Outdoor Wedding Ideas To Use

The sky is the limit when it comes to creating Christian outdoor wedding ideas. A Christian wedding ceremony does not have to take place in a church. You can have a beautiful Christian wedding outside.

If you are thinking small, a backyard wedding may be the perfect venue for you. If you love the ocean, a beach wedding is the solution. A wedding barbecue is a great way to entertain a crowd in warm weather.

A wedding picnic with baskets of food on each table and checkered tablecloths is also great for warm weather.

An informal wedding reception would be the perfect way to celebrate your marriage with family and friends.

An arch looks great on the beach with the ocean behind it for a wedding. A wedding arch can also be used for indoor weddings--in homes, ballrooms, and even in churches. My niece used a gold-colored arch decorated with flowers and tulle in the church sanctuary when my husband performed her wedding. It made a beautiful frame around the bride and groom as they exchanged vows.

A friend of mine had a western wedding on a ranch. No kidding. She and her new husband each wore black jeans and red cowboy shirts. They actually took their vows while on horseback!

How about a winter wonderland wedding at a ski resort? If you are so fortunate as to live near one, a ski resort wedding would be convenient for your family and friends. If not, you and your guests can have a snowy destination wedding!

There are so many other outdoor ideas for weddings. Get creative. Create the Christian wedding you want. How about in a flowery meadow, at the zoo, at a marine park, on a lush hillside, by a lake or babbling brook, or in a beautiful lighted cave filled with gorgeous rock formations? Or how about a park, a ballpark or stadium, outside of a beautiful building or in the yard of a church? Use your imagination to think of many more outdoor wedding ideas.

If you are thinking of inviting just a few friends and close family members, small outdoor weddings may be the perfect venue for you.

Consider having your wedding in your own backyard or in that of a friend or relative. Having the wedding outside instead of indoors means that your home will not be dismantled or rearranged to make room for seating. Some couples do have their wedding inside of a house, even if that house is not big enough to accommodate everyone...

Guests will need to use your restroom. Otherwise, weather permitting, all wedding activities are in the yard. You may have to have a few people patrolling to keep guests outside, especially if children are invited.

Small weddings performed in the backyard provide an intimacy between the happy couple and guests that is not felt in a large reception hall.

Surrounded by family and close friends, the couple will exchange vows with the people who are the most important to them. What could be better than that on this very special day?

The actual ceremony can be performed under a beautiful wedding arch. The arch can be decorated with flowers, ribbons, lace, greenery.....

Tables and chairs can be set up for the entire affair. Or rows of chairs can be set up for the ceremony. They can be quickly dismantled after the "I do's". Tables and chairs can then be set up for the reception, complete with elegant tablecloths and pretty centerpieces.

Some couples choose to rent and set up a backyard tent for small outdoor weddings. This will protect your guests in bad weather and keep the hot sun off of them in good weather. If inclement weather occurs, there is no need to panic because the tent is already up.

Backyard weddings can be catered affairs with lavish decorations and flowers. They can also be do it yourself productions, from decorations to food. This can keep costs down if you have a small wedding budget.

When you plan an outside wedding, you should have an outdoor wedding alternate plan. Why? Because the weather does not always cooperate with your Plan A. So always have a Plan B, a backup, a contingency plan. Why?

Because you should always be prepared, like a boy scout! A wedding has enough stress without having to worry about whether or not God will give you a beautiful, sunny day for your wedding. Most of the time, He will, but sometimes, he has other plans.

You never know when you will get a snowstorm where it does not snow, such as in the photo below. It had not snowed in San Antonio in over 25 years, but in February of this year, 2011, it snowed and nearly shut the city down! No San Antonio bride would have planned for that, but it happened.

Anytime you are dealing with the great outdoors, prepare for rain, thunderstorms, snow, wind, bugs, pollen, a sandstorm, excess heat, and other things. Don't take the chance that everything will be fine. Chances are it will be fine, but that is quite a risk to take on one of the biggest and most wonderful days of your life. Plan for bad weather, not because you are a pessimist, but because you are smart!

Case in point: As I write this, Hurricane Irene is quickly heading toward the Carolinas and is expected to travel up the Eastern seaboard. Irene will hit hard and long according to the latest weather reports. Cities all along the East Coast are preparing for the worst, boarding up windows, and evacuating in some cities.

I found out a few days ago that the daughter of one of my childhood friends had planned to have a beach wedding in Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday, August 27, 2011. She learned yesterday that her beach wedding was cancelled due to the expected hurricane, so she has had to cancel her beach wedding.

The bride and her family live in Pennsylvania which will not be affected by the hurricane, but the bride wanted a beach wedding and did not have a Plan B. Fortunately, the bride and her family found an alternative site today, the day before the wedding. For a while, they were saying the wedding was totally canceled. Don't let this happen to you.

At the very least, your outdoor wedding alternate plan should always include a large building or a large white rented tent if there is no building nearby that can be used. These tents are a plus at any outdoor reception and can allow your guests to get out of the bright sun, even if the weather is perfect. They are air-conditioned and comfortable. Allow for a large tent in your wedding budget if you are doing anything outside away from a good-sized building that you can use!

