Don't Blame It On The Rain: Bring Your Outdoor Wedding Inside

If you're planning a backyard summer wedding and betting on sunshine, chances are that you might still be rained on for at least a portion of your day. Little summer rain squalls are common, so you should be ready with a backup plan if the rain drops persist. Spring and summer outdoor weddings are full of greenery, song birds, flowers and fresh seasonal foods. It would be a shame to miss out on nature by staying indoors. Here are a few ways to bring your backyard wedding indoors on a rainy day.

Plant Seeds on a Sunny Day:

  • Give your guests seeds to plant after the wedding or give them a beautiful plantable place card at their table setting. They can plant these in their gardens on a warm and sunny day.
  • Seed packets can be sent as a save the date reminder card, as a place card at the reception, used as favors for guests, or sent after the wedding as a thank-you. You can find packets with clever inscriptions for each application, so people aren't confused at receiving an apparently random packet of wildflower seeds.
  • You can also find invitations and save the date cards with seeds embedded directly into the recycled paper. After the wedding, the entire card can be planted right into the ground or a pot. It's a fun twist on traditional wedding mementos that's sure to please your guests. The best part is that they can take home and cultivate a living memory of your perfect day.

Place Card Holders

  • Who needs a bunch of silver plated wedding cakes meant to hold names? Get inspired with the beauty of nature and leave small plants, flower bulbs, or tree saplings on the tables.
  • Make your name holders attractive and make it clear that they are up for grabs. By turning the card holders into favors, you are reducing the clean up by at least one small step.
  • A small pot containing a culinary herb (rosemary, basil, oregano) with the guest's name written on an attached tag would do nicely.
  • A moss picture frame could be used for each seat, featuring your guest's name under the glass. Add more green to your scene with a moss banner or monogrammed sign.
  • You can also bring in nature's bounty by filling glass votive holders with real flower petals or pastel seashells for a soft ethereal glow around the room.
  • The name card could be propped in front of the candle holder, or flat on the table for safety and maximum candle light. (If the thought of so many open flames makes you nervous, you could opt for solar votive candles.)

Living Bouquets

  • Attractive displays of potted plants can be used to decorate around the dining and dancing areas. Find something that matches the colors you have chosen for your wedding, or stick with the same flowers that have been selected for your own bouquet.
  • Trees can also be a tremendous asset to decorating a space, particularly when you bring one indoors where people don't quite expect them. Not to say that you should have a maple or blossoming apple tree in the middle of the dance floor, but a few trees lined in an entryway or in a corner where they would be undisturbed would have a beautiful effect on the entire room.
  • After the gala event, the trees and flowers can planted around your home. You will instantly have a garden that will be a pleasant reminder of your joyous occasion.
  • If you do choose to have fresh flowers delivered for vases and bouquets, they can always be dried and used in wreaths or pressed into scrapbooks after the wedding.