Outdoor Wedding Photographer
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The ultimate guide to planning an outdoor wedding by Marianne Chua
Why you might choose to plan an outdoor wedding ceremony
Planning a wedding in the UK presents loads of different options! As a London Wedding Photographer I have previously written about all the perks of planning an urban wedding. However, I live on the edge of London bordering an Essex country park and I am genuinely equally comfortable pulling on my wellies and getting involved in photographing outdoor weddings! However, I live on the edge of London bordering an Essex country park and I am genuinely equally comfortable pulling on my wellies and getting involved in photographing outdoor weddings!
Planning an outdoor wedding is a wonderful way to bring colour and nature to your day. It can also be a fab way to be able to easily include family dogs, as a lot of indoor venues won’t allow animals. An outdoor wedding has a different feel to an urban one, at the end of the day it’s a personal choice on what atmosphere you want to create for your wedding. So let’s learn more about how to plan an outdoor wedding ceremony!
What kind of outdoor weddings are there
It is important that I clarify what I mean by outdoor weddings. This wedding planning guide will refer to holding an outdoor wedding ceremony. Purely because this raises for more questions for couples planning their wedding. I often photograph weddings with a church ceremony and an outdoor wedding reception. Usually this is a marquee wedding or a tipi wedding. So in a way it is held outdoors but under a cover really! Festival weddings are also a really popular outdoor wedding theme.
So this guide addresses the following types of outdoor weddings:
Field weddings
Licensed gazebo weddings
Back Garden weddings
Woodland weddings
Outdoor field wedding
A field wedding is where you hold the ceremony out in an open field, or plain. This is a lovely option for when you want epic backdrop views! You ideally want a nice flat area with your ceremony spot to be flat or elevated so all your guests can see you.
Pros of a field wedding
- Open space makes it easy to place chairs
- No harsh shadows from obstacles i.e. trees!
Cons of a field wedding
- Try not to pick a super windy day!
- Guests can be exposed to the cold and elements!
- Can need a microphone and speaker sometimes for all the guests to be able to hear
Licensed gazebo wedding ceremony
In England, to hold a legally binding wedding ceremony outdoors, you must conduct your vows under a permanently fixed licensed structure. Wedding venues that offer outdoor ceremonies will have this license in place for their wooden or metal gazebos. There’s plenty of rustic barn, Manor House, and hotel style wedding venues that offer fabulous outdoor ceremony options. But if you want a legally binding ceremony it’ll always be restricted to that venue’s relicensed structure.
Pros of a pre-licensed gazebo wedding
- Cost of wedding license is covered in venue fee
- Location is tried and tested!
- Don’t have to do a separate legal ceremony
Cons of a gazebo wedding
- Less flexibility in decor
- Difference in lighting can sometimes be stark between yourself (covered) and guests (in bright sun)
Back garden weddings
A back garden wedding refers to the outdoor wedding ceremonies that people set up at a private venue or their home. I’ve photographed many of these informal outdoor weddings, including ones where the the parents relandscaped and moved vegetable patches to accommodate the wedding!
Pros of a garden wedding
- Setting up in a private space is more flexible time wise.
- Can save costs on venue hire
- Personal touch of getting married at a family home is lovely and meaningful
Cons of a garden wedding
- Smaller space to work with unless you are very garden blessed!
- Backdrop usually has trees or fences depending on your garden
Woodland wedding
There are many wedding venues offering woodland ceremonies. some, like Greenhill Farm in Kent have licensed gazebos in the woods so you can have a legal ceremony amongst the trees, but many do not or you might choose to fully stand in nature!
Pros of a woodland wedding
- Protection from the weather elements
- The ceremony can feel more intimate when enclosed
- Better acoustics
Cons of a woodland wedding
- Light can look dappled if it’s a hard sunlight day
- Less accessible for disabled guests with tree roots/uneven ground
Beautiful woodland wedding ceremony
What do you need to know about an outdoor wedding ceremony?
The main key difference between an outdoor and indoor wedding ceremony in England is the legalities of the ceremony. In England to have a legally recognised ceremony you must say your vows under a licensed fixed structure. This means most of the outdoor wedding ceremonies I photograph are conducted by independent celebrants, humanist celebrants or a friend/family of the couple. The couple will have performed the legal ceremony in a registry office either before or after, whatever they fancied.
