Things You Need to Consider Before Planning an Outdoor Wedding

Yes, you will have a nontraditional, casual, scenic, and romantic environment, when you have an outdoor wedding. You and your fiancée will have many theme options to choose from to personalize your wedding. However, your guests are complaining it's too hot, your cake is melting, you have flies flying over your food, and you do not have enough power to work your lights and music. There are some things you need to consider when planning an outside wedding.

First, when picking a location, here are some questions you need to consider. Can the location comfortably handle the amount of guest that you are inviting? Is there enough parking for all your guests? Is there easy access to your wedding and/or wedding reception for your elderly guests? Is there electricity? Does the location have bathrooms? How nice are the bathrooms? Can the bathrooms accommodate your guests? If your wedding is going to be in a public location, do you need to purchase a permit or insurance? If you are serving alcohol at a public location, can you serve alcohol at that site? Do you need a temporary permit to serve alcohol? Do you need security? Can you use candles or an open flame at this site?

I highly recommend, no matter what the weather is going to be like, rent a tent! If it's hot or cool, your guest will either need shade or shelter. Now-a-days you can rent really nice tents. Tents come in all different shapes and sizes. Depending on how many people you invite, will depend on the size of the tent. You might also need heaters or cooling systems for the tent to insure your guest are comfortable. Some companies offer packages to help you save money. To find local rental companies and their pricing go to www.yellowpages.com.

To insure you have enough power for all your lights and electronics, you will need to rent a generator. Start by making a list of all the items that will need power. Don't forget the appliances that you might need to cook or warm your food! Even if you are having your wedding in your backyard, you might need more power. Not all homes can handle a lot of power at once! Call a rental company and explain to them what type of event you are having and the list of electronics and lights that you are going to use. They will suggest type and size of generator that you will need.

Are you going to have your elderly grandma stand all day? If not, you will need to rent tables and chairs. Figure 8 people per square table or 8 to 10 people per round table. Are you going to have a head table, cake table, buffet table, gift table, and a bar? Remember, you need to rent these tables as well!

You will need to rent linen table clothes to cover those tables. You will need to know how many tables and sizes of each table before ordering linen. I suggest you order extra just in case one of the tables clothes are not presentable, a food or drink accident occurs, or you need to add an additional table at the last minute for your uninvited guests. Unless you are using paper napkins, you will need to order linen napkins. Again, order extra! Also, rent skirting to cover the feet of the table on your head table, cake table, bar, and gift table. Skirting makes your tables more presentable! Go to www.weddinglinens.com to rent your wedding linen and skirting. Wedding Linens has a wide selection of linen to choose from and will ship their product to you.

Are you going to eat and drink from paper and plastic in your wedding dress? This is okay! Companies, like www.mypapershop.com, do sell really nice paper and plastics products for events. However, if you can't imagine your guests eating off plastic plates on your wedding day, you will need to rent silverware, small and large plates, bar glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses, and water glasses.

Are you going to have a first dance? Are you going to have a father/daughter dance? Is your fiancée going to have a mother/son dance? Do you want a money dance? Then, what are you going to dance on? Are you going to dance on the grass or dirt surface? Is there a flat area to dance? Can the dance area accommodate your guests? If not, you might want to consider renting a dance floor. Depending on the amount of guests you invite, will determine the size of the dance floor. Keep in mind that not all your guests are going to dance. However, you want a dance floor that will give all your guests a comfortable area for them to show off their moves! And it might surprise you - - - your grandma might get up and dance!

You will need a sense of humor when having an event out in the elements. Expect unwanted guests! You might have flies, ants, mosquitoes, birds, or other creatures join in on your celebration. Use repellants, pest strips, or citronella candles to expel the pests. www.amazon.com is a good source to purchase such items. However, when you are in nature, just expect that you will have uninvited guests!

If you are still sat on having an outdoor wedding, even considering all the possible drawbacks, you might consider hiring a catering company. If you want a list of your local catering companies, go to www.theknot.com. Some event companies already have all the rentals and also could cater your event. You might be shocked on how much money they might be able to save you. Plus, they do all the work and handle all the possible distractions. All you have to do is show up and enjoy your special day!