The Ultimate Guide To Planning A Summer Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! The summer season is a perfect time to tie the knot – the warm weather, blooming flowers, and vibrant colours make summer a popular choice for so many happy couples looking to celebrate with family and friends. 

Planning a wedding is extremely exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. This is especially true during the summer months as venues, vendors, photographers, and many other wedding-related businesses are in high demand. 

When asking how to plan a summer wedding, the trick is to start planning it as soon as possible, leaving plenty of time for you to get your bookings and vendors secured. We’ve put together this ultimate guide to planning your summer wedding in order to help you to achieve your dream wedding with minimal stress – so let’s get started. 

Choose the right venue and book it as soon as possible.

The first thing you’re going to want to do when asking how to plan a summer wedding is to look at venues. There are different types of venues for you to choose from, including registry offices, churches and listed buildings. The location of these venues is usually reflected in the price – this is especially true for the summer months as many couples want to opt for venues with stunning outdoor areas that make for the best photo opportunities.

For summer weddings, outdoor venues such as those with beautiful gardens or private beaches are always popular and are guaranteed to take your guests’ breath away! Whether you’re looking for a mansion with beautiful gardens or a stunning rustic barn to say your “I do’s” in, make sure you contact the venue as soon as possible as these book up quickly during the summer months.

Choose a theme for your wedding.

Summer weddings are just asking for bright, colourful and vibrant themes so when considering how to plan a summer wedding, always think about your colour scheme or theme. Whether you choose to embrace a bright or light colour scheme, or you go all out and opt for a specific theme for your wedding, such as floral, beach, or tropical, there’s lots of fun to be had when it comes to decorating your venue and choosing outfits. 

The theme of your wedding ultimately dictates the rest of your wedding planning, so be sure to think carefully about the pros and cons of each theme before committing. You may wish to take a look at the available wedding stationery from sites such as loomweddings.com before finalising your theme, as this is a great way to get a feel for the type of aesthetics that are popular at the moment.

Choose your wedding stationery. 

Once you have picked the theme of your wedding, you can start to consider the other aspects involved in planning your summer wedding. Your wedding stationery makes up a large amount of the planning process when considering how to plan a summer wedding, so it’s important that you do your research to get the best deals and artwork for you. There’s a lot to consider when purchasing wedding stationery, including things such as wedding invitations, save the dates, and even beautiful wedding cards to adorn your table places with. 

Plan the menu.

One of the best things about looking into how to plan a summer wedding is considering the menu options. The summer season offers an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that can be incorporated into your wedding menu to make a truly delicious meal that you and your guests will all remember. A refreshing salad or fruit skewers can be perfect for an appetiser, while grilled fish or chicken can be a great main course. For dessert, you could even consider serving ice cream or a fruit sorbet. Don’t forget to offer a variety of refreshing drinks, like iced tea, lemonade, or a signature cocktail. 

These details may all be included in your venue’s package, so be sure to discuss food arrangements with them and talk about their policy on alcoholic drinks. 

Finalise your dress code. 

Now that you know your theme you will be able to finalise your dress code. Summer weddings call for relaxed, comfortable clothing. For men, try suggesting light suits and linen shirts to ensure they stay cool and comfortable throughout your celebrations. For women, you could suggest light, floaty dresses and flip flops in colours that suit your theme. 

Don’t forget to finalise details with the wedding party too. Your bridesmaids, best man, mother of the bride, and mother of the groom will all need details on how to dress.

Decide on your entertainment.

When thinking about how to plan a summer wedding, you cannot forget about the entertainment. Summer weddings offer a plethora of entertainment options, so you will be spoilt for choices. You could hire a live band or a DJ to keep your guests entertained, suggest karaoke or lay down a dance floor. If your venue permits it, you could also set up lawn games, like giant Jenga, for guests to enjoy during the cocktail hour.

Make sure to discuss your entertainment plans with your venue before booking anything to avoid disappointment. 

Consider the weather.

Despite it being summer, we all know that the weather can be unpredictable – especially in the UK! One of the most important things to consider when working out how to plan a summer wedding is to always plan for rain. Make sure that you have somewhere to go if it does start raining so you and your guests don’t all get wet. If you’re planning to have a lot of your ceremony or wedding breakfast outside, ensure that you have cleared it with your venue for you to set up indoors if necessary. 

Don’t forget your photographer.

Summer provides natural lighting and beautiful backdrops for wedding photos, so be sure to hire a professional photographer who can capture the essence of the season. Consider taking some of your photos during the golden hour, which is the hour before sunset when the light is soft and warm to caption some truly romantic scenes. 

Photographers often get booked up quickly in the summer months, so be sure to contact your chosen photographer as soon as possible and expect to pay a deposit fee when booking. 

Send out your invitations!

After all that hard work and planning, it’s finally time to send out your wedding invitations. It’s best to send out your invitations at least six to eight weeks before the wedding. Include all the necessary details, like the date, time, location, dress code, and RSVP information. You may wish to send out Save The Date cards several months before to ensure that everyone is able to secure time off work or school to attend. 

Decide if you’re going to have wedding favours.

Many couples want to leave their guests with a special momento from their big day. Wedding favours are small gifts that the bride and groom leave for their guests, and there’s an array of options available. From cute cookies to personalised coasters; there are lots of affordable wedding favor ideas to choose from. Don’t feel that you have to break the bank when it comes to wedding favours. It’s a completely optional part of your big day.

Final thoughts on how to plan a summer wedding.

In conclusion, planning a summer wedding can be stressful, but with the right planning and preparation, it can also be a lot of fun. Consider these tips when planning your summer wedding, and don’t forget to enjoy the process. Remember, your wedding day is all about celebrating the love between you and your partner with your family and friends, and that’s what really matters.