How to Plan a Summer Wedding

Summer is one of the most popular times to get married and it’s not hard to see why. With the greatest chance of warm weather, blooming flowers, and plenty of stunning themes to choose from, a summer wedding can be a truly magical event.

If you’re thinking of planning a summer wedding but aren’t sure what to organize first or how to even get started, the guide below will tell you everything you need to know.

Start planning as early as possible

As mentioned briefly above, summer weddings are extremely popular, which means that everything gets booked up quickly including venues, catering, and even florists. Therefore, if you want to get everything that you’ve imagined for your wedding, you need to start planning as early as possible.

As a general guide, you should start planning your summer wedding between 15–18 months ahead of the big day.

Create a wedding budget

The next step is to create a wedding budget; something that most brides don’t like to do! The average cost of a wedding fluctuates considerably, and depends upon several factors such as the location, the style of the event, and how many guests are coming.

It’s worth knowing that, as summer weddings are more in demand, the price of nearly all the elements tends to be higher than at other times of the year.

Choose your date

You need to choose your date as soon as possible so that you can start to book all the most crucial elements such as the venue, the catering, and the entertainment. Be prepared to be flexible with your dates, especially if you’re not booking well in advance, as it can be challenging to get everyone to confirm availability on the same day.

Although weekend weddings are by far the most popular, you may want to consider a weekday wedding, which can be considerably cheaper.

Consider what will work in summer

Although it’s important not to skimp on your vision, you do need to be realistic about certain elements that will (and won’t) work during the summer months. For example, certain flowers are more prone to wilting when the temperatures rise, so you may have to avoid having these in your bouquet or table centerpieces.

Your choice of food is another element that needs to be considered, as the last thing you want is a melted buttercream cake or ice cream bar. Make sure that you collaborate with your chosen wedding catering services to plan a summer menu as well as a summer wedding cake to avoid any nasty surprises on your big day.

Protect against the elements

Although you may think that a summer wedding guarantees good weather, this isn’t necessarily the case. If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, it’s always a good idea to have a contingency plan in place in case the worst happens and the heavens open.

You may also want to consider renting a marquee to protect against both unexpected rain clouds and the hot sun.