Decor for an Outdoor Wedding
Surrounded by trees, flowers, blue skies, a sandy beach or a mountain view as your backdrop, outdoor weddings are beautiful, but can be an overwhelming blank canvas to integrate with your theme and style. Luckily there are decor details like lightning, flower arrangements and decorative structures that can be styled to complement both your theme and outdoor space in any season or location.
Choosing an Outdoor Wedding Theme
Choosing your wedding theme will help you narrow down a venue, decide what decorations to use, etc. Whether you’re in sunny California or the mountains of Colorado, an outdoor wedding can be beautiful during any of the four seasons. If you’re choosing to say “I do” outside, you’ll want to consider the season and climate when choosing your wedding theme. If you choose an off-season wedding, like Fall in Colorado, you can let the season inspire your theme; don’t be afraid of a winter wedding, even in a colder climate.
In addition to the time of year, you can also think about your theme in relation to your venue. If you choose a park or space with gardens, a cottagecore or garden theme would be lovely. If you choose a farmhouse, you could go with a rustic bohemian or farmhouse chic vibe. If there are an abundance of trees an enchanted forest could be fun and of course a beach lends itself to a beachy theme. In addition to nature, groves of trees, hedges and other landscaped elements as your backdrop, some areas may benefit from adding man-made structures, furniture and decor.
Color scheme is an important aspect of your wedding theme, and what better color palette than one inspired by the natural elements present at your event location. Colors complimentary to fall leaves, the pastels of spring, evergreens or endless blue sea are a great starting point. What are the naturally occurring colors at your location, keeping in mind the time of year? What are the colors and style elements that represent you and how do those two things work together?
How to Decorate an Outdoor Wedding
For the most part, planning an outdoor wedding including finding vendors, floral designers, photographers, officiants, catering companies, etc. is largely the same as if you were planning an indoor gathering, just make sure you have access to electricity and work with companies that have experience with outdoor events. Unless you also have access to an indoor space, you’ll likely be decorating a tent and utilizing rented chairs, which can be adorned with textured curtains and tiebacks, funky chandeliers and colorful cushions to match your theme.
Having an outdoor wedding means you get to take advantage of the natural beauty around you and decor could be simple. When designing your tables, wedding aisle, altar, arbors, etc, you can utilize natural elements in addition to bringing in furniture and larger fixtures. You’ll likely need lighting and can use paper lanterns, twinkling lights or stately chandeliers depending on your theme. Lighting and decor can hang from trees, your altar could be against the backdrop of a rose garden and the landscaping might create perfect nooks and crannies for guestbooks, dessert and drink tables and mingling.
As long as your theme or color scheme is strong and complimentary to the existing natural elements of your venue, your decorations will create a magical and memorable environment for you and your guests. Historic Acres of Hershey is a beautiful wedding and event venue along rolling hills in the Pennsylvania countryside. Contact our team to learn more about our availability and to schedule a tour.