How to make outdoor weddings picture perfect

Outdoor weddings and a venue in South Africa virtually go hand-in-hand. Only in winter with a wedding in Cape Town are you taking a bit of a risk, and even then you will probably strike it lucky.

But when it is outdoors (and seriously, who wouldn’t love to get married out of doors?), how do you manage to control all those ‘unforeseeables’, like the weather? How do you make it a perfect wedding?

In South Africa there are so many outdoor venues to consider – the beach, a garden, up a mountain … there are a series of pitfalls and things to watch out for and that you can control, and here are a few tips:

Outdoor Wedding Tips

your guests must be comfortable – yes, the wedding is all about you, but placing your guests in midday sunshine on a hot, summer’s day without warning them to bring hats and sunscreen is not a good idea. As is expecting them to sit in a garden as the sun goes down in winter. Consider a gazebo, or if not, at least sunscreen, hats or blankets
consider the wind – there needs to be a plan should the wind come up. The bride in particular can plan a hairstyle to withstand the elements, and give your guests fair warning – letting them know that a breeze just might happen gives them a chance to plan too
the ‘just in case it rains’ plan – I don’t want to rain on your parade, but should the weather turn there needs to be a plan B – so that gazebo, or alternative cottage in the garden needs to be prepared for the event
acoustics please – outdoors really only works for intimate ceremonies with a few guests. The minute the wedding becomes too big, some of your guests will lose half the ceremony. Consider using microphones so that all your guests can hear