Tips and Tricks for Your Minnesota Summer Wedding
Summers in Minnesota are beautiful and oh so fun. Lake life, weekend camping trips, farmers markets, music in the park, county fairs, and, of course, summer weddings!
Summer months are always a popular choice for weddings; late May - early September is prime wedding season in the Midwest. Nothing beats a special celebration with great weather and summer sunshine! Whether you want to celebrate your entire wedding outdoors from ceremony to dancing, or if you’re just hoping for an outdoor ceremony before moving the party inside, here are the must-know tips and tricks for making your summer wedding one of the best weddings your guests will ever attend!
Lawn games at Willow Brooke Farm // Michaela Paige Photography
To find the perfect venue for your summer wedding, use these 3 tips:
If you’re planning any aspect of your wedding outside, be sure the venue provides enough shade — this could be tree cover, a tent, or a pavilion. An outdoor wedding is so fun, but not if guests are under the beating sun all day. By our standards, the perfect venue has a shaded or partially-shaded ceremony space (rather than a beautiful-but-way-too-hot open field) and provides a tent or indoor space for your reception.
Make sure the walk from the ceremony site to the reception space is reasonable; keep it short, especially if guests have to walk in the summer heat. No one wants to take a 5-minute walk down a gravel path when it’s hot and muggy. Be mindful of this when touring venues — is this a comfortable walk for guests?
Choose a venue that offers AC in the bridal suite/groom’s room/getting ready spaces. This is a deal breaker in our book. Getting ready in a sticky, un-airconditioned room is uncomfortable and won’t be a fun way to spend the morning. You and your crew need to stay cool.
There are so many amazing venues in Minnesota and Wisconsin that meet our standards for the perfect outdoor wedding! Some of our favorite venues with comfortable getting ready rooms, semi-shaded outdoor ceremony sites, and stunning covered reception spaces are Bloom Lake Barn, Creekside Farm, Pinewood, Catalyst by Nature Link, Hidden Greens Event Center, Villa Bellezza, Round Barn Farm, and Camrose Hill Flower Farm, just to name a few! We also love private property weddings — backyard tent weddings are our favorite! Chat with us and let’s find you the perfect venue!
A northern Minnesota tent wedding // Erin Rae Photography
Once you have your dream venue booked, it’s time to perfectly plan the details.
On wedding day, it’s all about staying hydrated and preventing sunburns! Here are 7 must-dos to ensure you and your guests are as comfortable as can be:
1) Set a later ceremony start time. The sun is at its peak mid-day and a 3:00 PM ceremony is going to be hot! Starting your outdoor ceremony at 5:00 PM means the temperature may begin cooling down (if only a little!) and with the sun lower in the sky, hopefully, guests won’t have the sun beating on their backs.
2) Pick the right dress code and attire. This goes for the wedding party, as well as for guests. Requesting guests wear black-tie formal attire to your outdoor wedding will probably be uncomfortable. We suggest leaning into dressy casual, semi-formal, or beach-formal. Consider your wedding party as well – you are running around all day from dawn til dusk. To help you stay cool and comfortable on a hot day, choose light, airy clothing such as midi-dresses for the gals and tell the gents to skip the jacket. At the very least, choose something breathable (ie, not velvet).
3) Provide amenities baskets for your guests to “freshen up.” These are typically placed in the restrooms. Must-have items to combat summer weather include mini spray deodorants and hairspray, makeup-removing wipes, sunscreen, and bug spray. Baby powder will also be so appreciated!
Welcome water bottles // Kiley Marissa Photography
4) Make sure water is readily available. When guests arrive, have a cooler with mini water bottles at your ceremony site, or ask your catering/bar team to set up a water station. During dinner, it’s important that guests have water at their tables; rather than sending guests across the room to a small self-pour pitcher, check with your catering team that they can provide glasses of ice water and carafes on each table. Sometimes, this may incur an upcharge — and we guarantee it is always worth it. Especially for summer weddings, water service is so important for ensuring everyone stays hydrated and has more than just alcohol.
5) If the ceremony site isn’t decently shaded, make shade. We always recommend renting lawn umbrellas to provide partial shade over guest seats or you can purchase parasols for guests to use (mini paper hand fans are a nice-to-have, too!). Lawn umbrellas can be moved and repurposed to provide shade during cocktail hour, plus these are a unique decor element!
Pre-ceremony sips and a shaded ceremony site! // HL Photo
6) Before your wedding-day makeup, don’t forget to start with a moisturizer or primer with SPF. Personally, my go-to is Super Goop Glow Screen. Throughout the day, reapply sunscreen to your face with a gentle face mist (again, Super Goop has a great one!). You’ll also want a light non-greasy spray for your arms and neck. Guys, you too — your arms might be covered but your scalp & forehead will get burned!
7) Purchase rechargeable mini fans for the wedding party. These are a lifesaver for keeping you cool before walking down the aisle. We bring these in our HappiLily wedding emergency kit!
An outdoor summer wedding in Scandia, Minnesota // Michaela Paige Photography
And to really make your summer wedding memorable, here are 3 ways to impress your guests:
1) Greet guests with a welcome beverage! Have the bar open as guests arrive and offer light summer sips like lemonade, iced tea, and fruit-infused water.
2) Embrace the season in your dinner menu. Serve seasonal produce like fresh-picked fruits in salads or sauces, tasty roasted vegetables, or fruit sorbet for dessert. We’d love to connect you with our favorite catering teams that specialize in sourcing local and from-scratch cooking!
3) Offer a cool, tasty treat like snow cones, ice cream, or iced coffee. Our favorite wedding desserts include Kona Ice and Ben & Jerry’s, and Coffee Cart MPLS is the best for refreshing cold brew.
The Fab Tap airstream bar serves guests pre-ceremony signature cocktails // HL Photo
Having a summer wedding is the best! However, besides preparing for heat and humidity, you’ll also have to think about rain and mosquitos.
We know, no one wants to talk about these things, but this is the reality of an outdoor wedding in the Midwest and you need to be prepared.
If you are having an outdoor wedding, mosquitos can quickly ruin the evening. Guests will appreciate it if you provide bug spray (include this in the restroom amenities baskets!), or you might consider placing citronella candles on the lawn if you outdoor cocktail tables or guest seating areas (you’ll have to check with your venue if this is allowed!).
Before choosing your venue, you may want to ask if they spray/fog for mosquitos throughout the summer. Depending on how woodsy the area is and how much of your event you plan to spend outdoors, whether or not they take action to spray for mosquitos might sway your decision.
Be prepared for rain or thunderstorms. This means creating a rain plan. A rain plan is the go-to action plan for addressing any changes to the venue layout, setup, and timeline that may be caused by rain. This can mean moving your ceremony to a secondary location, renting an extra tent for the lawn, or perhaps delaying the ceremony start until a rain cloud blows over. Read this blog post on How to Create a Rain Plan.
With these tips and tricks, your summer wedding will be beautiful, memorable, and comfortable for you and your guests!
Let us help you plan the summer wedding of your dreams!
Bonus tip for having the best summer wedding:
Put together a “Things To Do in Minneapolis/St. Paul” activity guide for your guests! Summer in the Twin Cities is the perfect time to explore. You can suggest free events happening over your wedding weekend, provide directions to local hiking trails and parks, and recommend your favorite coffee shops and breweries.
A summer wedding ceremony at the outdoor chapel at Camrose Hill // Kiley Marissa Photography
