A shaft of bright streaming sunlight catches the sparkle on your wedding dress as you turn around to face a gaggle of your nearest and dearest. All with smiles of love and approval on their faces. Now, doesn’t that sound a lot nicer than having to fight your way through the wind and snow to get to the altar? Of course, that is precisely why so many people choose to get married in the summer. Although, if you are hoping to tie the knot in the summertime, there are some things that you need to know first. A topic you can read all about in the post below. 

Summer is the most expensive time to get married. 

Before you make the decision to get married in the summer, you need to be aware of the impact it will have on your budget. This is because summer or more specifically June to August is when wedding venues will charge the highest prices. 

It’s not just the venues either. In fact, for most vendors, the summer season is their busiest time, something that means bargains and discounts on things like flowers, cakes, and decor are few and far between. 

You aren’t necessarily guaranteed sun. 

Another thing that you need to be aware of before you decide to get married in the summer is that there is no guarantee of fine or hot weather. Yes, the chances of a sunny day are maximized in most locations by hosting your wedding in the summer. Still, the weather is a turbulent thing, and rain and wind can strike at any time during the year. 

With that in mind, if you plan to have a part of your ceremony or reception outside, it’s crucial that you also have a plan B in place. Just in case the weather turns. Then you can avoid any unnecessary delays that could throw the flow of the entire day off. 

Watch out for bugs. 

Insects and minibeasts are unlikely to be on the guestlist for your big day. That doesn’t mean they won’t attend though. Especially if you are in a location near the water such as a lakeside.

Fortunately, there are some precautions that you can take to minimize the chances of creepy crawlers invading your wedding. In fact, if you have your celebration outside, you can ask your venue to tie up insect traps before the start of the proceedings. Something that means the bugs will be attracted to them rather than taking a swim in your guests’ champagne glasses. 

Some venues, especially hotels, located where insects are known to be a problem will even spray for bugs in their grounds in the early morning before your wedding. This being something that can keep all those little crawlers at bay for the entire day. 

Chilled refreshments are always a good idea. 

Whether you do end up getting some warm weather for your nuptials or not, you will still want your drink choices to reflect the season. This means that you need to provide a range of drinks that are summery and refreshing. Ideal options being things like Pimms with fruit, Sangria, and chilled lagers as well. 

Of course, you will also need to lay on some non-alcoholic drinks for your guests too. In fact, there will always be some people that are designated drivers, pregnant or have chosen not to drink, so you must have something to offer them. Additionally, if it is hot, you will need to keep your guests hydrated too. Of course, as alcohol can have the opposite effect giving them virgin cocktails and chilled bottled water is always a smart idea. 

Choose lighter dishes. 

Once you have the liquid refreshments sorted, it’s time to think about food choices that will be suitable for summer. In fact, you have two options here. One is to go for the traditional 3-course meal but choose lighter options such as salmon pate to start, chicken and green vegetables for a main, and pavlova for dessert. 

However, you can also go for something less traditional as well. In fact, serving canapes while people chat before they are seated can work very well. Especially if the varieties that you choose as supremely summery such as tiny cheeseburgers, prawn skewers, and chilled shots of Gazpacho. 

Then for the main course, a cold buffet lined with pasta salads, cheese, bread, and cured meats is an excellent choice. You could even hire an ice cream van to provide your guests with individualized desserts complete with a cone! 

Save the dates are essential. 

Apart from weddings, there is one other thing that most people associate with summer. Vacations! What that means is if you choose to tie the knot between June and August, you do run the risk that not everyone you invite will be able to attend. 

Happily, there is a tactic that you can use to minimize this risk. It’s to commission reminders like save the date magnets that you can send out as soon as you have booked your venue. In fact, because you can send these out up to a year (or more) in advance and guests can display them on their fridge, they cannot possibly forget when your wedding will be held. Something that will make it a lot more likely that they will book their summer vacations at another time, and so be there to celebrate with you on your special day. 

Book your venue asap. 

Talking about booking your venue, you need to be quick off the mark if you want a summer wedding. In fact, what many people don’t realize is that the most popular venue will be booked up anything up to 2 years in advance. This being an issue that can cause real problems if you are hoping to tie the knot a little quicker. 

With that in mind, viewing and making a decision on your venue as quickly after you have got engaged is a very smart thing to. Some couples even choose to book a venue after discussing getting engaged, but before the formal proposal. This being a strategy that can help to speed things up a great deal. 

Be sure there is some shade.

Even if you are blessed with clear skies and sunshine, you will still need to provide some cover at your summer wedding. This is because you certainly don’t want to have all of your guests outdoors in the burning hot sun all day. In fact, not only is this awful for their health, but it’s likely to make your wedding very sedate and short as well. 

Of course, it’s not just your guests that will need some shade on the day of your wedding either. In fact, bright sunshine may be what everyone hopes for on their wedding day, but having your photos done in this weather can be challenging indeed. Therefore choosing to ensure there is a festively dressed marquee or even arch that offers some relief from the sun is a smart move for your summer wedding. 

Provide flip flops for your guests.

One of the best things about a summer wedding from a guest’s point of view is that it is an excellent opportunity to wear warm weather clothing, including strappy sandals. However, if you want everyone to keep on dancing well into the night, such footwear can cause a bit of a problem. In fact, it can be very uncomfortable indeed and perhaps lead to a dance floor that is not as packed with people having fun as you would like. 

The good news is that there is something you can do about this. Apart from asking your DJ to play the latest floor fillers, that is. Of course, it is offering your guests flip flops to change into when their feet begin to hurt. These being the perfect shoe for the weather and are super cooling and comfortable too. 

In fact, many summer brides have baskets of flip flops in their wedding colors, all done up in organza bags as a sort of wedding favor for those that want them. There are even clever little phrases you can print off and add to the bag to complete the gift.

Consider a change of clothes for after the ceremony. 

Finally, if you are still set on getting married in the summer, there is one last thing to consider. Its a change of clothes for the evening celebrations. 

After all, neither the bride or groom will want to be stuck in a stuffy formal attire if the weather’s hot. Oh, and for those that don’t know, wedding dresses tend to be heavy to wear, and definitely not the best choice of outfit to keep cool in either. 

Additionally, having a chance of clothes for the evening is an excellent reason for the bride to choose a second dress. Something that will not only help to keep them cooler as they celebrate but they will are likely to be delighted to pick out for their summer wedding as well.