Outdoor weddings are steadily gaining in popularity and if you’re thinking about booking one of the many wedding venues in East Texas for your ceremony, there is one important thing you need to know to make your outdoor wedding a success – outdoor weddings require twice as much planning and preparation as indoor weddings. Unpredictable weather plus the natural setting are the main reasons that outdoor wedding venues in East Texas can be challenging. Here are some tips that will ensure you’re prepared for some little and not-so-little outdoor wedding problems:
1 – Plan For Heat
This is Texas and even a winter wedding can be a scorcher. Spring and summer ceremonies, especially, should be timed to take place right before sunset. If that’s not possible, provide your guests with some kind of cover, in the form of a tent or parasols. Putting your wedding program on a handheld fan is another way of helping your guests stay cool. In addition, make sure they have plenty of options for staying hydrated and that means having containers filled with ice and bottled water, lemonade, sodas tea and even popsicles scattered around your venue.
2 – Protect Against Wind Gusts
Again, this is Texas and it’s almost always windy. Don’t choose a frothy, lightweight fabric that can get blown up in the wind for your gown or for your bridesmaids’ gowns and to keep your veil from flying away, try veil weights. Make sure your stylist takes the wind into account when you’re having your hair done – stick to a head-hugging bun or copious amounts of hairspray.
3 – Keep Stilettos From Sinking Into The Ground
To keep stiletto heels from sinking into the ground, make sure that everyone has heel covers or make sure there is a solid surface, like a paving stone, for each member of your wedding party (and you) to stand on during the ceremony.
4 – Keep Bugs Away
Consider placing citronella candles around the seating area to keep mosquitoes away. You can also offer small spray bottles of bug spray to your guests if you’re really expecting a problem. Keep your food covered by using net canopies over food tables or covering individual plates with glass domes. Make sure bugs don’t get into cold drinks by covering them with upside down cupcake papers with holes in the middle for straws.
5 – Don’t Forget A Microphone
The sounds of nature may keep your guests from hearing your officiant and you or your spouse talking during the ceremony. Renting a basic sound system with clip-on microphones for the three of you will ensure that everyone hears your vows.
6 – Let Nature Do The Decorating
The one really big upside to having an outdoor wedding is, of course, the outdoors. With trees and greenery around, birds tweeting and the sun setting in a beautiful palette of purples and oranges, you don’t have to make much of an effort to add to the romance of the setting. A decorative trellis for the ceremony, some fairy lights or lanterns in the trees, your bouquet and flower centerpieces are all you need to make your wedding impressive.
To find out more about one of the finest outdoor wedding venues in East Texas, Mill Creek Ranch Resort, visit www.millcreekranchresort.com. To schedule your big day, call our social events manager at Mill Creek Ranch Resort at (877) 927-3439.
