Nervous Newbie to the outdoor wedding option

reppunzel

Dear fellow Knotties,

I'm laughing at myself as I type this because I have always thought that I would NOT ever want to do an outdoor wedding (uncertainty about weather, bugs, plus I hate being hot and sweaty, esp. in formalwear).  So FI and I found a beautiful church in town with beautiful woodwork, stained glass, a working bell and a fellowship hall where we could hold our rehearsal dinner and reception.

But then this week we found a little spot that has us reconsidering.   It's a little amphitheatre in a private, wooded area -- it seriously has the feel of a personal outdoor cathedral.  We both love it, esp. my dear FI.  We're hoping to gather as much information as we can and then sit down and compare the two venues for cost, workload, etc.

The initial excited shock has worn off a bit now, and I'm a bit overwhelmed at the logistics of planning an outdoor event. Here's what I have so far:

* Spring wedding (whichever venue we use); probably April or May
* There are restrooms available nearby (men's and women's with flush toilets and electricity)
* There is a rain option for the ceremony: a roofed gazebo on the lake nearby is almost the exact same size as the amphitheatre (we would be renting the entire area)
*  I know we'll need chairs/seating
* Planning a daylight ceremony (either afternoon or early evening) with a short reception (ending before dark)
* There is an old-but-restored farmhouse nearby with a veranda facing the water that we would love to use for the reception (food on the veranda, tables set up on the lawn).  If we can use it, there are two front rooms inside that could be our reception rain option (in the case of windy, driving rain, could use for the ceremony, too, if we had to -- it would be cramped, but we don't often get that kind of weather).
* There are paved walkways almost the whole way to our little spot, and parking arrangements can be made

What else do I need to be thinking about?  What questions should we be asking???  What details tend to get overlooked until they're nipping at your heels (and budget) at the last minute?
Thank you, in advance, for any help / insight!

Avion22

I think your outside venue sounds awesome, and you have covered most of the big points of concern for outdoor ceremonies. A few other thing to consider: Is there enough parking? How far away is the parking from the different options of ceremony locations? Could this pose a problem for anyone with mobility problems? Is there any electricity at either of the two outdoor spots? If you want a sound system for amplification or music, then you'll need electricity. You could do music with a battery-powered boom box or iHome, but you might want to have a microphone. We didn't and it was okay without, but it's something to consider. Are there any noise ordinances that restrict the use of amplified sound? Some places have complete restrictions, and some prohibit it after a certain time (say, 10pm). Do y ou have to bring in your own tables, chairs, linens, etc?

reppunzel

Thank you, Avion.  Here's what I know so far:

Parking -- there are two lots that are convenient to the location (one is closer to the gazebo, the other to the reception site, our preferred ceremony site is pretty much in between them).  The walkways are paved except for a short distance; we'll double-check the guest list (once we finalize it) for mobility issues.  The sites are on a university campus, so we're going to have to check with parking services about securing lot availability and whether or not our guests need parking passes, etc.

Not sure about electrical access, except at the house (possible reception venue); they offer referals to a team who arranges production (sound, lighting, etc.) for multiple on-campus events, so we'll ask them.  I don't think we'll need a mike in the amphitheatre:  it's small and we're planning ~50 people total (including wedding party and family).  Not sure about the gazebo (if we wind up using that b/c of rain) since it's more open and on the water ... that'll go on the questions list, too, with the noise ordinances.

Tables/chairs/linens: there are tables and chairs available upon request for campus events -- not sure whether we can reserve them for a wedding.  Otherwise we'll be renting/scrounging.  We're also still discussing time of day:  early afternoon wedding with an appetizers, cake and coffee/punch reception or early evening wedding with a picnic supper on the lawn.  That, of course, will affect how many tables we need and what type (tables to sit at for a meal vs. tables to set a cup or plate on as guests mingle and talk).

Do you mind if I ask what area of VA you live in?  I noticed in another thread that you mentioned a successful early April wedding, and we're hoping for mid-April, but wondering about the weather.

Thanks!

Knottie1450123632

for linens talk to food services.  where in va are you and which school will this be on.  im orginally from va and went to radford

reppunzel

Thanks for the tip on linens, southerncutie.  This would be on the VA Tech campus.

Avion22

Ah right, I think I saw you post on the VA board.  You're looking at getting married at the VT campus, right?

We got married in Charlottesville on April 7th.   April in Virginia is a crap-shoot.  It could be snowing, or it could be beautiful.  We lucked out and got beautiful -- low 70s, all the flowers in bloom, perfectly blue sky.   Like your venue, ours had several options for different weather conditions, including out on the lawn, underneath an overhang but still outside, and inside the reception hall.  This gave us the flexibility to make a game-time decision as late as noon for a 5:30 wedding.  

Two years before us, my sister and her husband got married in Northern VA on April 10th, and it was also beautiful.  The year in between it was snowing on April 1st when we went to look at our venue....

Early to mid April is the sweet spot for flowers -- dogwoods, cherry blossoms, tulips, etc all should be in bloom.  In SW VA you might be able to stretch this another week.  I grew up in VA, and I think it's at it's absolute prettiest when the trees and flowers are in bloom, so the weather was a gamble I was willing to make, and for us it REALLY paid off:-)