21 Must Have Essentials for An Outdoor Wedding.

21 amazing must-haves for an outdoor wedding.

You've invited all of your friends and family to a weekend of revelry and celebration. After months of planning you will consider, "is there is anything that I might have forgotten"? If you are like most brides, the answer is yes, you probably have.  Do not despair! We have come searched high and low, talked to the world's best wedding planners, reviewed countless celebrity weddings and over-the-top extravaganzas and come up with this list of the 21 amazing must-haves for an (extraordinary) outdoor wedding:

• Did you say outside? You know who else lives outside? Bugs. Insects. Things that bite and makes guests (and you) super irritated. Where possible have non-toxic citronella candles.  

• Oh, did you say your ceremony or cocktail hour or brunch or bridal lunch or something or other was during the day? Assuming you're hoping for sunshine, your might want to consider having sunblock on hand for your guests.  

• Day or night, sunshine or clouds, your guests and you should be hydrating excessively. Yes, I said excessively.  No one likes a dried out bride and no one likes a guest who guzzles wine instead of water.  And yes, this is one more opportunity to add your wedding logo to something! Do it! 

• One of the best ideas I've ever seen is printing the wedding ceremony program onto a fan.  Guests stay cool and can follow along at the same time. It's a godsend (pun intended).  

• Back to basics...Outdoor component to a wedding requires Solemates. Nothing is more annoying than heels that sink into the grass.  Put them in individual gift bags or better yet, have them on hand at the actual wedding so anyone who needs them can grab a pair. 

• Do your bridesmaids tend to get after that? Make sure they are eating throughout the day of the wedding. Pack them little snack packs or have food at the ready during your collective prep time.

• Speaking of snacks, what about late night? Dinner is long over and practically no one other than your uncle ate the filet. Your guests are ginned up, danced out, and probably could benefit from some good ole' fashioned late night binging. Burgers and fries? Um, yes please.

• In the off chance you are not dropping $50k to air condition your tent, it might be a good idea to have some serious strength fans at the ready. Everyone loves a summer wedding, but no one likes a sweltering, sticky, air-so-heavy you wanted to die, situation.  (These people were not messing around).

• If you invest in flowers (spoiler alert: you will), invest in assigning someone the role of giving them some day-of-TLC.  If your florist can't stick around to mist the stems periodically, ask a friend (seriously). They'll be flattered you gave them a job. 

• Have cute signs that set the tone for your wedding and give guests much need information to questions such as "where shall we sit?" 

• Instead of a cloth or paper runner, use flower petals.  TDF.

• Take advantage of your setting. An outdoor wedding in the country or on a farm calls for hay barrel seating, 100%.  Just be sure to add some cotton liners (hay is in fact very uncomfortable for women to sit on). 

• Are you having little people (as in children) to your wedding?  Their attention span is shorter than a toy poodle's.  Have activities to keep them busy during a long dinner (by their standards)....like coloring. Tried & true. 

• Pimp out your powder rooms. If you plan on having your nearest and dearest dance the night away, make sure you are putting out extra deodorant, hair bands, bandaids....and Solemates Anti-bacterial spray (hint: it prevents shoes, and you from smelling bad). 

• Use planters as coolers for drinks. It's rustic, clever, and effortlessly chic.

• Sunglass for your guests. You know the line...Your future's so bright...you gotta wear shades..

• If your ceremony is going to be long, make sure the chairs have pillows. Better yet, mix in small benches (with pillows)!

• Protect your makeup. The day you seal the deal, you also want to seal your complexion. No one likes a sweaty, runny-faced bride.

• Dreamy weddings are made from dreamy lighting. Spend a lot of time figuring this out. 

• Let's be honest.  Getting everyone to line up at the end of the night, and give them weaponized candles (ie, sparklers) is a nightmare and a half.  If you don't have a drill sergeant among your guests who can corral the buzzy herd, consider skipping this photo-op.  BUT, if you are dead set in creating this "oh wow, look how magically this fell into place" moment...go for it. It is pretty great. 

• This is a must. If its going to be insanely hot, have cooling towels and spritzers on hand.  Expect the unexpected.

Need more ideas?  Check out tips we posted here: