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WaW Wedding Tip Sheet: Having an Outdoor Ceremony?

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It’s summer! Beach time! It’s also a great season to have outdoor ceremonies.

So here are some tips you can check out if you’re raring to have that outdoor ceremony you’ve been thinking of for so long.

    1. Remember that our summers are scorching hot. So avoid choosing to start the ceremony at 3PM. Invitation time should be at 3:30PM so that by the time you’re about to march at 4PM, it would be possible for people to sit down already on the seats and they can actually march without getting skin cancer. By the time you end, i.e. your recessional around 5:30PM, you will have enough time for pictorials as a couple.
    2. It’s a kind gesture to have cold water bottles waiting for guests upon arrival at the ceremony area. You can add foldable fans as well or cardboard fans with your ceremony programme.
    3. If you want to have an early ceremony, i.e. a 2:30PM invitation time, but you’d rather not have a tent or if you’re not sure if the heat will be bearable by the time you want to march, you can give umbrellas as giveaways. They will double up as protection from the sun.
    4. Have lots of cold drinks available at the cocktail area after the ceremony. You can even have ice cream or canapés that have cold toppings so that the guests will feel refreshed while eating them.
    5. If you can help it, avoid having both the ceremony and reception outdoors. That way, guests have a chance to cool down also. Since the reception is longer, I would suggest having it indoors, especially because insects tend to come out at night and if it’s summer, the weather won’t be comfortable even if the sun has set already. It will still be warm — difficult for guests wearing formal clothes.
    6. Your invitation should clearly state the venue and have an illustration of suggested clothes and footwear that would be comfortable for the garden or beach ceremony you wish to have. You’d rather not have godmothers showing up wearing stilettos or super beaded dresses that would make them feel even more warm than it already is.
    7. Your attires as bride, groom, and entourage should match the weather of the day. It’s going to be warm so light and airy clothes are best. Avoid heavy and dark fabrics that will make you sweat all throughout.
    8. Have lots of industrial type coolers so that you can still feel comfortable while having the ceremony/reception outdoors. Four units, i.e. one for each corner, will not suffice.
    9. Visit the venue a year before your big day and a few days before your big day so you are sure your area for ceremony would be the most comfortable area for the guests. I know venues like The Mango Farm give specific areas depending on the month you’re getting married but if yours is a venue that just gives you the freedom to choose without giving advice, then you should visit and really check which area has morning sun so that your afternoon event will not be too affected by the sun’s direct rays.
    10. Avoid confetti blasts during the recessional. You don’t want to affect the grass or the sand with your confetti. Petals are biodegradable so they are fine for your petal shower after the ceremony and group pictorials. You can also use ribbon wands or bubble guns so you don’t end up causing the sand to look dirty after your recessional.
    11. Mention your outdoor ceremony to your florist so he or she can choose flowers that can withstand the heat of the sun.
    12. Do not forget to book a sound system supplier for your outdoor ceremony. Some take for granted that the sound system can just transfer from the ceremony to the reception area and vice versa. Lots of wires to deal with, so they can’t just transfer. You need a group for your ceremony and another one for your reception. Give your musicians’ needs to the sound system provider so that your musicians can be properly heard during the ceremony.

Aside from all the physical preparations, one must also prepare for the actual ceremony. Have the pastor’s programme printed for your coordinators and musicians so they can follow and anticipate what will happen next. Example: while pastor is giving his pieces of advice, the coordinators can already prepare the ring bearer because he will be called to bring the rings next according to the programme given by the pastor. Remember that pastors have the freedom to create their own ceremony programmes so this copy is so important for coordinators and musicians to be prepared for what will happen next. As a couple, you should also prepare for your personal vows and honouring of parents segment. That way, you won’t ramble and end up merely crying and crying there in front. You owe it to God and to these special people to prepare for the moments when you’d have control of the microphone.

 

Read more of Darlene Tan-Salazar’s WaW Wedding Tip Sheet articles at weddingsatwork.com/category/waw-wedding-tip-sheet/.

Photo Credits: John Kenneth Alejo and Wynndee Penolio. Photography by We Are Seekers.

 

 

About Darlene Tan-Salazar, W@W Supplier of Year (2015):

Darlene started out as a Planner/Coordinator of Perfect 10 Weddings. Since she needed more time for family matters, she opted to focus on emceeing, and has since started “The Wedding Tip Sheet“, a Facebook page that tackles the practical points in planning a wedding.

