10 Tips for Having an Outdoor Wedding in Minnesota
Planning an outdoor wedding in Minnesota is undeniably a gamble - you could end up with a gorgeous overcast and 75 degree day, or you could end up with a 90% humidity and 90 degree day. But that shouldn’t stop you from having the stunning outdoor garden ceremony of your dreams! If you’re planning on having an outdoor wedding in the summer, here are a few things to keep in mind to keep you and your guests as comfortable as possible. Whether the whole celebration is outdoors or just the ceremony, here are 10 tips you might want to keep in mind as you’re planning!
01. Make sure ice water is available - plenty of beverage stations! It’s important to make sure you AND your guests are hydrated all day and night, so make sure to have several ice water stations available. Having just one water cooler for your guests won’t be enough - the more water, the better! If you want to add other beverages, make sure they are hydrating. One thing you could do is hand out chilled water bottles to people as they enter the ceremony space - making sure your guests stay hydrated early on in the evening is huge.
02. Make sure you and your guests have access to AC if needed. Ultimately the best way to beat the heat is to make sure both ceremony and reception are indoors, but some wedding venues are gorgeous outdoors and we can’t resist a beautiful lake-side ceremony. It would be great to offer at least one space of AC for your guests (consider your elderly friends or family, young children if they’re invited, etc). If the ceremony is outside, maybe have the reception indoors, or at least cocktail hour so people can get a quick break from the heat.
03. Offer shaded seating available, especially lounge areas! An easy way to minimize some heat is to get out of the sun! If you know that there are spaces of shade in your venue, set up chairs or lounge spaces there for guests to sit and escape that beating sun. Heat can make people more tired/lethargic than usual so be sure to offer plenty of auxiliary seating in the shade to prevent that from happening - but if it does, then you’re prepared!
04. Hand out parasols if you’ll be entirely in the sun. Oftentimes an outdoor ceremony at a venue ends up being in direct sunlight, so being able to offer some shade for your guests (and yourself) makes a big difference. Parasols can be a great chance to add some personalization to your wedding, or even a wedding favor for your guests to keep and use for years to come.
05. Supply hand-held fans/USB phone fans. Another huge way to beat the heat is to supply hand held fans to your guests! These can also be personalized to have your names and wedding date on them, or you can leave them blank as a wedding favor for your guests to reuse for years to come. Something fun we’ve seen at weddings are electric fans that plug into your phone charger port, so all you have to do is hold it up! There are tons of different kinds on Amazon to make sure you supply both Apple and Android compliant fans. They do use your phone battery charge, but if you are just having your ceremony outside and in the sun it might be worth it for just a few percent of battery. Guests could also take those home to use for years to come!
06. Provide sunscreen in the afternoon and bug spray in the evening. Sunscreen is another great thing to offer your guests if you are spending a portion of your day in the sun. Not everyone will use it, but for some people who are more sun sensitive and forgot to apply any, they might appreciate having the option! There have been a few times where vendors have been setting up at weddings and end up accidentally getting sunburnt (including us!) so just having that around could be helpful for not just your guests. And of course if you are having an outdoor reception in Minnesota, supplying bug spray for your guests to combat the mosquitoes is essential. Even if the venue says that they spray for mosquitoes, you can never be too sure. Better to be safe than sorry! Definitely supply both sunscreen and bug spray if you are having a backyard wedding/reception.
07. Have fun frozen treats available! Whether it’s ice cream scooped on a cone, fruity popsicles, or shaved ice, all ages appreciate a sweet frozen treat. You can decide if you want to serve them as your dessert or just to supply them throughout the day/night, it might be a fun idea to supply them during cocktail hour so your guests can eat something cool after your outdoor ceremony! Or have them be your late night snack, while everyone is hot and sweaty from tearing up the dancefloor ;)
08. Avoid serving entirely hot meals if you’re all outdoors. This is pretty self explanatory, but avoid serving entirely hot meals outdoors. When people start to overheat they likely aren’t going to be very hungry anyway, so try offering something refreshing or light as a meal, or even as an appetizer to the main meal. Maybe a fresh salad, chilled fruit, sandwiches, dips/chips, etc. Maybe chat with your bar about serving a wine slushy as your signature drink! ;)
09. If you are able to, rent a tent! Something we see all the time at summer weddings is couples renting a tent for their reception! There are tons of great tent rental companies in the twin cities that offer a variety of styles and sizes, and your guests will thank you! Especially if there is any sort of rain risk - it provides a great sense of relief for our unpredictable Minnesota weather!
10. Consider the time of day - a 2 pm ceremony feels much different from a 4 pm ceremony. If you are having your ceremony outside, try as much as possible to avoid the heat of the afternoon. Whether that means having a ceremony at 10 am or 4 pm, try to avoid the worst heat and sun of the day. If you aren’t able to avoid the heat of the day, try to offer one or more of the tips we offered earlier! Your guests will thank you for it.
While we love summer in Minnesota, there are certainly days that are more favorable than others. If you are planning a summer wedding, it is best to prepare for the worst (hot and humid) and be surprised by the best (comfortable and overcast)!