Having a Mid-Summer Wedding? How to keep your guests happy
Having a Mid-Summer wedding? Our Survival Tips to Deal with the Heat
There’s something so romantic about a summer wedding, and it’s one of the reasons the season is so popular. The warm weather and late sunsets lend themselves very well to a full day of celebration in a scenic outdoor venue. However, the same sunshine that can cast a beautiful light on your special day can also bring with it intense heat and UV-rays that you need to be mindful of exposing guests to. Here are some pro tips to make planning and enjoying your mid-summer wedding as easy and breezy as possible.
Help Your Guests Escape the Heat
No matter how much you love the summer sun, your guests will appreciate a few ways to escape the heat. Plan ahead with parasols for each and every one of your guests. You’ll also want to make sure an outdoor venue offers some form of shade. It’s best to have your guests congregate in the shade for as long as possible prior to when they have to enter the sun scorched ceremony site. Initiate proceedings right away, after all nobody wants to be sunburned in the photos!
Mind your Bridal Party
As a bride or member of the wedding party, you should feel comfortable and confident, not sticky and uneasy. Since members of the wedding party are not going to have a parasol for the ceremony, our best advice is to just focus on staying calm. If you do have a chuppah or an altar at the end of the aisle, you may have a light fabric above you. The operative word however is light fabric - something that lets sun through so that you’re not in direct shade because that’s not pleasing either for photos.
Ceremony Refreshments Elevate the Guest Experience
Forget about waiting till the cocktail hour, serve refreshments before the ceremony. Your guests will love you for it! A light alcoholic beverage is always welcome - mint, cucumber, and strawberry are popular flavors. Don’t forget to serve a nonalcoholic version! Plus be sure to scatter ice buckets or baskets filled with bottles of water near the ceremony site.
Keep it Short and Sweet
In the end, it’s a trade-off; if you want to marry outside in July, the ceremony needs to be short and sweet. When the sun is the strongest, sweltering guests will not want to continue on to party. We love when couples plan for a late afternoon or early evening start time. Plus, if you schedule dinner for close to sunset not only will guests stay cool, but it will guarantee ideal lighting for photos.
