Warming Up Outdoor Weddings

In my last post, I discussed how summer outdoor weddings provide the additional stressor of keeping your guest’s safe from the sun’s harmful and energy-sapping rays. If you are having an autumn outdoor wedding, on the other hand, you have a completely different set of problems to deal with. Especially as the sun begins to set, autumn weather is known to get pretty chilly, and your guests may begin to get cold. Nobody wants their outdoor reception to end earlier than it should, simply because of an uncomfortable temperature.
Luckily, there is a solution to this problem as well. And it, too, is quite simple. If you want your guests to be able to remain outdoors in the chilly autumn weather, you need to provide patio heaters to keep them warm. These heaters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, styles, and strengths, so you are sure to find the perfect one for your wedding. If you are located close enough to a building, I recommend using wall-mounted heaters. These are out of reach and therefore reduce the risk of accidental burns or other injury to your smaller guests as they play. However, if your outdoor wedding is not being held close enough to a building for this to be a feasible option, free-standing heaters are a great choice too. There is a wide variety of alternatives, so you are sure to find the heater that works best for your situation.

Protect Your Guests With Patio Umbrellas

If you are having an outdoor wedding, especially during the summertime, not only do you have the stress of planning the entire ceremony and reception, but you also have the sun too worry about. Especially for your younger and elderly guests, the sun’s intensity can often be dangerous to their health. Even for your other guests, the hot summer sun can just seem too bright, too hot, or otherwise unbearable. A solution to this problem is purchasing or renting patio umbrellas for your outdoor wedding.
A patio umbrella will create shade for your guests, allowing them to protect their skin and cool down all at once. Especially if you plan to have your reception outdoors as well, patio umbrellas are a must.
Luckily, today’s patio umbrellas can be incredibly elegant, so you don’t have to worry about patio umbrellas ruining the atmosphere of your wedding. They also come in virtually every color under the sun (pun intended), so you are sure to find umbrellas that match your décor. You could even go so far as to choose umbrellas in your wedding colors, if that is the look you desire.
If you are having your wedding outdoors in the summer, you have to think about your guests’ comfort and health when it concerns the sun. Adding patio umbrellas is a smart and responsibly choice that will keep your guests happy and healthy.

Add a Little Something Extra with a Glider Swing

Your wedding is a special day that you want to share with all of your friends and your family. And if you have chosen to have an outdoor wedding, you definitely want to set your wedding apart in people’s memories from the many other weddings they will attend in their lifetimes. One way to make your wedding stand out is by including a garden swing glider in the set of outdoor furniture you use at your reception.
A swing glider features two gliders facing each other that rock back and forth. Depending on the size of the gliders, this piece of garden furniture can seat up to four adults or six children. At your reception it can be a great place for your friends and family to sneak off and have a private conversation. Or, if children get bored, you can send them off to the glider swing to keep them occupied for hours!
If you already own a swing glider, you can customize it for your wedding. Why not try painting it a traditional white, in the classic style of wedding furniture. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you could even choose to paint it one of your wedding colors and purchase an awning of another of your colors. This customization is sure to be a big hit and make a great impression with your guests.

Keep Your Guests Cool with Class

If you having an outdoor wedding, especially in the late spring or summer, it is absolutely essential that you have beverages. Your guests will get hot, sweaty, and will need to quench their thirst and keep hydrated. For this reason, I think it is absolutely crucial that you invest in a patio drink cooler.
However, no one wants to roll out the Coleman cooler at their sophisticated wedding. The tacky, plastic cooler will make even the most expensive and elegant wedding seem cheap and tacky.
Luckily, many manufacturers are creating incredibly elegant drink coolers. These coolers typically have a cast iron frame and have several containers made of terra cotta or other earthenware. You can choose from many different glazes for these earthenware sections of the coolers. The result is an elegant way to offer refreshing beverages at your outdoor wedding. Plus, you can pick out a cooler that complements your wedding colors, or at least the general aesthetics of your wedding. Trust me, your guests will be impressed with how sophisticated these coolers are, and grateful that you cared enough about them to provide drinks to keep them cool and safe. A memorable wedding is all about the little details, and choosing an elegant drink cooler will definitely make an impression on your guests.

A Fun Addition to Your Wedding Reception

If your wedding reception is outdoors and you’re planning on it running late into the evening, I think a fun addition to your party would be a fire pit. It will bring your guests together and allow them to enjoy the natural beauty of fire, as well as the joy of conversation. If you want to add a classy fire pit to your wedding reception, I definitely recommend an old world bronze finish cocktail table fire pit. It’s a mouthful, I know. However, this piece of furniture is incredibly elegant and it will be able to serve multiple purposes at your reception.
This fire pit actually also doubles as a cocktail table. So, at the beginning of your reception, you can use it to serve drinks to your guests. Then, once they have drank their fill and the sun begins to set, you can easily transform it into a fire pit around which your guests can gather.
The old world bronze finish makes this table/ fire pit luxurious enough for your wedding. It is a beautiful design and a gorgeous finish that will make your wedding sophisticated, even in the outdoors.

Take Your Engagement Pictures Somewhere Beautiful

Taking your engagement photos is one of the most exciting parts of the engagement stage. In the haze of wedding preparations and planning, it is nice to take the time out to document your love and take pictures together. The outdoors is the perfect place to take these photos, even if you are having an indoor wedding. Nature always provides a beautiful backdrop for your pictures.
One of my favorite locations for an engagement picture is an arbor swing set, especially if there are flowers growing up the trellis. The swing provides the perfect spot for you and your fiancée to cuddle up, and the flowers are a beautiful compliment to your beautiful, happy smiles.
Another good place to take these pictures is in front of a fountain. Fountains exhibit the splendor of water in an incredibly elegant way. They make a great backdrop for any engagement photo.
These are just a few places you can take engagement photos. I recommend that you select a location with many different outdoor backdrop options for your session. One of the best places is a park that has many different features to choose from, so you can get a variety of locations in your shoot.

Make Serving Drinks Simple

If you are having an outdoor wedding, how to handle your open bar can be a difficult problem to solve. You will either have to rent or purchase an outdoor bar of some sort. I highly recommend using a trolley bar at your reception.
First and foremost, trolley bars are cheaper than regular, standing outdoor bars. You are already spending so much money on your wedding, that I’m sure you will want to be as cost-effective as possible.
Trolley bars are also completely portable and convenient. You can have your bartender wheel it around to your guests, so they feel completely waited on and don’t have to walk over to the bar to get their drinks. Although these carts are smaller, they still have plenty of room for many different types of drinks, or for hors d'oeuvres as well.
If you really feel like going all out; try having a stationary bar and a trolley bar. One bartender will work at the main bar so that guests can go get drinks exactly went they want them. Then, the trolley bar will be an extra touch, adding further elegance and extravagance to your reception.