I think the best Plan B is to book your own church and fellowship hall for your wedding and reception. Many churches allow their members to hold weddings at no charge, while others have only a minimal charge. Then make your outdoor wedding plans but keep the church and fellowship hall just in case of inclement weather. Simple and easy. If bad weather comes, you and your guests will be comfortable and dry and your wedding will go on as planned.

If the weather is perfect, have your outdoor wedding ceremony and reception as planned. The church is clean and no one will complain that it did not get used. No one has to clean it up on Saturday night so it can be used for Sunday morning church and activities. You will have peace of mind knowing that you are covered if the weather does not go as planned.

When you make plans with your caterer, cake vendor, flower vendor, and any other vendors who will be delivering items to your wedding, make sure that you let them know your Plan A and your Plan B for inclement weather. That way, they can also plan ahead. Make sure that you provide them with several phone numbers so they can easily reach you if they are unsure where to deliver items on the wedding day.

Having an outdoor wedding alternate plan is just good common sense. Always be prepared and plan ahead.

Jenna Bush And The Crawford Wedding

by Lynn
(San Antonio)

For years to come, people will talk about Jenna Bush and the Crawford wedding. On May 10, 2008, Jenna Bush, President George W. Bush's daughter married her fiance Henry Hager at the president's ranch by a manmade lake in front of a beautiful limestone altar with a cross. What a beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding! You can see photos at this link, courtesy of MSNBC news and the White House.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24554488

You may have to copy and paste the above to see the photos. The dress was by Oscar de la Renta. No veil was worn by the bride but the dress is very pretty. Perfect for a hot Texas outdoor wedding. And they set up a tent for the reception. All very beautiful. If you have access to a ranch, you could set up something similar. I love the altar with the cross. I wonder who made it. If anyone has info, please let us know.

The Limestone Cross And Altar
by: Juanita

Lynn,
Yes, the photos of the limestone cross and altar are gorgeous. I am glad the Bush's decided to share some of the details with us. I have been very curious since last week to see what the cross altar would look like. I, too, would love to know who made it. How perfect. My in-laws had a ranch in Leakey, TX at the time of my wedding and a pond. A wedding there would have been wonderful, but I never thought of it. I wish I had. Perhaps these pages and photos will enable more girls to be creative with their wedding plans. A church wedding is nice, but sometimes it is good to be creative and have something different.

Beach Themed Weddings

by Rebecca
(San Diego)

Let me tell you about some of the beach themed weddings I have seen here in San Diego. Each May and June here there are a ton of weddings on the beaches. Especially right after college graduations, the next day, the beaches are packed with college graduates tying the knot.

They run from the fanciest to the more plain decor. Imagine a bride in a beautiful long dress with a train and high heels. Perfect...Not really. Not when she is walking through wet sand. Yet some brides do it. Much to their silliness.

If you are going to consider beach themed weddings, it is important to dress right for the beach. Don't plan on heels. Flip flops are perfect for the sand. Don't get a long dress with a train if you want to marry in the sand. Be practical. But a dress that stops at the ankles, no train. Wear a veil, but make it a short one. Be comfortable and don't ruin a dress in the sand.

Dress to relax and have fun in the sand. Decorate your flip flops with jewels that you glue on from the craft store or glitter them. Make them beautiful. Your shorter wedding dress can be decorated beautifully too. Just don't let it get in the sand to be ruined.

Allow the groom and the whole wedding party to dress appropriately for the beach with flip flops. Even let the guests wear them. Consider relaxing the dress code for beach themed weddings. Instead of a suit for the guests, pants or shorts with a short sleeved shirt, no ties and no jackets except for the wedding party. The most important thing is that the bride and groom and their guests are comfortable and enjoy the beach party.

Flip-Flops For Beach Weddings
by: Juanita

Hi Rebecca. I wanted a San Diego beach wedding when I went to school at what is now Point Loma Nazarene University.

Flip-flops for beach weddings are so much more practical than heels! I am working on some pages showing how to decorate flip-flops for beach weddings. I have all of the supplies set up on my craft table in my living room and just have to find the time to put them together and photograph them. Look for them soon.

Sometimes it is good to see photos as that will spark someone's creativity. I am a visual learner so I can do a lot once I see a photo.

Backyard Weddings Ideas

by Lynn
(San Antonio)

Backyard weddings ideas really depend on the type and amount of space you have available. For instance, here in San Antonio, the yards are fairly small in most newer neighborhoods.

Our backyard has a 3 tiered deck and a small above ground pool and a shed. That does not leave much room. We could fit maybe 50 guests crammed around tables in the yard with the food on the deck. Okay if you have a small family and best friends type wedding reception but it would not work for more than that.

Also, music would have to be off by 10pm per the city laws and neighborhood association laws.

Parking would be a logistical nightmare. If cars are not parked in driveways, or along the main road at the top of the neighborhood, they are towed within a few minutes of being parked. The neighborhood pays someone to patrol around and call a tow truck immediately if one is left. They waste no time. Several friends who live here have told me they were towed while unloading groceries in front of the house. This is idiotic so unless you have a big yard and no neighborhood association, you cannot have a backyard wedding in San Antonio.

