Summer is the peak wedding season, as this is when children are most likely to be out of school, and families are allowed a little more flexibility in their schedules. However, in addition to making outdoor wedding venues look brighter and more inviting, summer may also boost the temperature to uncomfortable levels.
If you’re worried about your wedding guests getting too warm and sticky, there are several ways to help them keep cool. Do you need a little inspiration? Let us give you a few practical but beautiful ways to bring down the heat on your wedding day.
How to Keep Your Guests Cool and Happy at Your Summer Wedding
Keeping your wedding guests comfortable is essential to having a smooth-sailing wedding and reception. There are a number of ideas you can implement that can fit your wedding theme and preferences.
Perfect Parasols
If you know how many guests you’ll have on your wedding day, you may be able to get enough parasols for everyone to carry with them. This portable shade can be fantastic for keeping your guests feel comfortable as they walk around and take in the scenery while chatting amongst themselves.
Parasols are like prettier umbrellas, which means they can still look elegant and fit into the overall theme of your wedding. You might even be able to find some parasols in colors to match your wedding party or get them otherwise personalized with your names and the day of your ceremony.
Allow Roaming Indoors and Outdoors
If you’re set on having an outdoor backdrop for your wedding ceremony but are worried about the heat, you may want to consider finding a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces. By doing this, anyone who wants to be inside with the air conditioning will also enjoy the outside scenery.
Whether you allow partial seating indoors or simply allow guests to cool off until it’s time for the ceremony to begin, everyone will likely appreciate having access to air conditioning. This allows for the best of both worlds, allowing you to have your dream outdoor backdrop while keeping everyone cool.
All About Refreshments
There are many ways you might be able to keep your guests cool with refreshments. From iced drinks to spiked snow cones, from a practical drink station to creative coolers that align with your design choices, there’s a lot you can do.
For example, if you have a rustic theme for your outdoor wedding, you might be able to convert a canoe into a cute cooler for bottled and canned beverages. Additionally, you might want to consider allowing your guests to have a few refreshments during the ceremony itself, as they’ll be able to stay comfortable and entertained even if it’s toasty outside.
Consider the Time of Day
The warmest time of day is the middle of the afternoon. If you’d like to avoid peak heat, you might consider having an outdoor portion of your wedding in the morning or evening. While the grass may not be its brightest green, you might be able to have a gorgeous sunrise or sunset backdrop in your photos. Or, if you’re interested in having a starlit wedding ceremony, this might also feel quite romantic.
Put Up Pretty Pop-Up Tents
There are also gorgeous pop-up tents you may want to utilize for your wedding ceremony or reception. If you thought these only came in dark neutral colors, there are actually ways to find pop-up tents that fit your wedding theme. Some even come with a lace trim you might want to implement into the overall design of the space.
Personalize Some Hand Fans
If you’re looking for a practical and relatively inexpensive way to give your guests’ party favors, you might be able to keep them cool with personalized hand fans. This will allow everyone to look elegant and cherish the memory of your wedding in the long term.
Have a Dip in the Pool… or the Lake!
Following the wedding ceremony, letting loose and jumping into the water might be fun. Many outdoor event locations include lakes or swimming pools, which might feel pretty inviting to your guests after a warm day under the sun. Just remember to tell everyone to bring their swimsuits if they’d like to take a dip.
Have a Cool Wedding With Windows on the Water in New Jersey
We at Windows on the Water know how special you want your wedding day to be, so we work hard to keep our outdoor and indoor event spaces looking lovely year-round. If you want to fulfill your dreams of the perfect outdoor wedding, search no further!
In addition to hosting our lovely rustic spaces and lakes, we offer many on-site catering options. If you’re interested in having your wedding at Windows on the Water, please call (609) 208-9475 or fill out our contact form.