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How to Have a Successful Outdoor Winter Wedding

Main Photo Credit: Unsplash

Outdoor settings paint a perfect picture for any wedding. Whether you decide to have it in a garden, a beachfront, or even from your own home’s grounds, it’s the perfect backdrop for a memorable wedding. And as the pandemic becomes more manageable, couples are scrambling to get their wedding plans off the ground. This is an exciting time for the wedding industry, which IBIS World says took a 34% loss in revenue in 2020. While still in recovery, the sector is abuzz for weddings in the coming months. Some venues and vendors have even had to decline clients to prevent overbooking.

While spring and summer weddings are ideal, they aren’t very unique. For couples that want a more unique spin on their special day, having an outdoor winter wedding could be a great option. However, this type of wedding can pose several other challenges that you wouldn’t encounter during the warmer months. Here’s how you can successfully pull an outdoor winter wedding off on your big day:

1. Provide enough heating

Heating is an absolute necessity for outdoor winter weddings. As you plan the layout of your reception and ceremony, be sure to include strategic spots where you can place heaters and heat lamps. They should be unobtrusive and placed carefully in spots where guests need them most. Yahoo! Finance suggests a combination of portable outdoor heaters as well as patio heaters and covers. Apart from heaters, you can help keep everybody nice and toasty with warm beverages. You can include a signature cocktail and winter-themed mixes in the drinks and dessert selection. And of course, you can also give away scarves or winter accessories as wedding favors that the guests can use even before they leave.

2. Choose an affordable and accessible venue

The venue you choose will be crucial to the success of your outdoor winter wedding. While renting out a garden is a great choice, parks can be an even better and more affordable option since they often offer low-cost wedding permits. AskMoney elaborates on how the stunning scenery in a park is already a given for these locations, no matter the season. These venues will often already have the infrastructure needed for events like weddings. For one, our European villa-themed garden landscape at Hancock Park is beautiful enough that you won’t need to spend very much on decorations since the setting will do most of the talking. Additionally, the villa makes for a cozy venue if you decide to move part of the program indoors. In our post What Is The Cheapest Month For A Wedding?, we recommend that you book your venue during off-peak months and ahead of your actual wedding date, from January through April. You can also choose a weekday instead of a weekend to further cut costs.

3. Ensure a sturdy overhead cover

An overhead cover is necessary for any outdoor wedding setup. They don’t just protect you and your guests from unexpected wet weather, but they also keep the chill at bay. You can choose a versatile tent since they can be pitched just about anywhere, especially if you decide on a venue like a national park. Tents come in all shapes, sizes, and materials, but we recommend going with a clear one to really add a beautiful bit of magic to your wedding. Be sure to find an overhead cover that is sturdy enough in case winter winds are present during your wedding. It is also essential to pick one that works on your surface, whether that’s pavement, grass, and so on. If you want to be extra careful, then you can ensure that a nearby lodge or hall is prepared just in case everybody needs to move inside.

4. Have a coat check station

Coats can be bulky in the reception hall, so your guests will be grateful for a coat check station where they can leave their winter-wear in while the celebration is ongoing. This is especially helpful if the wedding day turns out to be warmer than expected. It should be easily accessible for guests just in case they want to grab their coats throughout the day. Providing a convenient service like this will make your guests feel more comfortable.

Written by Allison Graham

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