The Summer Wedding

Summer remains the most popular wedding season, with warm sunshine and pretty flowers adding to the atmosphere of the occasion. Many brides and grooms take advantage of warm weather, sultry summer evenings, endless sunshine, lush green vegetations, and clear blue skies.

For tropical countries, the summer starts at April and ends at May. For northern and southern countries, the summer starts at June and ends at September.

Summer weddings are ripe for an outdoor setting such as a beach, a garden, a traditional church filled with summer flowers or a beautiful yard. Take advantage of the long days with an afternoon wedding, or highlight the glorious sunsets by saying your vows as the sun goes down behind you so the guests enjoy the warm breeze of summer.

You can use fresh fruits and vegetables to decorate -- perhaps including clementines and cumquats in your flower arrangements, or simply filling a large vase with bright yellow lemons. Bring light to an evening wedding with torches and strings of lanterns in the trees. An extra-summery idea is to use gingham tablecloths with a few sunflowers in metal watering cans as centerpieces.

The bride who marries in the warmth of the summer is a lucky one; over 75% of dresses are sleeveless and/or strapless, making them perfect for the season. Look for light fabrics such as organdy, linen, chiffon, crepe, georgette, and other light weight silk, so as to not add too much bulk. Same goes to suits, ties, and trousers for the men.

Then there are beach weddings. At a beach wedding, look for an easy and elegant slip dress, the bridal party can all go barefoot, and the men can wear dress shirts with slacks, or linen suits.

Think about sunsets, sand sculptures, white sands, mountain background, beach rocks, palm trees, coconut trees, and clear blue waves for wedding photos...

For a garden wedding you could consider big straw hats, either for just you or for all the bridesmaids. You might even choose brightly colored dresses or short floral cocktail dresses for the bridesmaids to really evoke the season. The men in the bridal party can go for the classic navy blazer with khaki slacks, or beautiful suits. Or for a more formal affair, there's no reason not to choose morning suits or tuxedos (depending on whether it's an evening or daytime wedding) but give a nod to the season by replacing the black tuxedo jacket with a natty white dinner jacket.

Of course, for all the women in the bridal party you must think about what heat, humidity and moisture will do to your hair. Most importantly, don’t try to fight your hair in the summer: straight hair will get straighter and limper, and wavy hair will get wavier and frizzier. Updos by a professional who will design a long-lasting style are one of your best bets. A crown of flowers, or a single large flower tucked into your hair will look summery and beautiful.

As the summer weather opens the wedding to the outdoors you could think of outdoor games, colorful parades, picnics, tented backyard, tented garden, green lawns, tropical cocktails, beaches, palm trees, lanterns, sea shells, torches, parks, and white flowers as the wedding summer theme. The guests might even like outdoor games - a variety of badminton, volleyball, football, sack race, lawn bowling, horseshoe dart, and Frisbee. The blue skies are the limit!

You can't go wrong with an abundance of flowers at a summer wedding. In fact there are so many varieties in season, you may have a tough time narrowing your choices down! Fill the scene with bright and cheerful flowers such as roses, sunflowers, red and yellow calla lilies, dahlias, gerber daisies, cosmos, mums, and zinnias. Bright purple dendrobium orchids are much less expensive during the summer months, so you can feel like a queen without the budget of one. An alternative idea is an airy summer look with mostly white and light colored flowers such as roses, stephanotis, white phlox, elegant white calla lilies, huge and fragrant casa blanca lilies, hydrangea, snowball mums, and daisies. Flower accents on wedding dresses elegantly complement the already lovely wedding dress like crown of flowers, and bouquet of flowers.

As to the food - celebrate the bounty of the season by filling your menu with fresh fruits such as watermelon, and berries, and fresh vegetables such as corn. Between courses, or as an additional dessert, offer refreshing granitas and sorbets. An elegant summer wedding menu could include a bevy of cold meats and fresh seafood, including lobster and oysters. Start with lobster bisque, green salads or fruits and to quench thirsts, you may use tropical cocktails, lemonade, lime soda, or any fruit juices. As for dessert, the different flavors ice cream and gelato will cool off the summer heat.

Then send your guests home with a taste of the season: a fresh pear, or earlier in the summer, a ripe peach. For a beach wedding, you might consider giving out perfect sand dollars, seashells, or beach-themed candles. Summer weddings are also perfect for seeds or small pots of flowers as favors. If it will be warm or extra sunny, give out beautiful wooden fans or paper parasols to use during the ceremony and then take home. Love-boat candles, wooden sailboats, coconut shell candles, seashells gel candles, miniature Adirondack chair, mini torch, mini lanterns, palm tree candles, orchid gel candles, mini flip flops card holders, mini vine chair, ice cream scoop, paper fan, golf tee set, palm leaf fan, palm leaf handbags, miniature sandals, mini flip flop keychain, and river stone candy... so much to choose from!

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