Category Archives: Outdoor Wedding

Outdoor Wedding Decorations – Luminary Bags

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We have a ledge around our top lawn formed by using railroad ties. This made an excellent place to put a decoration.  Eryn found Luminary Bags ( she purchased these at are our local Fred Meyer store) and they can be used with flame-less candles or votive candles.  These bags were very beautiful as the sun set and it started to get dark.

After the wedding ceremony all the chairs were brought up from the bottom lawn to the top lawn and put around the tables that were set-up for our dessert reception.

We set up for dancing on the bottom lawn after the chairs were removed. Our Luminary Bags could be seen while dancing the night away on the bottom lawn or just visiting at the reception tables on the top lawn.

We actually had to gather a few rocks and put inside the bags because they were very light and the breeze kept moving them. These bags are very easy to put back into their container box. They can be used over and over again. Maybe around a sidewalk or on a deck?

Do you have any unique areas in your yard that are just calling out to be decorated? What will you use?

Teri :~) 

Outdoor Wedding Decorations – Lesly’s Table Center Pieces

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 Lesly’s outdoor wedding was at 6:00 pm the last weekend in August. She chose the glass votive jars as her table center pieces. A small amount of sand was added to the jar for candle wax to melt into. Then she tied a red ribbon that had white hearts on it around the top.

The tables linens were white and we wanted to add a bit more color. At the fabric store we found red fabric with tiny white hearts all over it, just like the ribbon. The fabric was cut into 12″ x 12″  squares and placed under the glass jars.

These tables were gorgeous! The candles added just enough light as the night wore on. Our neighbors later commented on how they could see the candles from their decks after they went home. It just remind them of the great time they had at the wedding.

Things we learned:

The real candles put off more light than the battery operated ones did. We also put the real candles inside jars because we didn’t want the breeze blowing the candles out.

Another cute idea for these votive jars would be to put in a battery operated light and then fill the jar with glass colored see-through rocks. I think there are lots of things you could do with this versatile little jar.

I still have these votive jars and plan on using them at our wedding facility. That brings up the point, what happens to all those jars after the wedding? Maybe you could sell them on EBay or Craigslist to someone who was planning a wedding?

In our case we had about 24 of these jars. That is the down side to purchasing  center pieces… what to do with them after the wedding.

What will you use for wedding table center pieces?

Teri :~)

Outdoor Wedding – What Time of Day?

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How did you make the decision to have an outdoor wedding? And… have you thought through the “what time of day” question? Here are a few things to consider before you chose.

Guests:  Most outdoor weddings will take place between 10:00am to after 9:00pm in the evening. Will there be shade provided by trees and shrubbery? Or will you need to consider a tent to keep your guest comfortable? Some facilities will have an extra building or barn that could provide shade to those who would rather not be out in the direct sun.

Also, will your guest be heading to a hotel or trying to catch that plane to get home. Will having the wedding in the evening make it difficult for them on their return home, or does that really matter?

Food and Beverages:  These items will need special attention. If you hire a caterer they will take care of these details. However, if you are trying to save money by doing things on your own you’ll need to address the issue of making sure everything is kept from spoiling. You definitely do not want your guest getting food poisoning. Even on hot summer nights ice will melt quickly. Be sure there is enough on hand.

People will also drink more beverages if it’s hot out.  We had round metal tubs situated around the yard filled with ice.  In these we had bottled water, bottled coffee drinks and juice boxes for the children. If your guest will be doing any kind of dancing this too will increase beverage consumption.

Bugs: We found that the bees and bugs were worse during mid-day weddings than during an evening wedding. If it gets too late though, depending where you live, the mosquitos start to come out. Since it’s an outside wedding it might be nice to have a basket under the cake table with bee sting supplies and mosquito spray in it.

Flowers: This is a biggie! Some flowers just do not do well in the heat. Be sure and ask your florist about this. You don’t want your flowers wilted before you even get to walk down the aisle. I know my daughters had pictures taken before the wedding.

You can put the bouquets back in the water containers until the wedding takes place but taking off all those boutonnieres and putting them back on would be a hassle I wouldn’t want to have to deal with, so choose wisely.

Outdoor weddings are my favorite! Just plan ahead and think through that “what time of day” question and what it means in your situation.

Teri :~)