We know that there are (what feels like) a million things to think about when planning your wedding, but we also know that keeping your guests cool and comfortable in the summer heat should be one of your important considerations! We’ve seen first hand how an extreme blast of summer heat can put a damper on even the coolest of weddings!
And, after spending the better part of a year (or two) planning your wedding, a few advance plans can go a long way to ensure that your guests stay calm, cool, collected, and most of all… ready to party!
Timing is everything!
If you’re planning on getting married in July and August, and you’re planning an outdoor ceremony, you might want to avoid having it between noon and three in the afternoon, when the sun is the highest in the sky and daytime temperatures tend to peak. This will help prevent your guests from developing a sunburn, sunstroke or heat exhaustion from sitting in the full heat of the summer sun for the ceremony. Even if your ceremony is only half an hour, most of your guests will arrive well in advance of this, meaning they’ll be hanging out in the full sun for quite some time.
Provide Shade
If you can’t avoid having your ceremony in the peak heat of the day, you might want to provide your guests some shade in the form of umbrellas & parasols, or maybe sun sails installed over the ceremony space. Or possibly plan to have your ceremony under an open sided tent, under the shade of old growth trees, or by a body of water where your guests will benefit from the cool breeze off of a lake, or ocean.
Your Biggest Fans
If you’re not able to get around it, and are having your ceremony at the hottest part of the day, you might want to think about making your ceremony program just as functional as it is beautiful, and make your program into a fan, so people can cool themselves off before, during and after your big moment!
Ice, Ice, Baby!
Think cold drinks heaped with crushed ice, for your guests to munch on, think big drink tubs full of chilled bottles of water, think bringing in an ice cream truck, lemonade vendor, or gourmet paletas or popsicles, think about supplying both alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments in equal measure! You definitely want cool, refreshed guests, who are ready to celebrate, not hot, sweaty and tipsy guests who end up going home early!
Light Bites!
When you’re planning your menu for your summer wedding, please remember to take into account the weather! As in… when it’s hot, your guests will prefer lighter fare, for cocktail hour, dinner and the late night snack. When it comes to cocktail hour, think gorgeous veggie platters with light dip such as tzatziki and hummus, or heaping trays of fruit with milder, soft cheeses and thin crackers, instead of large trays of strong cheese and charcuterie with bread. When it comes to dinner, think light and bright backyard bbq flavors, like grilled chicken or fish and grilled veggies and salads! Embrace all that seasonal produce that should be at its peak during the summer months!
Cool As A Cucumber!
Follow some, or all, of these tips to keep your guests happy, healthy and ready to celebrate you and your sweethearts new life together!
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