At one point or another, many women have dreamed of their wedding day – the one day in their lives when they can dedicate a whole beautiful day of celebration to the love and security that they’ve found in their life. The one day they get to showcase their love in front of the people who mean the most to them and promise themselves to another in a heartfelt, personalized ceremony.
As such, the wedding business is fairly extortionate, with people’s big days costing in excess of $30,000 dollars on average – and this cost is continually increasing. If your dream day has never quite fit into the traditional mold, though, you can create something that is truly stunning, unique and, best of all, much less strain on your purse strings. Because who wants to start their life with someone in mounds and mounds of debt?!
Many boho, hippie, or rock-chick brides-to-be would much rather celebrate their love in a way that feels genuine to them, and so they envision their nuptials taking place in the midst of nature. If you’re looking to plan a magically ethereal field or forest-style wedding, we’ve created a guide to help you make that dream a reality!
Choosing a Theme
Although it’s not obligatory to pick a theme for your wedding day, it’s a good way of linking different elements together, including your choice of dress and the color scheme you want to implement. With an outdoor wedding, there are so many different thematic options you can choose from (or even mix-and-match, depending on your preferences).
If you want a beautifully moody, atmospheric, and slightly quirky theme that doesn’t just feature nature, but laces various aspects of nature throughout the entirety, A Midsummer Night’s Dream could be the perfect choice for you (particularly if you’re a literary or Shakespeare-lover). With a color palette featuring deep mauves, rosy pinks, moss green, and a smattering of gold, you can unearth some vintage treasures and a plethora of flowers to set the scene, adorning the space with references to the play and twinkling lights to set off a magical feeling.
Alternatively, an outdoor field or forest wedding can inspire festival, fairground, or circus vibes, and this can be mimicked once again in your color schemes – think bright, popping colors, decorative flags, food trucks, a festival, circus, or fairground-style set-list for the music, and snacks that also reference these (mini doughnuts, pancakes, candy floss, street food…the list is endless).
Whatever you decide to choose thematically, you’re sure to inspire awe and wonder in your guests while gifting yourself a truly magical day.
Picking Your Vendors
Choosing your vendors is a tricky business. First of all, you need to ensure that they are all available on your chosen date, work out the cost of each (and if you can save money by DIY-ing certain elements), and see if the space you have will allow for them.
The best thing to do is send out inquiries to a range of vendors with your dates and what you’re after, then schedule in a conversation with them. Sure, they might seem perfect on paper, but if you don’t really gel with them in person or on the phone, chances are that they aren’t the right pick for your special day.
Whatever the Weather
Depending on where you live, the weather may not be what you expect or hope for, no matter when your wedding date is. This means that you’ll have to consider all the possible options and prep for them as appropriate: for example, providing blankets in baskets for cold weather, umbrellas for rainy weather, and sun block and plenty of liquid refreshments for sunny skies – your guests will appreciate your consideration of their needs.
DIY-Style to Die for
A lot of money can be saved by DIY-ing different elements of your day, from the decorations, to the music, to the food. Another bonus of this is that it allows you to add truly personal touches to your day that reflect yourself and your partner. The key here is to plan your time effectively to ensure that you can definitely complete each DIY item stress-free.
Maybe order a food truck to serve the evening meal, and ask close friends and family to help you create a delicious spread of picnic food for the afternoon snack time? Or ask an artistic family member to create some illustrated love-based quotes to decorate the area? You could even set up a personalized playlist on your iPod rather than pay for a DJ? Maybe you could create your own, handmade Save the Dates or wedding invitations?
The possibilities really are endless here, and they simply rely on your ability to plan, organize, and multi-task.
Essential Elements
As well as all the fun and exciting elements that come with planning an outdoor wedding, there are also a few essentials that you must consider.
If you are planning for your outdoor wedding to take place in the middle of a field, you will need an electricity generator that has the capability of powering everything from the bar, to the chiller, to the sound system. It’s also wise to look into nearby neighbors and music limits, as you don’t want to fall foul of local limits and frustrate those living in the vicinity.
Your guests will also require some form of seating; whether you choose hay bales, rented chairs, or wooden benches is up to you, but you must remember to cater for each of your guests and their capabilities.
One of the most important things to provide – and an element often overlooked until the last minute – are toilets. There are plenty of outdoor toileting options you can choose from, but for a well-priced, high-quality option, hallssepticservice.com have got you covered. They offer clean units that are fantastic smelling at all times due to the choice of spray used, and will provide your guests the relief they need!
Hopefully, this list has helped you on the way to planning your dream outdoor wedding. The most important thing to remember about the whole process is to make sure it reflects yourself and your partner and that you have fun!