Planning any wedding is a big undertaking with lots of things to think about. From setting a budget and sorting the paperwork to making a guestlist and choosing a theme, the list of things to consider is long. Planning a wedding outdoors adds even more to that list, but of course can all be worth it to make your dreams of an outdoor wedding come true!

Luckily we’ve put together this handy guide to planning an outdoor wedding, laying out some of the main things you need to think about when planning your big day in the great outdoors. 

The legal stuff 

Until recently, the law surrounding outdoor weddings used to be that the legal ceremony had to happen in a fixed, permanent structure with a fully covered ceiling and a solid floor. The good news is that fully outdoor weddings have recently been permanently legalised in England and Wales. Initially, temporary measures were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic which allowed people to get married outside in order to reduce the risks of spreading coronavirus. 

The new legislation to permanently make outdoor weddings legal came about because of overwhelming support from the public, which goes to show just how popular outdoor weddings are!

This means that you can have your outdoor wedding almost anywhere you like, as long as it is approved by your registrar. 

Choosing a date 

When choosing a date for an outdoor wedding, you need to consider what the most likely weather will be. Obviously this makes a Summer date a popular choice, increasing the likelihood of getting married in the sunshine.

However, having an outdoor Summer wedding could mean having to cope with extremely hot temperatures which could make the whole day uncomfortable for you and your guests if you don’t plan for the heat. Summer dates are also the most popular for all types of wedding, so often suppliers and venues will charge more for weddings throughout the months of May, June and July. 

In terms of good weather Spring and Autumn outdoor weddings in the UK are a very viable option too, and could save you a big chunk of your wedding budget in comparison to a Summer date. 

A wedding outdoors during the Winter is technically possible but might leave you and your guests shivering! It is also more likely that your registrar wouldn’t approve a Winter outdoor wedding, so if a wedding in the snow is what you’re after make sure to check with your local authority before you get too far into your plans. 

Working with the weather 

With an outdoor wedding you will always be at the mercy of the weather. No matter how often you check the forecast, even in the middle of Summer the weather on any specific day is almost impossible to accurately predict in advance. This means you should always have a backup plan in case the weather isn’t what you’d anticipated. You don’t want your guests sitting out in the open if it’s pouring with rain! 

Making sure you have a plan B which you love is essential to make sure that rain can’t put a damper on your big day. This could involve hiring a marquee, or holding the wedding at a venue which has both indoor and outdoor options available depending on the weather. If you have a backup plan you can rest assured that the weather won’t add any stress on your wedding day. 

Food and drink 

If you’re having an outdoor wedding in the sunshine, you need to make sure your food can cope with being outside in the heat of the day. Dairy based foods can go bad quickly under heat, and icing can even melt off a cake in direct, hot sunlight. 

Making sure to keep your food under shade, or simply minimising the time food is spent out of your staging area or coolers, is really important to keeping your wedding food at its best during a warm outdoor wedding. 

If it’s a hot day and people are going to be spending the best part of a day outside, you need to make sure that there is plenty of water and lots of soft drinks available to keep your guests hydrated. Drinking alcohol can dehydrate people more quickly, so having a good stock of non-alcoholic drink options is essential for a successful outdoor wedding.

Lighting and power 

If you’re going “off grid” for your outdoor wedding, holding it in a field, forest or beach, you need to make sure you have some kind of power supply. Having a power supply is essential for everything from keeping your food and drinks cool, amplifying your music, and lighting your wedding. 

Lighting is really important for outdoor weddings, as when it gets dark in the evening you will need to make sure everyone can still see! There is a huge range of outdoor lighting options out there, and you can incorporate lighting into your overall wedding design to make your venue look absolutely beautiful. Whether using strings of fairy lights, lanterns, candles, or something else, well chosen lighting can make all the difference to the look of your wedding. Just make sure that your candles are safely contained to avoid any potential fire hazards - or just use electric ones. 

Providing toilets 

Toilets are of course essential, but are often overlooked in the initial planning of outdoor weddings. It’s all well and good if you have access to an indoor venue with toilets built in, but if you’re out in the middle of nowhere you need to provide your own loos. 

The best way of doing this is by hiring portable toilets, allowing you to have the wedding of your dreams wherever you want, without having to worry about access to plumbing. And don’t worry, when we say portable toilets we’re not talking about the sort of thing you’d find at a festival. 

