how to keep guests cool at a summer wedding with the celebrant angel mary gibson humanist celebrant aberdeen

Keeping wedding guests cool

We all love a good summer wedding – especially when the sun does actually shine.

It’s not that often that we get the heatwaves we’re getting right now in Scotland, and the UK, and boy is it hot.

One thing we cant control about a wedding, indoors or out, is the weather or the temperature.

But being prepared for either hot or cold weather is doable as long as you forward plan.

So let’s look at how to keep cool at summer weddings.

If you’re having an outdoor wedding, there are a few things you need to consider to avoid your guests getting too hot.

 

One of the main things to consider in hot weather is the time of day you’re having your ceremony at.

In the UK, things usually start to cool down a bit at about 4 pm. Is it possible to begin your ceremony later in the day?

You don’t want your guests getting hot, or worse still sunburnt, during your ceremony and whilst they are waiting for you to have your photos done.

So how do you keep your wedding guests cool at summer weddings?

Let’s get started with some examples of what to use to keep everyone cool at a summer wedding.

proper planning and preparation can help mitigate any challenges

Keep them covered

Providing shelter for guests to take refuge under if the sun is too hot is always a winner at an outdoor wedding.

And there are lots of cool ways to do that without breaking your budget.

Shelter

If your wedding is out in the open with no natural shelter from trees, make sure you have something like a gazebo for your guests to cool off under when they need a break from the sun.

You can buy small pop-up-style tents relatively cheaply and pop some seats under the tent, and hey presto, you have a cool seating area. You could have a few of them dotted around the ceremony area.

There are even smaller ones used on the beach that the kids would love; a den of their own would keep them happy and out of the sun for a good while.

Parasols or umbrellas

There are some beautiful wedding umbrellas out there just now. Ideal for keeping cool at a summer wedding.

Why not have them personalised for your wedding and match your wedding colours.

Or if you’re on a tight budget, why not have a competition? 

Get your guests to design their own wedding umbrella and have a prize for the best one. I think that would be so cool in your photos.

Sunglasses

They don’t have to be expensive sunglasses; go funky and fun and laugh at the photos later.

Hand fans

These are pretty cheap, and again you could personalise them for your wedding.

It’s also something for the guests to take away as a memento of the day.

Sun hats

Ask your guests to bring a sun hat with them for a competition for the best-dressed sun hat at the end of the day.

how to keep wedding guests cool at summer weddings with the celebrant angel aberdeen humanist wedding celebrant

Keep them hydrated at summer weddings

Hydration is the key to keeping guests comfortable and cool during warm temperatures.

A word of warning about alcohol though: whilst its practice to serve it in large quantities at weddings, alcohol can cause dehydration, especially when consumed on an empty stomach.

Keeping everyone hydrated, including yourself, is pretty essential as alcohol can dehydrate you pretty quickly.

Summer cocktails

Why not have a signature cocktail made for your wedding

Don’t forget to have a mocktail available too.

Why not have a frozen cocktail for when you arrive.

It won’t take long for them to melt, but at least they will be lovely and cool for your wedding guests as they arrive.

Water

Make sure that you have lots of cold water available and ice if anyone requires it.

Why not fill a cooler box with ice and put the bottles of water in the ice? They would stay lovely and cold that way.

Water mist sprays

This idea I love, but then I don’t wear makeup, so I wouldn’t have to worry about my makeup running with the mist spray.

But a brilliant idea for the kiddie winks. They could pretend they were water guns.

Keep them cool at summer weddings

Why not miss the usual wedding dessert and organise a retro ice cream van after the ceremony? Something else to keep the guests cool at a summer wedding.

And who doesn’t love ice cream!

Or try a cooler box full of ice and fill it with ice lollies.

Keep the guests cool at a summer wedding by serving cold canapés like melon or having a starter like Gazpacho. There are lots of lovely food options that you can use to keep you cool at a summer wedding, have that discussion with your caterer.

Another option for keeping the littlies cool might be paddling pools.  They could be scattered around the venue for the littlies?

I’m sure some of the adults might dip their toes in during the day too. I love that way to cool myself down.

So make sure you have some towels handy too.

Protect the guests at summer weddings

Although it’s lovely to have a bit of colour from the sun, we don’t want anyone getting sunburnt on your wedding day, so you’ll want to be sure to have sunscreen on hand at an outdoor wedding too.

You can stash them around your guest areas and in the shaded areas. I would even put some in the toilets.

Ensure there are different SPF factors, skin and child-friendly options, and perhaps different bottle options like spray bottles and squeezie bottles.

And remember to top up every hour.

how to keep wedding guests cool with the celebrant angel mary gibson humanist wedding celebrant aberdeen

Keep the bugs away at summer weddings

When summer arrives, guess what comes with it? Yup, the bugs.

So what can you do to keep the bugs away from your wedding guests?

There are a couple things you can do right of like:

Try to avoid food sitting around uncovered, have the venue team lift plates as they are laid down.

And don’t have bins around the eating area for rubbish as that will attract the wasps.

Using essential oils around your area is a lovely safe way to keep the bugs at bay.

The best ones to use are Citronella, Lemongrass, sweet orange, lemon eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, and cinnamon.

These could be made up into sprays or candles to keep the bugs at bay. There are lots of recipes for these on the internet.

If you don’t have time to make something of your own, then buy some Citronella Candles to plant around where your guests will be mingling.

Make sure you have some bug spray around; there are lots of good bug repellents on the market these days, some nice smelling and some not so nice.

These are some simple, effective ways to beat the summer heat and keep cool, fresh and comfortable during a summer wedding. 

You may have a few more that you could suggest for other couples, feel free to drop a comment if you have.

Keeping everyone cool and safe in the sun will make for a fantastic outdoor wedding.

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