The ABCs Of Planning A Garden Wedding
Enchanted by the thought of a garden wedding?
What’s not to love about tying the knot on your big day surrounded by lush greenery, blooming rose bushes and quaint gardens, miniature bridges, and elegant statuary? Gardens create the perfect setting for outdoor wedding ceremonies and receptions. Before we dive into the “how-to”, let’s look at the trending garden wedding events this summer.
Zen Gardens
Zen garden weddings are perfect for people who enjoy peaceful settings of raked sand, arranged rocks, and precisely clipped shrubs. Zen gardens emphasize the principles of naturalness, simplicity, and austerity. For couples planning an intimate wedding ceremony, let a Zen garden be your choice for this special day. Zen gardens usually offer a beautiful outdoor site with a trickling fountain and immaculate garden to celebrate your nuptials. Romantic sites throughout the peaceful gardens are ideal for a small daytime ceremony.
Garden Gazebo
Set amidst lush gardens, garden gazebos could offer a peaceful and versatile setting for your ceremony. From the very simple to the most elegant, gazebos set in botanical gardens allow you to maintain the natural elegance or transform the location into the ceremony of your dreams.
If you find yourself enchanted by the idea of a garden wedding, then you are in good company. In order to pull off a magical garden wedding, there are some things that have to be put into consideration.
Here are the ABCs of planning a garden wedding:
Embrace Your Garden Wedding Fully
A lot can happen when you choose to get married outdoors. Therefore, a lot of planning and organization has to go into the process if you want to have the day of your dreams. This means that when you settle for a garden wedding, you should be prepared to embrace the elements that nature has to offer including insects, pollen, dust, and the weather.
Pay Attention To The Season
Consider your choice of the season very carefully so that you can enjoy the exact visual display you envision for your big day. If you have your heart set on an autumn wedding, be sure to pick a wedding date that corresponds to the timing of the season.
Protect Against Wildlife
Flora and fauna are sometimes accompanied by uninvited guests, such as ants, bees, or mosquitos. Discuss the precautions with your site manager and/or caterer who will take to ensure that pests don’t spoil the party—everything from citronella candles to pre-event spraying. If you’ve chosen a DIY venue, then make your own game plan in advance.
Create A Plan For Bad Weather
Severe weather can easily ruin a wedding so when planning an outdoor garden wedding, the weather must be put into consideration. To protect your guests and your décor, budget for umbrellas, canopies, pop up tents, and outdoor fire pits to keep everyone warm.
The most essential thing you can do to ensure a great event is to look for a wedding location that can support both outdoor and indoor events. If the extreme weather should force you inside, you can find just as much grandeur and beauty as you would in the well-designed ballroom.
Look For Inspiration Around You
Private event trends come and go, but you can still use them for inspiration when planning for your outdoor wedding ceremony. While there are a host of design ideas online, it is always a good idea to start with your own ideas and then use these trends to draw inspiration.
Take time to really think about what you want; unless you are planning a wedding in a short amount of time, you’ll need time to sort through details, select a theme, and research vendors/venues.
Cost Items to Watch Out For
If the garden is located within a park, hotel/resort, or within a plantation/mansion, the wedding couple will typically be required to put down a non-refundable deposit required to secure the date. Most contracts state balances are due within 90 days of the event date. It is also important to consider service charge, sales tax, and gratuity.
Trends show that the 2018-2019 garden wedding packages may include the following for a ceremony:
- Private Ceremony Site
- White Garden Chairs
- Sound System, Music Song List, and Microphone
- Venue Event Specialist/Day-Of Coordinator
- Water Service
- Ceremony Table for Candle Lighting or Sand Ceremony
- 30-Minute
References
The following links are resources at external websites. If you click on these below, you will be leaving the Wedding Protector Plan’s website.