Bugs!

kahaywa

We are getting maried outdoors near woods and water in the middle of summer on his Parent's farm with the reeption there as well.  Our ceremony is going to be early afternoon, but given our families we expect the reception to go well into the night. I thought it would be a good idea to include bug repellant wipes (Off or something like) with the favors or near the guest book. My Mom is worried that this will offend people, but I just don't want my wedding to be remembered as the one that had them ithcing for days after! I realize that not everyone enjoys citronella (we thought of using the candles at the tables but that was shot down as well), but maybe if we found unscented wipes?

tiny speck

As a guest I'd personally prefer to have candles dotted around your reception area rather than wipes. I'd probably bring my own bug repellant to use throughout the night.

efmcc67

I'm a fan of citronella candles. They smell pleasant, but bugs hate them. It might be a good idea to have insect repellent on hand if needed, but you might not have to keep it in sight.

NOLAbridealmost

I think the wipes are a great idea. I'd use them for sure. Please do that!

Loopyseven

I think you should do both.  The candle should help quite a bit, and for those that are still bugged (ha) they can add extra protection with the wipes.  It would never occur to me to take bug spray/wipes to a wedding reception - even if I knew it was going to be outside - so it would be a nice touch to have some available.  If people don't want to use them, they won't.  It's not like you're going to go around wiping people down against their will.

wrigleyville

I would definitely appreciate the wipes and candles. As Loopy said, it wouldn't occur to me to bring insect repellent (and it might not fit in my handbag).

I agree with your mom that they might look strange next to the nice favors and guestbook. Maybe you can put them in a few pretty baskets and scatter them around the reception site.

There are citronella candles that don't smell like citronella, which tends to be strong. I found some lavender-scented ones when stocking up for BBQs. You could also use torches around the perimeter, which would look really pretty in pictures.

gottahavashorti

Tiki torches and find somewhere to place bug spray & wipes.  One of our friends had several tiki torches lighting the way from the tent to the bathrooms and they gave a great vibe.

Ditto PPs on citronella candles.  I'd much rather smell the candles or put on some bug spray than be eaten alive.  Could you start out with the candles on the tables, then have them lit at nightfall?

MoonlightSilver

If your reception is outside in the middle of a farm, I assume you're providing some sort of bathroom? My SIL had a basket outside the port-a-potties with hair spray, lotions, etc. You could include the wipes in that area, so that they don't look strange next to the guest book. 

As for the candles, I agree you should use them, just not at the tables. Spread them around the edge of the reception area / tent area. 

kahaywa

Thank you so much! I never thought about a ground spray or tiki torches,but will look into both. I also like the idea of the lavender scented citronella. His parents have a lot of large parties at their house all the time and even have a bathroom that opens up to the yard, just for that, I'm sure that we could even put full sized bottles of spray in there next to the soap!