Ideas For Outdoor Wedding Decorations

January 12, 2006 | All Wedding Articles, Wedding Decorations

An outdoor wedding is a wonderful and romantic way to make your commitment. If you are including a reception in the same location, you will need outdoor wedding decorations that suit your theme and the style of the location.

For an outdoor wedding, many of the decorations may already be provided in the natural scenery. A beautiful view of the lake, a scenic garden, or a rolling hilled estate all make great wedding decorations. The settings themselves are romantic and need little added to them to make for a wedding mood. You might want to rent white folding chairs for guests, a carpet for your walk down the grassy aisle, and even a veranda or other overhand under which you will say your vows.

Above all, flowers look best in outdoor wedding settings. If you rent a veranda or other latticework to stand under during the actual ceremony, you can decorate it with flowers that are prearranged into long garlands. Or you could use flowers that naturally grow in a vine like arrangement, such as hydrangea. Both silk and real flowers work well for this.

If your wedding is at night in the outdoors, consider tall stakes that will rest in the ground along your bridal path that you can use for candles. A candlelit walkway would be very romantic. Also a candelabra that stands on its own would be a great way to illuminate the two of you at the front of the ceremony.

For an outdoor wedding reception, you will want to add table decorations and perhaps a bit more festivity than you had at the ceremony. A string of Christmas lights looks good anytime of year and brightens up an evening or nighttime reception. You could also cover each tiny light with a paper lantern to give an exotic feel.

Your tables should be covered with tablecloths that are anchored at each corner by table cloth weights to keep them from blowing in the otherwise refreshing breeze. Again, place flowers on the tables, including the cake tables.

For a casual wedding reception, you might think of some fun party ideas, like colored ice cubes for the punch, tiny folding fans as guest favors, or a hammock or two for guest photos. For a more elegant outdoor affair, try placing a few runways of carpeting or cloth between the tables and the cake and buffet areas for female guests whose heels will get stuck in grass.

Remember that your outdoor wedding should appear fresh and not too fussy.

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