Some tips for how to stay cool for your outdoor Ceremony!

I had an outdoor wedding ceremony on probably the hottest day of our summer so far, and I thought I would share some tips on how to manage the heat and make sure your guests are enjoying the day without getting overheated or burned.

The ceremony was in a lovely setting, at the Glenview Hotel in Co Wicklow, where the outdoor ceremony space is partly shaded.  The chairs for the guests were all arranged beautifully, but before the ceremony, as guests began to arrive, we dispensed with the seating plan of (on this occasion) the Groom's party on one side and the Bride's on the other, and suggested everyone move into the most shady part of the Ceremony space.  It actually helped a lot with the mingling of the guests as they shared parasols and moved chairs with the sun.  They were so kind, as there were quite a few older guests, and they got priority for the shade.

The hotel were fantastic too though, as they had very kindly set out a table in some deeper shade, a little further away, with glass water urns, filled with iced water and with a plentiful supply of glasses, for the wedding guests to help themselves.  This was not only much appreciated, but it looked great too, all with a white table cloth and was literally a place to have conversations!

Some guests had brought parasols, which were used and in fact, I brought my own too, which I did not use but to have just in case the couple needed it.  Unfortunately, my parasol got picked up as a stray and is lost to the ether now! 

I was conscious of Groom as he waited for the Bride to arrive, and suggested that he not put on his jacket until the Bride was about to enter the Ceremony space.

We also had iced water and some juice on the table, to make sure the couple - and the Celebrant!- didn't get dehydrated during the ceremony itself.

I made sure the readers were not asked to be standing too long in the sun, and just kept a general eye that everyone was doing ok, as much as possible, and not to keep people out in the heat for too long.

We had a wonderful ceremony, everyone was as comfortable as they could be, in the circumstances, and it is a day that will live on in the memory of those there, as a truly hot, summers day in Ireland!