At Wet Hire we have a wide range of luxury portable toilet blocks that have all the elegance you would want at your wedding whilst also being extremely practical and cost effective. These come in a range of different sizes so you can meet the needs of your guests no matter how long your guestlist, without people having to wait around in seemingly endless queues for the loo.

By hiring luxury portable toilets you aren’t restricted by having to have access to a building, meaning you really can let your imagination run wild as you plan your perfect outdoor wedding. 

Make your guests comfortable 

If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you should make sure your guests know that it’s an outdoor wedding so that they can plan accordingly. No one wants to get their high heels stuck in the grass, trip over on uneven ground, or sit around shivering in an outfit intended to be worn indoors. Giving your guests a heads up about the venue means that they can bring a coat if it’s chilly or sunglasses if it’s sunny, and not find themselves uncomfortable and stuck with inappropriate clothes or shoes. 

You should also consider where your guests will be able to shelter from the sun or rain, and have plenty of seating available. Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, people need to be able to sit down. 

Protection from insects and allergies 

For outdoor weddings in the countryside, it’s a good idea to have a stock of insect repellants and antihistamines available for your guests - as well as for you and your partner. You don’t want your vows to be interrupted by mosquitoes buzzing around your head, or to be concentrating on holding back a sneeze during your first dance!

Pests such as flies and insects are often attracted to flowers and food, making outdoor weddings irresistible to a whole host of bugs. Having a good supply of insect repellent sprays, candles and gadgets can make all the difference. 

These little thoughtful touches will mean a lot to your guests and can help the day run more smoothly. 

Decoration

Decorating an outdoor wedding comes with its own unique challenges. You have to consider whether things will stay put in the wind, so using anything too light or floaty can be risky. Scattered rose petals down the aisle may look beautiful in theory, but a gust of wind could blow it all away before anyone gets a chance to see them. Draped fabrics can look lovely, but can turn into sails with a strong breeze and can easily be picked up and blown away. Similarly, soft furnishings might be comfortable in the sunshine but even a small drizzle of rain could leave them wet for the rest of the day. 

On the other hand, an outdoor setting for a wedding means you will most likely have lovely surroundings anyway so decoration can be minimal and your wedding will still look beautiful. You can use the decorations you use to enhance what’s already there, for example using fairy lights to highlight trees, or featuring arrangements of flowers and foliage which complement what’s growing around the venue. When it comes to decorating outdoor weddings, less really is more. 

Dance floor

To make sure you and your guests can really celebrate and dance the night away at an outdoor wedding, it’s a really good idea to have a purpose built dance floor available. Having a proper dance floor is a great way of making sure that no one trips and hurts themselves whilst dancing on uneven ground, but it’s also a really effective way of making people get up and dance. 

Having your dance floor as a specifically designated area for dancing makes it more likely that people will actually use it to dance. When people don’t know where they should be they may feel awkward about dancing (depending on how many drinks they’ve had), but with a dance floor they know exactly where to go to get the party started. 

Accommodation

When planning an outdoor wedding you need to consider where everyone is going to stay. It may be that there is a local hotel available and plenty of taxis to get everyone there, but if your wedding is further out into nature it could be a long drive away and that might not be practical.

A lovely solution is to have your guests camp by the wedding. This not only means that the outdoor theme is carried on through the night, but also lets your guests make the absolute most of your wedding without having to worry about travelling to their accommodation off site and spending money on expensive hotel rooms. 

Having your guests camp after your outdoor wedding is a great way of keeping the party going, keeping all your favourite people in one place for longer, and saving everyone a lot of money. All you need is space for tents and somewhere for people to wash and use the toilet. 

You can hire luxury portable shower blocks from Wet Hire, along with your toilets. Having showers available means that everyone can have a comfortable stay, and can freshen up easily in the morning. Our showers and toilets come in a range of sizes, but all of them are sleek and luxurious with neutral decor to fit in with any outdoor wedding aesthetic. If you’re not sure which sizes to go for, feel free to get in touch with the team at Wet Hire for help and advice. 

Enjoy it

The most important thing you need to remember when planning your outdoor wedding is to have fun doing it! Planning a wedding is a really exciting time, so remember to take some time to enjoy the process with your partner.