How to keep guests cool at an outdoor August wedding ceremony
An outdoor August ceremony without shade leaves guests and family miserable, sweaty, and agitated in the heat before the reception even starts. This fear of uncomfortable conditions causes couples to scramble for last-minute indoor photo spots or weather backup plans.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Keeping the outdoor ceremony rather shortDid this help you?
- 2Considering finding an indoor place for photos instead of outdoorsDid this help you?
- 3Asking public libraries for available spotsDid this help you?
- 4Looking for local Airbnbs in the areaDid this help you?
- 5Searching for other local venues nearbyDid this help you?
- 6Renting tents, tables, chairs, and portable restroomsDid this help you?
- 7Hiring food trucks for cateringDid this help you?
- 8Using the house for an after partyDid this help you?
- 9Sticking with a traditional commercial venue insteadDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I've been so wrapped up in the excitement of it all that I failed to consider the August in Michigan is HOTT and now I'm freaking out that guests and family will be miserable”source ↗
“Only the ceremony is outside, the reception is indoors and we do plan to keep the ceremony rather short but the venue doesn't have any shade and I'm worried about making people miserable before the wedding even starts”source ↗
“Do I try to find some place indoor for pictures? I don't want our family or us sweaty and agitated before the wedding even happens but I love the idea of outdoor photos”source ↗
“Right now, it shows rain and strong winds (30 mph) i really had faith that september would stay dry. We are looking for a backup plan and I am begging for help for ideas.”source ↗
“We had a venue picked out but after many discussions with vendors, we’re questioning if it’s worth spending the money.”source ↗
“Tents are extremely expensive, as are things like dance floors.”source ↗
“Price everything out before you decide that a backyard wedding will save you money.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Ceremony and reception at different venues
- 7Can you actually plan a wedding in just a few months?
- 2Why is planning a backyard wedding so expensive?
- 7Is a holiday weekend wedding a bad idea for guests?
- 9How to plan a post wedding brunch people actually attend
- 6Do you need a microphone for a small outdoor wedding?