How To Plan For An Outdoor Wedding

Outdoor weddings became increasingly popular during the Covid period due to restrictions and the safety of guests. However, the outdoor wedding trend looks like it’s here to stay with celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, hosted a beautiful outdoor wedding on the Amalfi Coast.

A British summer's day can be truly enchanting. Surrounded by nature, brilliant blue skies and an aisle strewn with flowers, it is the perfect setting for a magical wedding.

Planning an outdoor wedding requires several considerations, including locations, decor and weather. Our wedding and engagement ring experts have listed their top tips on how to prepare for an outdoor wedding.

There are a lot more considerations that go into planning an outdoor wedding which means they can be a lot more time-consuming and complicated than an indoor wedding.

When deciding on whether to have an outdoor wedding, think about how much time and effort you are realistically able to put into planning your wedding.

If you want to take some of the pressure off, you can always hire a wedding planner, or someone who specialises in outdoor weddings.

The weather in the UK can be very unpredictable, so it's super important to consider the seasons when choosing a date for your outdoor wedding before booking a venue.

Although summer is often the best choice for an outdoor wedding, the months of June, July and August are peak times and will consequently mean higher prices and less availability when it comes to booking your dream venue. To avoid this, you could also try months in spring or early autumn.

If you're looking for the perfect sunset or golden hour photos on your big day, then you'll have to factor this into your planning and location choice too.

If you and your wedding guests are avid sports fans, then you might want to do some research on the dates of major sporting events to avoid dairy clashes. Common major summer sporting events include Wimbledon, Golf US Open, F1 British Grand Prix & Football World Cup and the Tour de France.

Thanks to new government regulations, there is now permanent legislation on outdoor weddings in the UK. This means that you now have a much greater choice of venues and how you decide to celebrate your big day.

Before this, civil ceremonies at a licensed wedding venue had to take place indoors or within a permanent outdoor structure, such as a bandstand. However, with the new regulations, couples can now have their whole ceremony outside on the venue grounds.

Despite this, it is still very important to think about the venue for your wedding, you should consider which parts of the ceremony you will be using the space for, your budget and what the venue offers. Some venues that specialise in outdoor weddings will do all of the settings up for you and they may also have chairs, tables, and props to use already.

You should also consider whether the venue has the capability to move everything inside if the weather takes a turn for the worst. If you're planning an outdoor wedding in the middle of nowhere, you will need to consider extra budget for organising all furniture and decor, as well as toilet facilities.

Summer in the UK can be extremely unreliable. One minute it could be bright blue skies, and the next, it could be dark grey storms. Avoid being caught out by having wet, windy or heatwave alternatives. For example, if the sun is beating down on your guests all day, make sure you provide parasols, fans or a gazebo to provide shelter.

Think about the time of day, the position of the sun and the position of your set-up for your vows to avoid guests squinting into the sun. If you fear a downpour could happen, provide your wedding guests with umbrellas, blankets or, again, a gazebo for shelter.

Sometimes no matter how much you pre-plan and weatherproof your venue, the weather still might not be in your favour. In this case, make sure you have a plan B option. Don’t let the bad weather dampen your big day; ensure the venue can provide indoor space to host your wedding so that you have an easy, stress-free alternative.

When it comes to decorating your outdoor wedding, you need to think carefully about what you can and can’t do. Petal strewn aisles surrounded by candles may be the most Insta-worthy and romantic option however, it is rather impractical. UK summers are known to be breezy, and any slight gust will blow the candles out and mess up the flower arrangements.

You should make the most of your natural surroundings and enhance these features, think about wrapping trees with fairy lights or hanging draped fabric, lights and floral arrangements from one tree to the other. You could DIY cute wooden signs welcoming and directing guests to each wedding area, such as the ceremony, reception, and toilets.

You could also try upcycling mason jars and place tealights or dainty fairy lights inside to line the aisles. If you don’t want your candles blowing out, you could opt for battery-operated ones. You want to keep the decor simple to ensure you don’t steal the limelight from all the beautiful natural landscape that is already there.

You can easily look for inspiration on social media by searching these keywords:

• Garden Party

• Cottagecore

• Rustic Bohemian

• Farmhouse Chic

• Enchanted Forest

• Beachy

• Whimsical: Read our aesthetic guide to Whimsical Wedding Bridal Style, and explore the best wedding florals, venues and cakes that match your outdoor aesthetic.

If you are choosing a venue that already hosts outdoor weddings, they may be able to provide the catering for you. If you are choosing a unique wedding venue, you will have to find your own caterer with experience in outdoor events.

Outdoor weddings often mean more relaxed catering options. You could opt for a BBQ, street food vans, pizza ovens or picnic vibes. Make sure you have lots of refreshments for your guests especially if the weather is warm.

You could even hire an ice cream van to provide cooling snacks for your guests. When picking a caterer, you’ll also have to consider the power facilities in your venue, such as electricity and running water.

If your wedding reception is staying outdoors and is going on till beyond sunset, then you’ll need to think about lighting. Your venue might already have lighting facilities in place but if not, you’ll need to provide some.

To elevate your outdoor wedding reception into an ultimate cosy party atmosphere, you can hang long strings of light from trees, fences or even a pergola if your venue has one.

This also helps lift darker areas, ensuring the party continues long into the night. Consider solar-powered LED tea lights to mark paths and borders to help guide your guests in the dark.

It is vital to mention your outdoor setting in the invitations so your friends and family can prepare their attire, accessories and layers in advance. Venues with grass, gravel, sand or pavement might need different types of dresses, shoes and high heels. A heel stopper would be a great thing to have on hand for guests as well.

When the sun goes down in the UK, it can get a little chilly so you should make sure you have things in place to prepare for this and make sure your guests are comfortable.

You could have blankets ready to hand out to guests as the evening draws to a close so you can continue to enjoy your evening or make them aware the reception will be outdoor so they can come prepared with a jacket.

Some wedding venues will have facilities such as heat lamps or even cosy fire pits.

Bugs and insects are another consideration. To protect your guests, you can get your grounds professionally treated three or four days before the wedding and prepare goods that can deter bugs, such as citronella candles, bug sprays, mosquito repellent and fragrant lavender-filled bags.