 

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WaW Before I Do: What Would I Say If I Were Your Best Man or Maybe Even The Father of The Bride?

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[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]This is just a thinking out loud article so please pardon me. What if you got John Mateos Ong to be your best man and do a 10 minute speech during the reception about making your marriage work what would he say? Here are the top 5 things on my mind…

Invite Jesus in – This is the most important thing you can do so don’t take it for granted. You can go to church, you can pray (or at least murmur a bunch of words) and even read the bible but if you have not surrendered yourself then it’s all useless. When I say Surrender it means the same as how a soldier would surrender himself to the enemy. It means stopping the the fight, giving up and allowing him. It means submitting yourself to God’s will, His rules and dominion over you realizing and believing what he wants is the best for you. You may not agree with it 100% but you know in case you don’t see eye to eye — He’s probably right and you’re probably wrong.

It’s a process – Marriage is not the end, its the start of a new journey and from here I wanna ask you where you want to go. Do you want to make it heavenly or hell like? What must you do? Here are some suggestions:

  • Dating never stops after marriage.
  • Be in a group that regularly asks – How is marriage? How can it improve?
  • Get into annual marriage retreats where you can enjoy each other and know more about each other.

Leave your baggage – Since today is the starting point, I think this is a must. Your problems and issues must be left in the past life. Accept each other as a whole, flaws and all. Unfortunately, you can’t be selective in what you want to accept in your spouse like “I love your sweetness but I hate your snoring so lets separate rooms at night”. No! it’s all part of the package…

Remember you are a team – You don’t lose your individual identities. I am still John and Monique is still Monique but you have to learn to start thinking about the “US”. Purchases, trips or decisions that affect the family. You two are on the same team and never against each other. Problems start when you start thinking she’s my enemy.

Do things together and be together – I wrote an article a few months back about doing things together and these things best done when you are together physically. I am sad when one person needs to be away for several months for work. I get homesick and miss my family the minute I get on the plane. It is not how God designed it.

As I end this article, my encouragement for all husbands & wives is to be passionate about your role as husband and wife. When I discovered photography, I didn’t just buy a camera. I researched on it’s history, I bought books, watched videos, attended seminars and workshops… I cleaned my camera day and night and took it wherever I went. I would talk about it with friends sharing new discoveries that I learned. When I’m not doing anything, I would open my laptop and look at my pictures to see how I can improve. That’s passion! And if we can be like this with something as simple as photography why can we not do the same for marriage? Wives should hunger to become the best wife she can be and how they can serve their husbands best… and husbands should be on-fire at becoming the best husband and loving their wives like no one can (except for God).

 

Read more of John and Monique Ong’s WaW Before I Do articles at www.weddingsatwork.com/category/waw-before-i-do/.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_block_grid type=”two-up”][cs_block_grid_item title=”Block Grid Item 1″]About John & Monique Ong:

Husband and Wife John and Monique Ong are partners in every sense – from homeschooling their children, running their business Imagine Nation Photography Inc, blogging, and in helping equip soon-to-wed couples and newlyweds for their lives together.[/cs_block_grid_item][cs_block_grid_item title=”Block Grid Item 2″]john-monique-ong[/cs_block_grid_item][/cs_block_grid][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

5 Things to Remember When Getting Married during Rainy Season

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[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Most brides cringe at the thought of a downpour on their wedding days, especially when they want to hold their ceremonies or their receptions outdoors.

Just imagine mud on your shoes and the trains of your dress, or having all your guests in their suits and cocktail dresses trying to fit under a small roof to avoid getting soaked; Rain can easily turn your special day into a disaster.

It be all that bad. Rain, after all, can be a glorious addition on the day you exchange your I do’s.
We weighed in with some of our W@Wies and got some really great tips on how not to let the rain ruin your wedding day:

1. Get efficient and trustworthy suppliers

Many of the W@Wies raved about how their organizers and suppliers saved their wedding for them and how they didn’t let the bride stress out.

W@Wie Sarah Ingles’ garden-themed wedding was almost relocated indoors, and credits her suppliers for their efficiency.

She shares, “…even if I was quite stressed with the weather pinaubaya ko na lahat sa suppliers ko (I entrusted everything to my suppliers) and they all performed marvellously.”

