21 outdoor wedding tips from the pros

We can bet that outdoor weddings will be more popular than ever this summer, considering the pandemic restrictions. Outdoor ceremonies and receptions are so beautiful, but can be risky business. Here is some advice from wedding pros that is guaranteed to help your day go off without a hitch.

1. Communicate with your guests
Couples should ensure they inform their guests that the wedding will be hosted in an outdoor setting. If flat footwear is recommended because it will be a long hike to the event point, let them know. Or if a hat, sunscreen, sweater or shawl is required, let them know. It is best to communicate and keep guests informed on what they will need to be comfortable at your event.
–Adeola Damie, Owner & Lead planner, Celebration Events

2. Check your location
The location of your outdoor space should be considered. If it’s in a residential area (for example your backyard), would your neighbours mind the noise? Is there ample parking near your street? Would you have potential “Karens” that may complain? If it’s on an acreage, would your guests be okay with the potential distance? Sometimes vendors may provide an additional charge for travel if it’s quite a distance out of town so do keep this in mind when creating a budget.
–Sarah Valencia, Planner & Owner, Our Jonrah Events

3. Get a basic structure
Make sure to get the basics. A tent with side panels and a dance floor, a generator for the DJ, lighting, heating or air conditioning. This way you are prepared for any kind of weather (wind or rain). No one wants their centrepieces blowing over, or to get their heels stuck in the ground when their song comes on.
–Tracey Manailescu, Wedding Planner, Tracey M Events

4. Work with your environment
Complement and accent the space, don’t compete with it! Do some research about the types of flowers that will be growing at your venue in the season or month you will be having your wedding and incorporate them in your floral design. This will make it feel like your centrepieces could have been picked straight from the garden!
–Beth Olatunji, Owner & Creative Director, Beth Jacobs Weddings & Events

5. Have the power
One thing I always see overlooked by couples planning outdoor experiences on their own is power sources. If you have a caterer or a band coming on site or if you plan to have lighting, fans or coffee makers, you’re going to need power. Some of these items draw a significant amount of power so in some cases, multiple dedicated circuits will be required. You’ll need to broach the topic of power with your vendors early on to understand how much they’ll need and figure out where that power is coming from. In some cases, a nearby building will be able to provide enough, but in other cases you may have to consider generators or power drops from external companies.
–Lynzie Kent, Owner & Creative Director, Love by Lynzie, Pop up Chapel

6. Know your light
From a photography perspective, I’m always thinking about the light. Ie: where is the sun going to be during your ceremony? The harshest light of the day is between 11 am and 2 pm, roughly. That’s also the heat of the day. With this in mind, try not to have your ceremony mid-day in direct sunlight. It’s not only going to be too hot for your guests, but tougher for your photographer with squinting, shadows, and harsh lighting on faces. A good tip is to have the sun at your guests’ backs, rather than directly in their eyes. Afternoon and evening light (golden hour, of course) is always preferred. Even on a bright, sunny day, your photographer will be scoping out shaded areas for your wedding party and family photos. (And, sorry groom, no sunglasses in these shots.)
–Ryan Bolton, Professional Wedding Photographer at Ryan Bolton Photography

7. Use a sunshine app!
Lighting is so important when it comes to outdoor ceremonies and for the best photos, you’ll want to avoid harsh direct sun. You can check that you’re going to have the best angle of light during your ceremony by using an app like Sun Seeker. It’s a photographer’s best secret! This app can help you check that the sun won’t be right on you during your exact ceremony time and date for your exact location. You can also ask with your photographer to check that for you, too.
–Samantha Ong, Samantha Ong Photography

8. Watch the wind
Wind is one factor that should be considered and prepared for accordingly for any wedding taking place outside. On a windy evening, candles can blow out, light items such as seating cards, menu cards and napkins can fly off the table, and guests can become chilly. I learned this the hard way many years ago when I had my own wedding outdoors, it was a very windy night and any candles that weren’t battery operated blew out right away, even though they were inside glass candleholders. Luckily I had prepared and all my battery operated candles ended up being my only candlelight for the evening! Having some pashminas or shawls available for the ladies can be helpful if any wind makes it chilly later in the evening. Using one menu per table in a frame can prevent menu cards from flying off individual guests table settings as well.
–Alana Klein, Owner and Lead Planner, Swoon Events

9. Avoid dust-ups
Dust and debris is another factor that should be considered for any outdoor wedding. If you are setting up tables and chairs the day prior or earlier in the day, keep in mind any item that is somewhat exposed to the elements, dust will settle on. Ensure you either set up much closer to the event start time (which can lead to tight timelines) or have plastic covers to place over the tables once set to keep dust and bugs off of them. As a planner, having a team member go around and check all the tables before guests are seated is also a great way to ensure everything is picture perfect and ready to go!
–Alana Klein, Owner and Lead Planner, Swoon Events

