Outdoor Wedding Tips

Your wedding is one of the most memorable days of your life. Why not hold your special day outdoors? Outdoor weddings are romantic and beautiful. But there are proper precautions to take in order to have your event run smoothly. Here are some helpful tips to consider.

Make your guests comfortable
Having a tent protects your guests from the elements like rain or the hot sun. You may want to add fans or sides with heating or cooling to your tent to make the tent more comfortable. Think of little things you can do as well to keep your guests comfortable. Consider having your ushers give out cold water bottles as they seat your guests, or have your program printed on a paper fan.

Have a back up plan
Renting a tent is great for keeping out the sun and a mild drizzle but if you get a big storm, it would be good to be prepared. Renting sides for your tent is a great option to keep the elements out. You can rent sidewalls with windows built in so that light can get in but the rain stays out. Another alternative Wilson Rental offers is a new type of tent called a “Structure” or “Clearspan” in which the tent is sturdier can be enclosed on all sides and holds up best against the elements.

Can everybody hear?
Being outdoors can be beautiful but most people do not think about the acoustics of outdoors. Wilson Rental offers many options to help with this. A portable lectern with a microphone is great for officiants and any speeches, and we also offer a portable iDJ sound system for you to DJ your own event. Both speakers have great range to ensure no one is left out.

Decorations
Being outdoors can help to ease costs of décor but you may still want to add touches to create a certain mood such as a wedding arch, dramatic lighting, fabric treatments and linens. Wilson Rental offers all of these items, which you can see in our show room in Mokena. We also have vendors to refer to you for things such as flowers and specialty items.

Make things tasty outside
You want to be sure you find a caterer that has experience doing outdoor events. Things such as refrigerators, coolers, chafing dishes and sternos are items you will need to have to make sure your food stays fresh. Your caterer may provide these items or you can rent them from Wilson Rental.

Don’t leave your guests parched
Being outdoors in the elements can leave people dehydrated, especially if you are serving alcohol as well. Renting coffee makers, and insulated camtainers from Wilson Rental is a great way to give guests options of coffee, water or lemonade besides alcoholic beverages.

Creepy crawlies
Bugs can be an issue in the summer time. Renting sidewalls and having citronella candles or a bug zapper is a good way to ward off those pests. Also consider having a few cans of bug spray around for your guests to use.

Here comes the sun
Consider the time of day of your event. A sunset ceremony is beautiful but remember that you may need to rent lighting and electricity for your tent in order to have your event last into the wee hours. Also some times of the year, the temperature can drop. If your wedding is in the fall or spring we suggest renting sidewalls and heaters to ward off any chill. Also consider which direction the sun will be shining so you can position everything to have the sun at guests’ backs.

Be sure to find out about Permits and Rules!.