Now we used to live in some great places around the country where you can have backyard weddings ideas galore. Such as Lagrange near Poughkeepsie, New York. We had a very large lot with 2 driveways for parking. A spring wedding in that backyard would be perfect with all of the beautiful flowers, bushes, and trees in bloom. Tables for several hundred guests could be set up there and there would still be a lot of room for children to play in the swingset area. It was a great yard and all of the yards in that area are huge.

There is no neighborhood association and there are plenty of trees surrounding the property for privacy. I grew up there and the yard was so perfect for parties and hide and seek. The flowers are tremendous there.

Spring flowers could be the theme in the spring. Put buckets of fresh cut flowers on each table for a centerpiece. Each table could have a different type of flower, matching those growing around the yard, from tulips to daisies, to roses, to dogwood, to lilacs, to violets, johnny jump-ups, buttercups, black-eyed susans, daffodils, pansies, and the list goes on and on and on.

In the fall for backyard weddings ideas, each table could be decorated with branches and leaves from a different tree in the yard. There are so many. What a perfect place for a wedding! Anyone who has any creativity at all could come up with fabulous backyard weddings ideas in this yard. I wish my dad had never sold the place.

Backyard Weddings
by: Juanita

Lynn, I, too, live in San Antonio so I know what you mean about the tiny yards. We have one, too, yet ours is bigger than a lot of our friends' yards which just amazes me. I guess these days, builders just want to cram as many houses in as they can to maximize profit.

Now in parts of town, there are houses with big lots, such as over by the church I attend on Heath Road off of Grissom. There are also some big lots in Leon Valley and in Helotes out past Bandera and 1604 that would be great for backyard weddings. We are hoping to one day be able to afford that kind of property but for now, we will have to be happy with what the Lord blessed us with.

Backyard Country Wedding

by Debi
(Poughkeepsie, New York)

I had this great backyard country wedding at my grandparent's home. My grandparents had a small house with a large backyard in Hyde Park, New York. It was on a quiet road with woods behind the large yard and a huge beautiful back porch. It was on the back porch that my hubby and I exchanged vows. The wedding party and the preacher, along with the immediate families of the bride and groom were on the large porch and the other guests were in folding chairs on the lawn for the ceremony.

The porch railings were decorated with pink tulle and bows. Tables were set up with the cake and food and place settings and gifts out in the yard. It was great.

There was plenty of open space for the children to run around and play and make noise and have fun. We used a stereo with large speakers for the music and my older cousin was the DJ.

My grandmother made the wedding cake and she and my mother and aunts and some cousins made the food and served it picnic style, nothing fancy, but the food was delicious. The wedding cake was beautiful and so tasty. Everything homemade and perfect. That woman should have owned her own bakery. She really could have made a killing. Her cakes were always so perfectly shaped. So my backyard country wedding was wonderful.

Backyard Wedding
by: Juanita

Debi,
I can just picture this in a large and beautiful country lot with a big open deck. Sounds a lot like my grandparents' place when I was a child.

I am so glad that your family worked together to give you a wonderful backyard wedding. Each time you visit there, you can think about how great it turned out and one day you can show your children where Mommy and Daddy got married. How wonderful to keep it all in the family like that.

How cool is it that your grandmother made your wedding cake and that your mother and aunts made food?! Wow. That is incredibly cool.

Bride Renewing Her Vows

by Tawnya
(Bluffton MN )

I am looking for someplace to renew my vows and the best place that I can think of is at Itasca state park in Minnesota. Does anyone have any other ideas? I want to have it outside with water around me. I am interested in any ideas.

****
Water is a great idea. I have never been to the park you mentioned, although we did drive through Minnesota on our way to Michigan when we moved there for less than a year. It was beautiful. Let us know what you decide and we would love to see photos.

Cheap Gatlinburg Weddings

by Kara
(Gatlinburg, TN)

I can give you some information on cheap Gatlinburg weddings! Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a beautiful place to have an outdoor wedding. It is lush and green and the weather is great. A marriage license in Tennessee costs $36 and is good for 30 days. No blood test is required. After the wedding, you can honeymoon in the beautiful hills of Tennessee, or, if you love country music, honeymoon in Nashville and visit all of our popular attractions. If you love Elvis, honeymoon in Memphis.

Some of the Gatlinburg wedding packages can cost several thousand dollars. Stay away from those. Do some online research and reserve your wedding place ahead of time. Why not reserve a real church of your denomination? The fee for that would be much cheaper than to use a tourist attraction wedding venue.

Cheap Gatlinburg weddings are the way to go, but only if you are both pleased to have a destination wedding in the Smoky Mountains. Rent a park or a park pavilion which will be much cheaper than the tourist traps for cheap Gatlinburg weddings.

I have read that over 500,000 people come to Gatlinburg each year either to get married or to attend a wedding! That is a lot of people! I hope you are one of them.