5 Tips for summer weddings

In this blog post, I give you a few great tips to protect you and your guests from the heat. I got married in Spain in August and as a wedding celebrant in Spain, I take part in numerous summer weddings every year.

Refreshments

Firstly, keep you and your guests hydrated. It’s a good idea to have drinks available on arrival so that prior to your wedding ceremony when everyone is waiting, you don’t have anyone fainting! At my summer wedding, I had buckets of ice with bottles of water and one of my recent couples, who had a beautiful ceremony in sunny Seville, had several big glass water dispensers with taps, each filled with water and fruit, infused water is amazing!

Shade solutions to protect you and your guests

Secondly, if you are having your wedding ceremony in Spain and celebration when the sun is still up, ensure that your guests either have some shade or some parasols in baskets at the ready. Here in Spain, between 12.00 and 6.00pm, it can get very hot in summer, so the last thing you want is your guests getting sunburnt. Consider shade when you are looking at your ceremony set up, because you don’t want to be blinded by the sun! Your venue or wedding planner will have experience with summer weddings, so can offer you solutions to provide shade, such as strips of fabric, marquees or even tee pees!

Token/gifts for summer weddings

Every detail counts! For a summer wedding in Spain; fans, sunglasses and flip-flops are great token gifts to offer your guests. For instance, I had a basket of flip-flops at my wedding in Spain that my sister brought and didn’t think anyone would use them. However, when the party got going the basket was quickly emptied! Have some sun cream around too, just in case anyone has forgotten.

A chill out area

This may not be for everyone, but if you are having a not too formal, outdoor wedding and especially if there will be children, this is a great idea! I had a corner of the grass area filled with blankets and cushions and our friends went there to sit back and chat, when it became later the children of my guests went there too to hangout or rest. After all, there’s nothing worse than kids slumped over chairs, especially in the heat! Click here to read my guide to a child friendly wedding. If your guests are travelling from colder countries, then they may appreciate somewhere they can recharge their batteries, the heat can be exhausting, especially if you are not used to high temperatures.

Wedding attire for a summer wedding

Some couples like to set a dress code for their guests, so if you are planning on doing this, please do take into consideration the heat because you don’t want sweaty and uncomfortable guests. Also consider your own clothes, will you be too hot in a full tuxedo or a heavy wedding dress? I had a big wedding dress but it was strapless and sleeveless. I also opted for an up do, so I wouldn’t overheat. This may sound crazy but I had two wedding dresses, I wore my big, traditional wedding dress for my ceremony, meal, cake cutting, first dance and then another pretty, white, bohemian more comfortable dress that I changed into for the rest of the celebration.

A summer wedding in Spain?

If you are thinking about getting married in Spain, then jump on over to my step by step guide to getting married in Spain. Beach wedding? Click here for my guide to the perfect beach wedding!

I’m a wedding celebrant in Spain and specialise in outdoor weddings, bilingual weddings and symbolic rituals, I’d love to hear about your event!

Image: Love n’ Roses Photography