How to choose between a professional celebrant and a friend officiating the wedding
The obvious difference between professional wedding celebrant and a friend conducting the ceremony is cost. The most popular wedding celebrants I work with are approximately £1500. You will certainly find some celebrants that are higher and lower in fee, depending on how in demand they are. You can expect a wedding celebrant to spend a lot of time with you in the lead up to the wedding. They should get to know you and do a lot of research about your personal story. With a professional celebrant you also know you’re getting a tried and tested performer that will ensure your ceremony goes off without a hitch. It’s definitely the best option if you don’t have a specific friend who you know is comfortable with public speaking and up to the task. It can be a little daunting to deliver a wedding ceremony! A professional celebrant will often have a general style they repeat, which you can customise very extensively. From experience, you can pretty much request any personal touch you like. I’ve photographed handfastings, tree planting, vows over a Flying Spaghetti Monster hat! Anything you can dream up!
My recommendations for the best celebrants for outdoor wedding ceremonies
In no particular order, I have either worked with these lovely people or heard consistently fab things so you can enquire with them in full confidence!
India Bel
Chloe Green
Chloe Green specialises in LGBTQ+, feminist and progressive ceremonies. She hails from South East London but travels all over to conduct her ceremonies. She’s always suited and booted and ready to make your guests laugh and get to know your person story!
Sonal Dave
Sonal Dave is a relaxed Asian wedding celebrant who nails multicultural weddings. She travels all over the UK and is available for destination weddings too. Sonal also offers formal toastmaster services with traditional attire.
Emma Day
Emma focuses on creating an easygoing, enjoyable experience with warm, creative and entirely personal ceremonies. She works closely with your venue to ensure a smooth and seamless experience. She also always offers a complimentary rehearsal on the day itself, so you know you are always in professional safe hands with Emma!
Zena Birch
Zena was one of the first celebrants I ever worked with. She is a humanist celebrant, and has been incredibly popular for well over a decade. She is fab at weaving together a couple’s story.
Celebrants and Friends conducting wedding ceremonies!
Photography tips when planning your outdoor ceremony
Here are my top tips for getting the most beautiful photos of your outdoor wedding ceremony
Don’t go for midday!
Non-photographers often believe a nice strong sun is best, but those who know, KNOW! It might be lovely for catching a tan and feeling the Summer wedding vibes but in terms of photography that midday sun above you is the worst! When the sun is directly above you, it’s going to give you panda eyes a.k.a strong shadows under your eyes. Not the most flattering for the ceremony photos. Instead go for…
Afternoon or dusk ceremonies
Ideally hold your outdoor ceremony mid afternoon, something around 2pm onwards (depending on the season), should at least push the sun a little behind or a little in front. You may well find the sun gets in your eyes, so if you’re light sensitive be prepared with sunglasses. If you’re planning a field wedding there is usually more flexibility to rotate the orientation of the ceremony layout. You can check where the sun would be at the exact time and date using apps like Sunseeker. Photographers use these apps to work out the best times and spots for golden hour couple photos. Stand at your ceremony location, go to the 3d view and it will literally map the sun’s path in a line over your live camera view.
You will of course perhaps be restricted by the rest of your wedding day timeline, so perhaps a properly dusky sunset ceremony won’t be possible. But as long as you aren’t hitting the midday light, any time window a little either side is better.
Shadows over your location
This applies to woodland weddings more so than gardens or fields, but do endeavour to check that your ceremony spot isn’t standing too close to something that can cast shadows on your face. It’s fine if it’s a whole even shadow covering (i.e. a chuppah canopy), but if it’s something patchy like leaves, this can also kind of spoil the ceremony photos a bit!
Embrace the weather
If you’re aiming for an outdoor ceremony, don’t forget this is England! A Summer date doesn’t guarantee a sunny dry day so do be prepared for potential droplets, it’s part of the beauty of nature. I once photographed a wedding in Italy, the couple had chosen the location for its consistently dry weather, and they ended up getting married on the fourth day it had rained ALL YEAR. They handled it really well, and just held the ceremony inside a courtyard, and managed to spend the rest of the wedding reception out in the gardens.
If it’s forecast in advance, then supply clear umbrellas for your guests, so even if they put the umbrellas up everyone can still see the ceremony and their emotional expressions can still be photographed. Try to embrace it and see the fun side of whatever happens on your wedding day!
What are the extra costs involved in planning an outdoor wedding
If you are planning an outdoor wedding that is truly remote in a field or woodland, not necessarily attached to a proper wedding venue, the odds are you’ll be creating a wedding reception in the middle of nowhere! Here’s a checklist of what you need to remember to plan an outdoor wedding:
- Tipi or marquee- Anything up to approximately £6000, depending on size
- Electricity generator hire- this is both for suppliers like the caterers and band and the tipi/marquee itself, about £1000.
- Heaters- Even in Summer some evenings can get cold, so be prepared to possibly provide heaters to warm a tipi or marquee. Some of the companies will offer this as an add on option and set it up for you. Expect something around £300.
- Portaloos- Even if you’re having a home back garden wedding you may not want all your drunk slightly muddy friends traipsing through your home and carpets. It is much simpler to hire portable toilets festival style! You’ll probably want a nicer style than the construction site/festival vibe so expect around £600+.
Other things to hire
- Chair hire- You’ll need this for both the ceremony and they can be reused for dinner service if you’re not having benches and trestle tables. This is totally dependent on your guest number so it’s hard to give an estimated idea.
- Table hire- Not just for the dinner but consider having tables during the receptions for guests to put their drinks or bags down for comfort. Think tall bar tables!
- Accommodation for guests. A lot of the really rural location options might have limited nearby or onsite guest accommodation. Often I see outdoor weddings set up camping and glamping options. If you’re hiring luxury tents for a festival wedding vibe it can really add up, the most affordable approach I’ve seen is a couple who rented scout tents from their local scout group. They actually held the wedding on the scout campsite, I think this is a nice way to save money and also give back to the community.
- On the day coordinator- you can either plan to DIY everything and get friends and family in to help. Alternatively do consider having a planner or on the day coordinator to help ensure you’re not doing admin on your wedding day! In the list of celebrants above, some offer this service for an additional fee.
- Don’t forget signage, ceremony and reception decor. These don’t have to be hired, lots of people choose to DIY these signs.
Fun documentary wedding photos from outdoor weddings
Urban London weddings can in theory be easier for my documentary wedding photography. The endless buildings create lots of opportunity for clever and artistic compositions. However, I love to create clever reportage photos from outdoor weddings and usually make the best of the guest action to achieve this. Here are some examples of my documentary wedding photography at outdoor weddings.
The best outdoor wedding venues in Essex
As I have recently moved to the London-Essex border and therefore am close to a lot of these venues, I am currently offering a discount on a select number of these venues for the first booking there. If you are looking for a fun Essex wedding photographer for your woodland Essex wedding or your tipi Essex wedding. Please contact me to find out which venues are still available for a discounted wedding photography.
The best Outdoor wedding venues in Kent
I also cover Kent weddings as I am an hour’s drive from it! Here’s a list of some of my favourite Kentish venues.
If you are having an outdoor wedding elsewhere in Kent then get in touch to take advantage of my special offer!
Advice for Planning a festival wedding
So far I have primarily focused on outdoor wedding ceremonies. However, festival wedding receptions are also such a popular outdoor wedding theme I wanted to include few tips about how to plan a festival wedding. Here’s my essential check list to create a festival wedding experience for your guests:
- Tipi hire is a must!
- Camping and glamping accommodation creates the true festival experience
- Hire a live band, either for the reception or the evening party, ideally both!
- Consider a silent disco if you’re all camping in the same field as the main tent, it’s within theme and also helps friends with kids/elderly attend!
- Hire food trucks for your catering
- DIY the decor, go as colourful as possible! Think bunting, fishing pole flags, hand painted signs!
- Make sure the guests know the ground is going to be earthy, consider having wellies to change into and avoid stilettos! Wedge shoes are much better for festival wedding enjoyment!
- Embrace the rain if it happens. See through ponchos allow you to still rock your wedding outfit!
- Have fun and games laid out for guests, group activities like tug of war, space hoppers, sack races etc. have always gone down a treat!
