We love summer weddings! The dehydration, the droopy hair, the groomsmen passing out. Wait, what???
Your summer wedding doesn’t have to be a sweaty, smoldering affair. (Save that for the honeymoon!) Here are some tips for surviving your summer wedding:
1. Drink water!! Eat something! Yes, this sounds basic, but if we only had time to give one tip, this is it.
Wedding dresses are hot (if you wear a long gown, it’s a greenhouse effect), and your nerves might keep you from eating. But you want to feel healthy and happy all day…and that means eating and drinking. Worried about going to the bathroom with a large formal dress (the number one reason brides don’t drink water)? Pull up your dress in the front, and sit “backwards”, facing the back of the toilet. Your dress will be safe and dry, and you’ll be much more comfortable.
So listen to your mother: eat! After all, you don’t want to test the whole “in sickness and in health” within the first 24 hours, if possible.
2. Embrace the season. Make the heat a theme–give out beautiful fans as a favor, hand out imprinted sunglasses (it makes for great photos). Use seasonal colors, like saturated spring greens, hot pinks, deep blues.
3. Make it fresh. Food tastes best in the summer, because there is such an abundance of vine-ripe, locally grown, fresh delicious produce. So use that in your catering–set up your buffet like a farmer’s market (picture fresh bruschetta with sliced bread in baskets, tomatoes stuffed with a starch like cous cous, vegetable salads, orange halves filled with orange sorbet), or create a picnic theme. There’s no reason to serve a standard salmon/steak dinner with a baked potato when the whole world is ripe.
4. Ask yourself honestly if you want your event to be outside. Many of our brides opt for beach weddings–they picture neat blankets of rose petals lining an aisle, and soft gentle breezes stirring their dress. We tell them to step away from Pinterest! Outdoor weddings are beautiful, but they can be unpredictable–they can be windy, or cloudy, or buggy. If a bride is very particular, or in need of total control, we try to steer them towards a wedding with a more controllable environment, and central air.
Describe what you really want to your wedding coordinator–they will be able to tell you what is possible and what is simply pin-spirational.
5. Look cool calm and collected. Sweaty isn’t cute. Professional make up artists really do do a better job of “setting” your makeup. And definitely opt for an updo if you have long hair–you’ll look put together, and having your neck exposed will make a big difference in your personal thermostat.
Thinking about a summer wedding? Give us a call at 904.824.4301– our wedding concierges would be happy to talk to you to help you create the day of your dreams.
{{Note: If you’re not sure about an outdoor wedding, we’ve written a series of blogs to help you think about the various options and pitfalls. Here’s a link to the most recent one: https://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com/blog/tips-for-beach-weddings-what-will-your-wedding-look-like-third-in-a-series/ }}