Looking for outdoor wedding ideas? In this article we go over many great wedding ideas covering areas such as décor, food, and lighting.

Planning an Outdoor Wedding?

Outdoor weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Whether it's because people are fed up with being stuck inside for the past few years or that people simply love celebrating with friends and family in the beauty of nature.

With this increase in popularity, many wedding planners are leaning into the idea, with the concept of nature finding its way into more and more aspects of peoples' receptions.

From wildflower floral bouquets to rustic wedding cakes, natural flavours and many other aspects, everyone is returning to nature for their big days. Outdoor weddings help you to blend the environments of the great outdoors with the comforts of having somewhere to hide if it starts raining. In this way, they offer something not many wedding venues can.

While they may seem quirky and rustic to some, there are many ways to turn an outdoor wedding into something modern and contemporary. Whether you planned it from the start or there has been a dramatic change in circumstances, there are many ways to make your outdoor wedding work for you.

Here we have gathered a few of the best outdoor wedding ideas to truly make your reception a special occasion for you and your wedding guests.

-Outdoor Wedding Décor

If you're planning an outdoor wedding, the odds are that you like to keep things natural. Therefore, when it comes to your reception décor, you'll no doubt want to weave natural materials into your stylings. Wooden wedding signs are an effortless and magical way to make things feel natural yet beautiful.

You can find customisable signs online for as little as £20 with as much detail as you want.  Of course, the more flowers, the better. Draping your signs, chairs, tables, and anything else you can think of in the beautiful colours of natural flowers will make things truly magical. You can even find flowers to match your overall wedding colour palette, perhaps on your greeting board to welcome your guests.

-Outdoor Wedding Food and Drink

Food and drink can also be a way to work the natural aesthetic into all aspects of your wedding day. Wholesome canepés served on natural wooden boards, champagne served from a champagne hedge, and many more choices can help make your reception a magically natural environment for you and your guests to enjoy. Not to mention a great way to create a talking point that will have people discussing your reception for years afterwards.

-Wedding Entertainment Ideas

You can't get much better than lawn games when it comes to effortless and easy entertainment. Things like croquet, boules, ring toss and chess will keep your guests, old and young, entertained while you slip away to take your wedding photos.

Most outdoor wedding venues will have these games to hand and provide them for free to your wedding guests, but it is always better to check beforehand.

-Outdoor Wedding Transport Ideas

Another key consideration to bear in mind is transport. Given that many outdoor wedding venues can often be well off the beaten track, especially if you're hosting it in a field or forest. Therefore, to ensure all your guests make it to the reception in one piece without getting lost, you may want to hire some form of transport that can handle the wild terrain.

If your site is in some truly rugged countryside, a tractor with a trailer attached can become an efficient guest transportation system that can ferry your guests to the marquee without getting stuck in the mud. This is also a golden opportunity to give yourself a grand entrance.

Backyard Wedding Ideas

Of course, if it's large enough, you could always host your reception in your own back garden. But even if your garden isn't overly large, that's nothing tragic. The one thing everyone loves about garden weddings is their intimacy. Rather than a large reception where you'll barely speak to the people two tables over, backyard weddings throw all your wedding guests together. You never know; if you're in the mood, you can even play matchmaker.

Backyard weddings are also incredibly convenient, given that you already own the venue and know everything it has to offer. This also makes them incredibly budget-friendly for those looking to splash some cash on other elements of their reception. Some people may feel that backyard receptions are too casual.

But it's not all about the venue - it's what you do with it. There are innumerable ways to turn your back garden into a beautiful wedding reception venue that will wow your guests.

-Plan for rain

The peril of every outdoor wedding is invariably the rain. Everyone hopes for sunny weather on their special day, especially if you're having a spring wedding. But, England being England, this isn't always guaranteed. Therefore, wedding planners always suggest making a rain plan before a sunshine plan.

This way, if the heavens do open, you'll quickly be able to move your guests and vendors to where they can stay warm and dry. The easiest way to achieve this is to hire a tent or marquee with enough space for everyone to fit in. Alternatively, you could get creative with umbrellas or other protective measures against the rain.

-Bring nature inside

Having trees indoors doesn't have to be reserved for the Christmas season. If you have a tent or marquee at your backyard wedding, bringing trees inside can create a magical feeling like being in a natural forest. Twinned with natural table wedding decorations and flower arrangements, and you've got a recipe for a magical day.

Topiary or potted trees can also provide a way to guide your guests to their seats or act as aisle markers so everyone knows which way to go. Not only beautiful, but the décor of your backyard wedding can be practical too.

-Use your natural surroundings

Given that you'll be celebrating in a familiar environment, you'll know best how to use it to your advantage. Are there any corners of your garden more beautiful than the others? Is there a way to incorporate the natural features of your backyard into your décor choices?

You can make all of these considerations when planning your reception. Matching colours with what exists already in your garden's surroundings is another way to create a seamless and enjoyable aesthetic.

-Colour your tables

Printed linen table cloths are perfect when creating a rustic feel for your outdoor wedding reception. Typically these come in nautical tones for a natural aesthetic, but you can find patterns of all kinds to match your natural environment, such as floral prints. 

-Centrepieces

Potted flowers or colourful plants in beautiful vases make for excellent natural centrepieces for your tables, alongside the candles. You might even consider gathering some of the shrubbery or flowers you already have in your garden to match your surroundings. 

Clustering plants, herbs or fruit-bearing trees together make for dramatic centrepieces in the middle of the table or the middle of the dance floor. You can also repurpose the plants you use directly into your garden once you're reception is finished, rather than throwing them away.

-Use your greenery

Tents and marquees offer a lot of décor possibilities, given their verticality. You can use this to your advantage by creating beautiful canopies of floral displays and greenery to create a truly magical setting to celebrate in.

Weaving plants and flowers together into dramatic friezes is another great idea to create a soft and intimate space for your guests.

Budget-Friendly DIY Outdoor Wedding Ideas

Getting married in the beautiful outdoors also provides the opportunity to make some budget-friendly choices. From creating a common colour scheme or overall aesthetic to using natural resources that are close at hand, outdoor weddings provide interesting opportunities that other wedding venues don't. From rustic vibes to garden parties, there's plenty to love with al fresco parties

-Tea and coffee

This is the easiest way to make your guests feel at home. Providing plenty of tea and coffee at a dedicated beverage station, all in some beautiful porcelain, is a small detail, but you'll notice it if it's not there.

-Haystack seating

Swapping your boring old ceremony seating for haystacks is the best way to create a true countryside feel for your wedding reception. Laying out quilts or blankets on top for a cosy, relaxing outdoor setting will also make your guests incredibly comfortable.

-Photographs

Why not hand out some Instamatic cameras so your guests can snap one another as they enjoy your big day? Alternatively, provide a beautiful space where your official photographer can snap you and your guests with a ready-made backdrop in your style.

-Photo displays

Your wedding is a celebration of your relationship, so what better way to show your guests how much you love one another than having a display of your photographs around tree trunks for them to peruse.

-Wedding arch

Unlike indoor venues, where the layout is pretty much set in stone, you can choose where the focal point of your reception is when having it outdoors. Creating a beautiful arch of woven flowers and plants can create a stunning scene to draw your guests' eyes wherever they are.

-Parasols

A fantastic method to account for both rain and sun, having parasol stands placed around your outdoor wedding venue allows your guests to protect themselves whatever the weather. They can also become part of your reception's aesthetic if you choose parasols with particular floral patterns or designs.