An outdoor summer wedding can be beautiful and magical, especially on a gorgeous, blue-sky day. However, the bright sun, rising temperatures, humidity, and uncomfortable heat can present real obstacles and spoil the whole experience. Even though the weather is a challenge you need to face, luckily, there are many proven ways to keep your guests cool at an outdoor summer wedding. Consider the following tips and you’ll eventually beat the heat on your big day.

Organize an evening ceremony

The simplest way to avoid the annoying summer heat for your wedding is to organize an evening ceremony. Skip the sweltering midday heat and start the ceremony at sundown. It can be very romantic since you can say your vows against a romantic sunset backdrop. As every wedding videographer or photographer would agree, golden hour lighting and sunsets are great times to capture gorgeous photos and videos of the wedding. There’s no doubt they will be unique.

Some couples even decide to have an after-party in the pool as a perfect way to cool down after the evening ceremony. A summer dip in the pool will certainly be fun and memorable.

Provide hydration stations throughout the venue

Hot summer days call for ice-cold refreshments. Your primary goal is to prevent your guests from suffering from dehydration or heat stroke. A tried-and-true way to cool down them is to provide accessible hydration stations with fresh florals as décor throughout your outdoor venue. That will help keep all guests comfortable and hydrated throughout the day.

In addition to common beverages, you can greet your guest with floral champagne popsicles and some refreshing cocktails and mocktails. Also, make sure to offer fruit juices, lemonade, coconut water, and lots of ice at your event. You can include infused water with fresh mint, slices of lemon, lime, and orange.

Serve light summer food and frozen treats

When you choose a food menu, consult with your wedding planner and make sure it includes plenty of hydrating foods, such as fruit and vegetable salads, soups, etc.

You can also consider finding a dessert cart rental and providing your guests with something that is both fresh and delicious, such as catering gelato, ice cream, or snow cones. Sweet frozen treats will keep everybody cool during the warm day and evening. Furthermore, frozen treat carts are charming, and they can easily transport us back to our carefree childhood days.

Keep it cool with misting fans

When looking for easy ways to keep your guests cool at an outdoor summer wedding, you should definitely consider renting misting fans, because they have many benefits:

• They are perfect for cooling outdoor spaces as well as partially covered spaces

• They use little energy

• Misting fans are discrete in appearance and noise

• They are affordable to rent

Get creative with customized welcome kits

Provide your guests with special welcome kits designed to help them combat the heat on your big day. They are great because they provide you with an opportunity to express your creativity. You can include nice, memorable favors for your guests that will be useful for the ceremony and beyond. Items that you can include in your welcome kit are:

• Hand fan

• Sunglasses

• High-SPF sunscreen

• Flip flops

• Bottled water

• Coolie cup

• Summer hat/cap

• Cooling spray for face and body

You can even personalize these items with monograms or names and your wedding date to make the kits more unique and meaningful.

Make program fans

An eco-friendly way to keep your guests cool at an outdoor summer wedding is to make program fans. They replace the standard hand fans and the usual wedding programs. These two-sided paper fans should include all important details about the ceremony, such as the timeline and itinerary and wedding party names. The typical wedding programs are usually discarded right after the ceremony, but program fans are more functional and convenient, so guests will love them and save them.

Blend decorative with functional

You should keep in mind that metal or leather chairs will easily and quickly overheat in the sun and burn guests’ skin upon contact. So, you can arrange for chair cushions or fabric slipcovers, or select furniture constructed from more heat-resistant materials.

Make sure to arrange seats and tables under the natural shade of trees. Also, provide additional sunshades placed throughout the outdoor wedding venue. They are not only great décor, but they will also offer guests convenient protection from the hot summer rays. You can customize them to fit with your color scheme and blend seamlessly with the design of the day. Some sunshades are made from recyclable materials, creating an affordable and green way to beat the heat.

There are also many other ways to create ample shade for your guests throughout your perfect wedding venue. You should include decorative pieces that are functional and practical, such as beautiful parasols or canopies over the reception and ceremony areas. Some couples decide to use small pop-up-style tents with cozy lounge furniture underneath. If you succeed in keeping the sun off of your guests, they will be comfortable while eating and dancing the night away.

Advise your guests to wear comfortable clothing

In addition to all of the mentioned above, advise your guest to wear comfortable clothing and loose-fitting outfits made from breathable materials appropriate for hot weather, such as cotton, denim, and linen.

After the wedding: keep your wedding gifts safe

After organizing a spectacular wedding, many couples go on their honeymoon straight away or just decide to give themselves some time to cool down from the whole process of planning and organizing such a big event. If you wish to store your wedding gifts until you decide where to put them in your home, or if you want to store duplicate wedding gifts, consider placing them in a unit. They will be completely safe and wait for you until you declutter your home and make better organization for all your items, including the wedding gifts. When choosing the right unit, make sure it’s secured 24/7, temperature-controlled, dry, and equipped with a sound air conditioning system.

The bottom line

As you can see, there are many ways to keep your guests cool at an outdoor summer wedding. You just need to be creative and plan everything in advance. Good luck!

This is a guest post. Risa James Events has no financial relationship with any businesses linked in this article. All photos were provided by the author of the post.