Make the Best of A Hot Summer Wedding

The summer season is a wonderful time for a wedding. The best thing about it is that you can bet it won’t rain on your wedding day.

No wonder, outdoor weddings are popular during summer. Why not! Getting married amidst a green, lush garden or a peaceful, white-sand beach is indeed, a very romantic setting.

If you live in the South Americas or in a tropical country like the Philippines, a summer wedding can be too hot to handle. Even if you live Baguio, (where the climate is cool most of the year) the months of March, April and May can still be hot or humid. How can you keep your wedding cool despite the hot summer weather? Here are some tips:

Get married early morning or late afternoon. During hot summer months, you’ll want to avoid the time of the day when the sun is at its strongest. Thus, early morning or late afternoon is most ideal. Imagine exchanging vows by the beach under a breathtaking sunrise or a glorious sunset.

Light up the place with lanterns. If it’s going to be a late afternoon wedding by a garden or a backyard, light up the place as the sun sets with hanging lanterns or glass lamps.

Beat the heat with a refreshing menu. For your wedding menu, sea foods, barbecues, or grills are the most sumptuous choices. For early morning wedding, think breakfast! Don’t forget to serve fresh vegetable salads (avocadoes, cucumbers, greens), and platters of fresh fruits like melon, honey dew, berries, peaches, pears, ripe mangoes and watermelon for a refreshing treat.

A simple sorbet with fresh fruits is a delicious, cool summer dessert. Must-have Beverages! Lemonade, iced-tea with honey, piñacolada, martini and margarita are ideal thirst-quenchers.

Celebrate summer with flowers. Another great thing about summer weddings is that flowers are cheaper this season. Liven up your venue with fresh summer flowers such as daisies, chrysanthemums, gerberas, zinnias, carnation, mums, calla lilies, hydrangea, anthuriums, etc. Even orchids, tulips and roses cost less during summer.

Decorate with fruits or vegetables. Summer is a bountiful time of the year and you’ll want to take advantage of the season by using fresh fruits or veggies not only in your menu but for decorations as well.

Fruits in season are inexpensive, beautiful and refreshing to look at. For example, fill a large glass or vase with green mangoes or yellow lemons and use them as centerpieces.

Go sleeveless or strapless. Most wedding gowns in the market are either sleeveless or strapless which are perfect for summer weddings. Avoid gowns with very long trains or made out of heavy fabric. If it’s going to be a beach wedding or a garden wedding, consider choosing a simple yet elegantly-designed, slip-on gown.

Wear light make up. You don’t want melting make-up on your face in this hot weather so it’s best to keep it light. Wear a high quality oil-free liquid foundation with sunscreen protection.

Use colors that complement your skin and bring out your best features. To keep make up from smudging, use oil-control films to blot away oil and perspiration off your face. Don't forget a rich moisture lipstick with SPF to keep your lips from drying.

Choose colors that soothe the eye. For your motif, stay away from colors that reflect the sun. Bright colors will certainly look beautiful in your wedding pictures but bright doesn’t have to be so intense as to hurt the eyes.

For my own wedding, I chose a bright but cool tinge of blue which is cool to the eyes but still bright enough to stand out in the photos. You may also choose 2 different colors or 2 different shades of the same color for your bridesmaids and maid-of-honor.

Cocktails dresses for your bridesmaids. Cocktail dresses that are shorter in length, (ankle or knee-length) are great for summer weddings. Not only do they look great in photos, they’re also comfortable to wear and cheaper than very formal bridesmaids gowns.

Make your own bouquets. Rather than paying for floral arrangements, save your budget by making your own bouquets. Making bouquets don’t have to be complicated. Let flowers show their natural beauty.

Simply tie up your choice of flowers with a sash and voila! your bouquet is ready. Combine different flowers in one bouquet, or go with only one color or one type of flower. Each of your bridesmaids can carry a different type of flower while your maid-of-honor can carry only one stalk of a large flower. Of course, as the bride, you should carry the most beautiful bouquet of all.

Summer wedding favors. For a beach wedding, paper weights, candles, and ornaments accented or made out of seashells and sand make memorable wedding souvenirs. For a garden wedding, you can give away potted flowers or seeds embedded in colourful papers or notecards. Paper or wooden fans and straw hats are also ideal summer wedding favors.

Offer cold towelletes to your guests. At your wedding reception, pass on a tray of cold towellettes soaked in scented water (just add a few drops of lavender oil or rosemary oil to a basin of cold water) to help your guests cool down.

Keep the sun out. Sometimes, it rains even in summer. But even if it won’t rain, you can keep the sun out by putting up a tent where your guests are shielded from the sun’s hot glare!

Water! Make sure that chilled (not ice-cold) drinking water is easily within reach. You can set up at least 2 or more water dispensers where guests can just help themselves with whenever they're thirsty.

Do you have a cool summer wedding tip to add to this list? Do Share!