Outdoor Wedding Venues

Text Box: Think cathedrals are too cold & monumental, chapels a touch too stifling, then maybe you’re yearning for a beautiful wedding surrounded by the best of mother-nature. An outdoor wedding could be the dream venue for many couples and there are a range of locations on offer in the ACT: scenic landmarks, historic homesteads, parks, reserves, lakes, rivers or even your own backyard. Before you dive headfirst and start organising your entire wedding around your outdoor oasis, make sure you have all bases covered. Outdoor weddings can be just as exquisite as those held in 200 year old chapels, they just require more foresight, planning & attention to details. When Canberrans suffer wild extreme changes in temperature yearly, and depending on when your special day is, you may need to consider: outdoor heaters to ward off the blizzards in winter or the shade of the willow trees along Lake Burley Griffin to shelter you in the heat of summer. Spring provides vivid hues, whilst Autumn presents ultra spectacular colours of gold & red. General humidity & ambient temperature are also very agreeable at those times of the year. Just remember, you can’t control the weather, but you can work around it. Contingency plan Even though your heart maybe set on an outdoor wedding, it is wise to choose a location that has both indoor and outdoor facilities. That way, should the weather not cooperate, the show can still go on. At the very least, rent a tent/marquee in case of inclement weather. There are a range of local venues that provide the serenity of the outdoor with the protection of the indoor, just follow this link for images & list of venues. Permit required Once a specific venue has been chosen, you will need to know who owns/operates it, so any necessary permit or permission can be organised well before the big day. Also, is there a limit on the number of guests? Will you be allowed to serve alcohol? Make sure you’ll have access to the amenities you need for a successful event. Are there restrooms available or will you need to rent port-a-loos. You’ll probably need electricity (for the caterers, the DJ, or lighting, etc.), which is not usually found in nature. Find out if you need to rent a generator. Decorations At an outdoor wedding, Mother Nature provides most of the decorations -- trees, flowers, a view of a lake or rolling hills & paddocks. But you may still want to perfect what nature provided. Many opt for a beautiful wedding arch to provide a focal point for the ceremony. The arch can be left simple and unadorned, or can be garnished in flowers and ribbons to match those carried by the wedding party. An arch dripping with flowers also provides a wonderful backdrop for wedding photos. Coordinate the arch with planter boxes sprouting matching flowers and you’ll add charm to an already magical setting. And if you have to move your ceremony indoors at the last minute, the arch and planters will provide instant decoration to the new location. You can ask your florist to decorate the arch, or do it yourself. Garden Centres/landscape suppliers offer a number of arches to choose from. After the ceremony, the arch can take an centre place in your garden as a reminder of your special day. Guests Be sure guests know they’ll be attending an outdoor wedding, so they can dress appropriately. In addition, it is a good idea to send weather information to out-of-town guests who may not be familiar with the climate. Are parking readily available? If there is no convenient parking at the site, consider having them park in a nearby lot and shuttling them over. Also make sure that the site is accessible, especially for elderly guests and others with limited mobility. Uninvited Guests Bugs and outdoor weddings go hand in hand. But you can take measures to alleviate the worst of the problem. You may want to organise citronella candles to help keep bugs at bay. The Wedding Party Keep the weather in mind when choosing a dress. Brides should choose a dress made of lighter-weight fabrics and consider not having a train, which will drag in the dirt. Brides and bridesmaids will want to stay away from shoes with spike heels, which will sink into the ground. Groomsmen should consider wearing vests with full backs so they can still look dressed up with their coats off.

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