Planning a wedding? Congratulations! If you’re getting married in the late spring, summer or early fall, outdoor ceremonies are a great option. We had our ceremony outdoors at the beginning of September and it was beautiful! The weather, the grounds, the timing, everything was great!

There are a few things, however, that you’ll need to keep in mind for an outdoor ceremony that don’t need to be considered when planning to marry indoors…

outdoorweddingWhere is the sun?
You might not want the whole wedding party to be wearing sunglasses throughout the ceremony. Make sure the sun is going to be either high in the sky, or setting behind a tree or mountain. This will cut down on the squints during the million photos that will definitely be taken.

How hard is the ground?
The last thing you want is for one of the bridesmaids or *gasp* the bride to stick a heel into some soft ground and go down on her way up the aisle. If the grass/ground isn’t very firm, let everyone know ahead of time so they can adjust their shoes or practice walking on their tip toes.

What is the weather going to be like?
Early spring and late fall could get pretty cool depending on your location. You obviously won’t be able to predict the weather too far in advance, but you can schedule your wedding around a typical range of temperatures. If it’s traditionally 45°F in late October, you might want to hold your ceremony indoors.

When will the ceremony be set up?
An outdoor ceremony will require more setup than an indoor ceremony. All the chairs need to be setup, the flowers, decorations, etc. This will probably need to be done the day of the wedding, so if you need to drop off flowers, signs etc, make sure to find out when this is and have everything there ahead of time!

What is the backup plan?
No matter how many average rainfall charts you studied when choosing your wedding date, there is (obviously) always a chance that it will rain. Make sure there is a backup plan that you are comfortable with before you get too far into planning an outdoor ceremony. Every outdoor wedding venue has a backup plan, but some are better than others. Don’t get stuck getting married in a hallway because you just knew the weather would be perfect!

Anything else to plan for that is unique to outdoor ceremonies? Leave a comment below!