Outdoor Wedding - You Need A Backup Plan

There is something special about an outdoor wedding, but they do require more work and more planning, and also, an alternative venue. I opted for an indoor wedding for those very reasons, though my wedding day would have been perfect for the outdoor ceremony. However, I played it safe and wasn’t that concerned with the weather. There are some mistakes that some brides make when they plan for outdoor weddings, and these are things that brides-to-be should be concerned with when planning.

One big thing is the weather. It might be the middle of June or July, but there can always be a storm. Some brides are conscious of this and make alternate plans. This is essential and although it will likely cost more money, is necessary to insure the success of your wedding. The best way to bring on bad weather is to plan for nothing more than having an outdoor wedding site. There has to be an indoor alternative no matter what. The site should be near the original site and should accommodate everyone. There should be seats for all guests in both locations. Having everyone stand for a ceremony indoors or out is never a good idea and makes the guests miserable.

Another problem when planning an outdoor wedding is the date. Depending on where you live, you probably can’t expect to have good weather during any other time of the year besides the summer months. I know of a girl who was a flower girl in an outdoor wedding in the middle of October. The bride refused to make alternative plans, and to make matters worse, the wedding was on top of a mountain. The young flower girl was freezing and her mother was not very happy. Ultimately, the mom removed her from the ceremony and took her to the car. The young girl was shaking from the cold and the wind and her mother was not allowing her to stand there simply because the bride was selfish. The ceremony was a disaster all the way around and the bride regretted it after the ceremony. No bride or groom should have those types of memories.

One last point about an outdoor wedding is that if the alternative location must be used, it is a good idea to make sure that there is an easy way to move everything quickly. This might mean hiring a truck to have on standby in the event that the weather turns nasty. It will also likely require additional staff, either paid or voluntary, to help in moving the various chairs and fixtures from one location to the other. If there is no way to move everything, the wedding is going to be ruined. Outdoor weddings can be beautiful, but they can also go very wrong. As long as the bride has planned and has made arrangements for a quick move, things should be beautiful either way.