn’t guaranteed to be cloudless.

Try to keep an eye on the weather forecast and aim to organise your wedding for the middle of summer, as this is usually when conditions are at their best for an unforgettable outdoor wedding.

How should you schedule the events for the big day?

Be sure to schedule any outdoor parts of the ceremony for the afternoon. If you spend the whole ceremony standing or sitting in 40 degrees under the blazing sun, this may well show in the photos taken afterwards. Not to mention that strong sunshine and high temperatures can be harmful to your health. Older guests, in particular, may even feel unwell.

This problem can also be remedied with the help of sun-blocking elements, chairs and imaginative decorations, but more on that later. In any case, the safest option is not to schedule any activities for the early afternoon.

Don’t organise an outdoor wedding before 3 pm.

If the wedding doesn’t start until after 3 o’clock, you can avoid the unpleasant effects of the heat and sunlight, and the serving the wedding menu and you can time your meal so that the rays of the setting sun provide a pleasant, atmospheric glow.

2. How do you choose a venue for an outdoor wedding?

You’d think it would be much easier to find an outdoor wedding venue than a traditional indoor one. After all, almost anything could do – the other day I drove past a lovely clearing; let’s have the wedding there. Why not, of course? Well, unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.

When choosing a venue for your outdoor wedding, you need to take into account factors such as accessibility and parking facilities. It’s also worth checking whether there are any events taking place nearby on the day that might disrupt your plans. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you need to make sure that weddings are permitted at the venue and, if so, under what conditions.

Under what conditions can a wedding be held outdoors?

Yes, as we mentioned above, unfortunately it’s not as simple as just making up your mind, choosing a venue and holding your wedding there.

If you wish to hold your civil wedding at an external venue, you must always apply for permission from the relevant authority. In the case of civil weddings held off-site, the registrar is the competent authority. It should also be noted that a fee is payable for any marriage ceremony not held at the registry office.

If you’d like to tailor this day entirely to your and your partner’s tastes, a good option might be to get married in a civil ceremony at the registry office beforehand, and then hold your outdoor wedding afterwards, for which a You are asking the master of ceremonies for help, who is able to cater for every individual need, unlike registrars, who are, unfortunately, bound by certain restrictions.

3. What sort of outdoor wedding accessories are there, and what should you bear in mind when it comes to them?

We’ve got the venue sorted, everyone can get there easily, there’s parking available, and you’ve got the permit. Everything’s going smoothly. 🙂 But the organising work is far from over yet.

The wedding venue also needs to be set up. You’ll need tables, benches and chairs; the food needs to be served somewhere; toilets are required; and we’ve only just mentioned a few items from the long list of essentials.

The aim of an outdoor wedding is to ensure that, despite being outdoors, you can create the greatest possible sense of comfort for yourselves and your guests alike.

With an outdoor wedding, there are two possibilities. The first is that you are at a venue where the wedding ceremony itself takes place outdoors, but the outdoor area also includes a building. In this case, things are easier for you: toilets, electricity, storage, getting dressed and similar matters can be easily sorted out.

The other scenario is when an outdoor venue is really just an open space – meaning you have to bring everything there yourself. If I may make a suggestion, don’t tackle this project on your own; find an experienced team to help you. If you find a good, reliable contractor, you can sit back and relax – you’re in safe hands.

What sort of outdoor wedding accessories might you need?

Let’s take a look at exactly what outdoor wedding essentials you might need:

• Tables, benches, chairs -It is essential for the ceremony and the dinner that you are able to seat the guests
• Buffet supplies -Chaffing dishes, counters
• Portable toilets -There’s no need to explain why it’s necessary
• Nappy-changing table – Think of those with young children too
• Wardrobe shelving unit -It is important to ensure (primarily for yourselves, but also for your guests) that there is somewhere to store delicate items of clothing so that they remain clean and crease-free
• Screens -You can use screens to divide the space, but you can also use them for changing and getting ready
• Tent -Renting a tent is optional. We recommend that, if the outdoor venue does not have a building, there should at least be a tent. A tent provides shade, makes storage and set-up easier, and offers shelter in the event of rain. Information on how to hire a tent and the associated costs in our article on tent weddings you can read it.
• Mirror -Well, in the case of the bride, that’s absolutely essential 🙂
• Signposts -It helps guests find their way around if you put up signs showing where everything is: the buffet is over here, the toilets are over there, and so on
• Power supply necessary supplies
• A water supply solution
• Equipment required for sound reinforcement -Speakers, cables, microphones, etc.
• Heating and cooling equipment -Outdoors, especially if it’s not an urban location, it’s often the case that the heat of the day is followed by a sharp drop in temperature in the evening. Make sure you have some form of cooling system during the day – misting systems, for example – and provide heating in the evening. A more cost-effective way of achieving this is to set up parasols and serve cold drinks during the day, and to provide blankets in the evening.
• Decorative elements -Flowers, creative decorations, a photo corner, a drawing table and toys for the little ones – but we’ll write about that in more detail later.

+1 Sensor-operated hand sanitiser -Something we’ll unfortunately have to bear in mind this year. In 2020, it wouldn’t go amiss to set up a few hand sanitiser stations at your wedding.

As well as all this, you can use any other imaginative ideas for your outdoor wedding – in fact, we’d encourage you to do so. The more unique and creative your ideas are, the more atmospheric your big day will be.

4. Top-class hospitality, even outdoors?

Yes, catering is a very important part of weddings. And by ‘catering’, we don’t just mean the preparation and serving of food and drink.

With an outdoor wedding, there are lots of things to think about that wouldn’t even be an issue indoors.

An outdoor wedding is at its best when you and your guests only realise you’re outdoors because the sun is shining or you can feel the gentle caress of the breeze on your arms. In every other respect, you should feel exactly as if you were indoors; you need to be able to create the same level of comfort outdoors as you would in an enclosed space.

How can this be achieved outdoors?

Below, we’ve listed the most important things to bear in mind if you want to organise a lovely, comfortable outdoor wedding.

• Make sure that the food and drink are always fresh -Try to put together a menu consisting of foods that are less perishable. Serve cold soft drinks.
• There should be a sufficient number of toilets -We must ensure there are enough toilets, so that it doesn’t turn into a festival atmosphere and people don’t have to queue.
• Think of families with children too – Weddings and other events can often be a real ordeal when you’ve got young children. Try to make things a bit more bearable for these families – make sure there’s at least one nappy-changing facility, and set up a children’s corner as well.
• Make sure there’s some shade -With temperatures hovering around 30–35 degrees for so long, many people might feel unwell, especially if there isn’t even any shade. Not to mention that your beautiful for your bridal make-up It’s not good either if the sun beats down on it for hours on end.
• Don’t stand with your back to the sun -If you want to avoid ending up with photos of yourselves and your guests where you’re all squinting, then take this tip on board.
• Make sure you have a supply of electricity and water – Both are absolutely essential for a wedding.
• Make sure the sound system is good – It’s a bit of a shame if the wedding guests only find out what the registrar, the officiant or the best man said three months after the wedding, once they’ve watched the wedding video.
• Set up a dance floor -This means you need to provide a safe, level surface so that people aren’t walking on grass or in mud.
• Let there be light in the night – Make sure it isn’t pitch black in the evening.
• Bear in mind that it may get cooler this evening -It can get quite chilly outdoors in the evening. Make sure nobody gets cold; have some blankets or heaters to hand.

5. What sort of decorations should we have?

One of the great advantages of outdoor weddings is that the décor can be arranged beautifully, creatively and, in most cases, without any restrictions.