“Happened to us at Antonio’s,” Nina Comsti said. “Buti na lang may indoor venue and napakagaling ng coordinator mag-troubleshoot!” (It’s a good thing there was an indoor venue and the coordinator was good in troubleshooting)

There are many low-cost organizers and suppliers out there, but it’s in times like the rainy season that you’ll understand why the ones who will cost you a little bit more is worth your investment.

They think on their feet and will make sure everything’s covered even before your notice that anything had gone wrong.

2. Have a Plan B

The most practical thing to do when you schedule your wedding outdoors during rainy season is to have a contingency plan.

Make sure that you have tents and umbrellas ready, and brainstorm with your coordinator on what to do in case the original plan needs to get thrown out the window.

You can even talk to your photographer about using the rain as your backdrop for your wedding photos!

Photographer Noel Salazar advice for would-be brides to just go with whatever happens and adds, “Also, make sure na if rainy season then outdoor wedding, the couple MUST prepare tents. I shot a wedding on the beach while it was raining. Everybody got wet, except for those who had umbrellas.”

Wedding coordinator Ayie Tuates says that she always pushes until there’s no choice but to relocate. She coordinates with the caterer and stylist on how much time they need to spare for the setup and adjusts accordingly.

This is so the setup team will not have too much trouble transferring everything to another venue if it begins to rain.

3. Plan alternative routes going to the venue

Puy Talde reminds suppliers to coordinate a travel plan. “Rains = baha (flood) = traffic,” he says. “If I can’t send an advance party, I tell the driver to stay close to the bridal car even if the route that the bridal car takes doesn’t make sense. At least you arrive in church with the bride.”

You should also make sure that your guests are provided a copy of an alternative route to your wedding venue especially if you’re getting married out of town. This way you can be sure that they are going the best routes possible to make it to your wedding on time.

4. Hire the best entertainers

Since you’re all going to stay indoors for a while, make sure that you have good entertainment lined up.

W@Wie Charo shares about her cousin’s wedding in Phuket last year. She says that the light rain during the ceremony made the wedding look more romantic. They had to transfer to the villa for the reception as the rain started getting stronger, and the cultural performers and the fire dancers entertained the guests while they waited for the tables to be set up. “Galing ng coordinator!” She gushes. “Naging maayos pa rin lahat.” (Everything still turned out well)

5. Keep your sense of humor

One of the things that brides need to remember is to have a sense of humor. You don’t need to crack jokes to entertain your guests, but try to see the best in every situation.

W@Wie Cris Zanrie Cruz attended a wedding when a rumbling of thunder happened while the bride was saying her vows. “It was remarkable! Instead of being sad about the weather, nag-joke yung bride nung kumulog nung vow niya.” (The bride made a joke about the thunder)

Letting the rains affect you may ruin your day completely. Just keep calm and work with your suppliers.

One of our N@Wies who was once a W@Wie, Naj Fernandine, talks about her experience with a storm during a wedding held in Rosemont. She ended up wet along with the coordinators and the photographer’s lens was starting to moisten, but she said that the venue was packed with guests and the event was successful.

“Minsan talaga when the worst comes kayo na lang magkakatrabaho na supplier ang magkakasamang mag-work yun kasal,” she says. “Team work ika nga!” (There will be times when the suppliers are the ones left to make the wedding work. It’s called Team Work.”
“Had a bride before, stressed na stressed kasi it was raining and she wouldn’t be getting her garden wedding, so it was hard to shoot her,” says Noel Salazar.

Focus on the person you will marry, not the weather.

The reality is that sometimes no amount of preparation and planning can make everything alright. At the rate the climate changes are going, rains are bound to happen even in months you are not expecting them to happen.

You should not let it dampen your spirit nor should you let it dictate your day. Don’t spend your days worrying about it, learn how to take it all in stride. Things are better when you don’t stress and you don’t stress everyone around you about it. Just make sure you’ve got a great team behind your wedding and trust them to handle the curves.

As Noel Salazar reminds the brides-to-be, the most important thing in your wedding is the person you’re getting married to and that should be enough to make you smile.
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About the contributor, May De Jesus-Palacpac:
May jests that writing for W@W makes up for the details she missed at her own wedding. Prior to jumping into writing and editing full time, she was a full time musician who spent her last two years in the circuit serenading newlyweds and their guests. May is the Editor of the books Productive Pinoy and Right Start. She is also a blogger and a contributor for other websites and publications.

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