10. Offer an appropriate drink
Design a refresh station with bevies for the season. Whether it’s a pumpkin spice latte station for a fall wedding, or an ice cream or slushy station for a hot wedding in July, keep your guests comfortable by considering the temperature of the day. Don’t make it bearable, make it an experience!
–Beth Olatunji, Owner & Creative Director, Beth Jacobs Weddings & Events

11. Get a permit!
In the scenario that you’re doing photos in a park or historical district, ensure either your photographer or wedding coordinator has a photography permit. Nothing ruins a mood like a bride not getting a dream photo location. It’s usually quite easy and affordable to get 2-hour permits for most parks and historic zones, like the Distillery District in Toronto.
–Ryan Bolton, Professional Wedding Photographer at Ryan Bolton Photography

12. Manage family photos
When planning an outdoor wedding you’re going to need a location for your family photos. Consider spaces with open shade like under large trees or the side of your venue that allows for your group to all be in the shade. Don’t forget to have everyone remove their sunglasses, put down their drinks and stash away purses.
–Alisia Mellors, Owner/Photographer, Scarlet Lens Photography

13. Be accessible
Accessibility is a very important consideration when having an outdoor wedding.  If the ground is even a little bit uneven, it is going to be very difficult for some guests to navigate. Another consideration is if the location is a little far, golf carts can be hired to bring certain guests to and from the location.
–Danielle Andrews, Planner, The Wedding Planners

Scope it out
Have your photographer scope out your venue or photo location before the wedding day around the time the portrait session will take place. This will not only save you time on the wedding day but it will ensure you get to the best spots with the best light!
–Alisia Mellors, Owner/Photographer, Scarlet Lens Photography

14. Upgrade the potties!
Ensure that you rent the upgraded washrooms for the guests. Port-a-potties won’t do for a wedding. Running water and flushing toilets are a must! Plus, at a private residence, for example, no one wants to have a ton of guests traipsing through the house and waiting forever in lineups, and then risking the plumbing backing up.
–Tracey Manailescu, Wedding Planner, Tracey M Events

15. Make your guests comfortable
Think ahead on what might make your guests comfortable and provide it for them. This could be extra blankets, lighting up the walkway to the meeting area or parking lot, extra lighting for when it gets darker or enough amenities in the washrooms.
–Adeola Damie, Owner & Lead planner, Celebration Events

16. Think about your musicians
If you are planning an outdoor wedding and you are having live musicians, you’ll want to ensure that your musicians are notified well in advance. There are some instances when the temperature, humidity and moisture conditions can really affect the type of musician and their willingness to play outside. For example, some string instruments like violins can be highly affected. Ask your musicians if they have temperature measures like a minimum or maximum temp they are willing to perform outdoors, otherwise if could compromise the quality of the sound. You’ll also want to note if they are able to play in direct sunlight or if they need to be covered. Further to this, if you have sound equipment outside for amplification, you may want to have additional tarps on hand in case of rain.
–Lynzie Kent, Owner & Creative Director, Love by Lynzie, Pop-Up Chapel

17. Find the shade
When having your ceremony outdoors, be sure to know where the sun will be on you. You will not know where the sun will be a month or two before because it always moves, so try to figure it out closer to your date or ask your venue for tips. Shade is always a nice filter instead of bright sun, but of course your photographer should be able to work with any light.
–Danielle Meredith, Photographer, Danielle Meredith Photography

18. Mind the pests
One thing that a lot of people forget about when having an outdoor celebration is pests. Whether it is ants on tables, bees swarming the flowers, flies crawling on the cake, or mosquitoes at sundown.  For one wedding, we had to bomb a ceremony area just a few minutes before guests started arriving because massive amounts of bees swarmed when we set up the flower aisle runners.  Most tent companies can rent generator-powered bug machines that can control pests up to a 1 km radius.  Also having baskets with mosquito repellant is always a great idea.
–Danielle Andrews, Planner, The Wedding Planners

19. Provide amenities
Whenever we are planning an outdoor event, I like to put myself in the guests shoes. What would I need to have a sublime experience? Keeping this in mind and paying attention to your environment, you may want to have bug spray, fans, water, umbrellas, blankets, pillows, and more on hand. You give the guest autonomy to choose and improve their experience by offering creature comforts that solve immediate problems for them. These small favours are also an opportunity to further brand your event by putting your wedding logo onto these items or choosing them in specific colours.
–Lynzie Kent, Owner & Creative Director, Love by Lynzie, Pop-Up Chapel

Light it up
I think the most important thing for me, aside from the precautions regarding weather, is setting the right kind of creative lighting. It’s always so much fun to have something during the day that looks stunning physically with lighting, but then at night creates a whole ambience whether it be twinkle lights or lanterns or garden lights. It should feel enchanted by the time the sun falls. It’s an unexpected surprise.
–Phylicia Mendes, Event Planner, Jubilee Luxury Events