Whilst the good old British weather is as unpredictable as ever, the fact is that more and more people are choosing to get married outdoors or at least having part of their day outside. However, to ensure that an outdoor wedding is a success, it takes a great deal of planning and organisation. We take a look at some of the issues that you need to consider to ensure that your outdoor wedding is a big success.

Check Your Legal Position

Currently in the UK (apart from Scotland), you cannot actually get married outdoors unless you choose to do so under some form of pagoda. The law states that it does not need to have walls but it does need to have a fixed roof (which rules out marquees). However, if you really do have your heart set upon getting married outdoors, what you can do is have the legal side of the marriage done in a registry office and then choose to have your outdoor ‘blessing’ wherever you like. This also gives you much more control over the format of the ceremony as you are not bound by the legal requirements of a wedding (since you are already married).

The Weather

As unpredictable as ever, the British weather can really dictate how successful your outdoor wedding is so it is important that you take it into account. Obviously, having an outdoor wedding would be unwise throughout much of the year in the UK unless you want your guests shivering! Therefore you are looking at weddings from April to September really. However, even if you pick what should be a blazing summers day, you need to ensure that your venue has an ‘option B’ because the British weather loves to pull a surprise!

An Outdoor Reception?

Some people love to continue to outdoor theme and then after the wedding have an outdoor reception too. Whilst a few people may choose to have a completely outdoor reception, the vast majority of people choose to have it in some sort of structure such as a marquee. In this instance, you need to consider things such as:

Hiring a generator – A good quality generator is a must as your reception relies on it. If it breaks down then your reception is effectively over so don’t skimp on this cost.

Toilets – There’s nothing worse than having to spend ages queueing for the toilet at a wedding so ensure that you have enough toilets for your guests.

Outdoor furniture – If you are lucky enough to have a fabulous day for your outdoor wedding and reception, then having some outdoor furniture, picnic tables or even hay bales for guests to sit on will enable guests to enjoy the weather.

Lighting – Having plenty of outdoor lights is essential, you don’t want guests partying in the dark! Have them run from a generator and not a solar powered system as these can sometimes be a little unreliable.