1. Ok, we were blessed with just about the best day of the whole summer! We were just plain lucky. We did have contingency plans. Wedding took place at my friend's Christmas tree farm - ceremony at the pond at the edge of the property and party/reception was between the fields of trees and her beautiful farmhouse, barns, and chicken coops! In case of bad weather we would have been able to move everything inside the barn and tent. I had a very small wedding.2. Keep it simple and casual. Isn't that why you're outside? Let your surroundings guide you. You chose the setting for a reason, don't try to hide it or dress it up to be something it's not. I used the tree and farm theme throughout my wedding - in the favors, in the casual tone of the wedding, decorations, etc.3. Remember things don't always go as planned and be prepared for surprises. Hey, sometimes that's the best part, right? At one point, my new father-in-law chased, and caught one of the roosters. Later during our photos my friend's son handed me a chicken to pose with. After many patient photos, the chicken finally had had enough and she pooped on me - yes in the dress. No worries - chicken poop washes out pretty easily with water. Day rolled on and I have a great story for the rest of my life!
We also have a great series of pics!4. Add something personal and quirky. We had take-out Chinese food delivered for our meal. It was a late afternoon wedding and it's kind of an inside family joke. It added a lot, made for a great story for our guests, and helped frame our decorations and the rest of our favors. We had chinese lanterns that lit up as darkness fell. We also decorated chinese take-out boxes filled with home-made chocolate fortune cookies. The fortunes were written during a bridal shower/bachelorette party a couple of weeks before the wedding. Some were pretty funny!5. Splurge on something extra special and lovely. I insisted on exceptional wine to go with our quirky meal. I have a friend who direct imports wine from small vineyards in provence. We bought a few cases of rose from them to go with the spicy Asian foods we would be having for our late lunch.6. Finally, let your friends (and the professionals you hire) do their jobs. Give them the information they need to do their job and let them do it. When I was looking for a florist, I tested her several months before the event. I ordered a bouquet of flowers and had them delivered to my friend's farm for her birthday. I then asked my friend for a report. She said the flowers were beautiful, they delivery (at a farm in the middle of nowhere NH) was prompt and accurate, and they had called to make sure she was there before coming out. I was sold. I called back about 3-4 weeks before my wedding and made arrangements for my small wedding. Everything was beautiful! A dear friend from high school is now a very talented photographer. She took care of all our photographs including some very quirky engagement shots. Let people help you.Enjoy your party.