The most important elements:

• Cleverly designed counters -Food and drink can be served in very imaginative ways.
• Lights - Atmospheric lighting always really lifts the mood at a wedding. You’ll need lighting anyway, so if it looks good too, that can only be a plus. Last but not least, it looks great in the photos as well.
• Floral decoration -An almost indispensable element of an outdoor wedding is the floral decoration. Click on the link for tips on how to create them.
• Photography Corner -Everyone loves having their photo taken, especially against creative, atmospheric backdrops. You can take some really great photos if you set up a photo corner. Flowers, a vintage piece or two of furniture, a few photographs – they all look brilliant in it.
• Children's Corner – It’s better for everyone if you keep the little ones occupied for a while. You could, for example, set up a drawing table, a swing and a couple of toys in a corner set aside for them.
• Seating – It’s important that guests aren’t limited to sitting at the table during the wedding reception. Set out a few creative pieces of furniture where guests can sit, have a drink and chat. These could be pallets with cushions, vintage furniture, etc.

If you’re interested in a vintage or a for a bohemian wedding To find out what sort of decorations are suitable, read our articles on the subject.

6. How can you protect yourself from the weather?

Everyone dreams of having glorious sunshine on their wedding day, but rain is the arch-enemy of outdoor weddings.

What can you do, then, if your dream turns out differently and it starts to rain?

Let’s see what we can use to trap the rain:

• Indoor space -There should be at least one sheltered area, such as a tent.
• Foundation -The tent should have a base. This is important because, if it starts to rain, the ground will eventually become waterlogged even under the covered area. If you don’t want everyone to sink ankle-deep into the mud, make sure you think about the base as well.
• Umbrella, raincoat. Make sure you have umbrellas and raincoats to hand, and ask the wedding guests to bring theirs too.

7. Nature finds a way – keep an eye out for these when you’re outdoors

At an outdoor wedding, it’s not just the heat of the day, the evening chill and the rain that can get on your nerves.

There may be a breeze or you might be bothered by insects.

Here’s how to protect yourself against them:

• You’re most likely to find it along water’s edges or on flat ground, It’s going to be windy. There isn’t much you can do about it, but it’s worth setting up a sheltered area, given the circumstances. This could be a tent, for example.
• A insects: the unwelcome guests at an outdoor wedding, you didn’t invite them, yet they’re taking part. You’ll never be able to completely get rid of insects – after all, you’re outdoors – but you can achieve quite good results with insect-repellent torches and insect repellents.

8. From the photographer’s perspective

Apart from our memories and feelings, photographs are the lasting mementos we take away from a wedding.

Let’s take a look at what you need to bear in mind to ensure a successful photo shoot:

• Take some photos just before sunset; this is between 6 and 8 this evening. -The most beautiful photos can be taken during this time of day.
• Please do NOT take photos between 11 am and 4 pm. -At that time, it’s hot, for one thing, and the lighting conditions aren’t right, for another.
• Make sure the lights are on in the evening. -On the one hand, it’s no bad thing if guests can find their way to the loo; on the other hand, if it’s too dark, the photos won’t turn out well either.
• The colourful lanterns, fairy lights and coloured bulbs look great in the photos. -The atmosphere of the wedding photos is very important.
• Decorative elements. – From a photographer’s point of view, the more beautiful the décor, the better. Be creative! With a ‘gate of happiness’, a beautifully decorated altar, decorations at the edges of the rows of chairs and all the other decorative elements, you’ll help ensure that some lovely photos are taken.

Further wedding photography tips by clicking on the link.

+1 Have a Plan B

Sometimes, no matter how much you’d like it to, an outdoor wedding just isn’t possible. Unfortunately, there are factors beyond your control, and the weather is one of them.

It’s important to have a Plan B – in other words, choose an indoor venue as well as an outdoor one, just in case it rains all day. It’s worth looking for a venue that’s close to the outdoor location; this could be a hotel or a restaurant, for example.

One of the simplest solutions is to look for an outdoor venue from the outset that also has an indoor area, which they’ll keep reserved for you in case of bad weather.

Did you know? Here at the Bagolyvár Inn, you can hold your wedding both indoors and outdoors. If you’re looking for a for a cosy wedding in the Bakony Hills you long for Please get in touch with us.

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