Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Weddings in Missouri
A sunny summer day with clear blue skies, a torrential downpour accompanied by high winds, or a slushy wintery mix - Missouri weather is widely varied and unpredictable especially when it comes to planning a wedding. Don’t be alarmed!
This blog post will help you be prepared for the curve balls mother nature may throw your way on your wedding day. While it can be challenging to plan a beautiful, outdoor wedding in Missouri, we are here to help! Outdoor weddings in Missouri are possible with a little planning, flexibility, and a gorgeous venue or location.
Missouri outdoor weddings genuinely showcase the natural beauty found throughout this great “Show Me State.” If you’ve longed to have your dream wedding day in a flowering meadow, beside a crystal blue lake, beneath an open-air structure, underneath the sun or moon - your dream can become a reality at Emerson Fields in Missouri!
Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Weddings in Missouri
Let’s dive into the top 7 things to consider when planning your Missouri outdoor wedding.
Self Care
Guest Experience
Restrooms and Electrical
Décor
Dressing For The Weather
GOLDEN HOUR (with suggested timelines)
Back-Up Plans
First off, you will want to determine the season for your wedding. All of your décor, your outdoor venue availability, your photographs, and even your dress will all be determined by the season. In Missouri, all four seasons provide options for outdoor weddings (yes, even winter!). Emerson Fields is an all-year wedding venue, with no peak season pricing, and we host couples indoor or outdoor all year long! While most of those winter weddings occur inside, our couples almost always opt to step out into the crisp winter landscape for some stunning wedding portraits.
Next, select your dream venue or location! The amazing thing about an outdoor wedding venue in Missouri is that it adds such a uniqueness to your ceremony and reflects your interests as a couple. A flowering meadow, your grandma’s garden, or a shaded tent are all possibilities in Missouri. With every possibility, you need to ensure that you have a fail-proof backup plan nearby.
“ At Emerson Fields, we provide both indoor and outdoor ceremony space options in our rental package. The great thing about selecting a venue with BOTH options is that you will always have a plan A, B, and C! Indoor restrooms, temperature-controlled indoor space, and beautiful dock, meadow, and pavilion ceremony site options are all included!”
Once you have selected your venue or location, and set your wedding date, it’s time to start planning the details of your dream outdoor wedding in Missouri.
Here’s what you need to consider:
Outdoor Weddings Require Self Care
Take care of your skin if you will be outside at all on your wedding day! Afraid of ruining your makeup? Try a powder SPF for touch-ups throughout the day! You and your wedding party do NOT want to look like lobsters in your photos and your honeymoon may sting a bit with a fresh burn. Ouch!
Guests will also appreciate sunscreen available if they will be outdoors for a long period of time (especially children). You’ll also want to remember to stay hydrated, no matter the season. If your day is busy, which it will be, you might be tempted to skip sips of water but you do NOT want to faint during your vows because you’re dehydrated. Take care of your body and health on your wedding day!
2. Consider the Guest Experience for a comfortable Outdoor Wedding
Outdoor weddings can take place in a lot of different settings, so you will need to consider what vibe and aesthetic you want for your best day ever. Think through guest seating, transportation, and hydration. On a 100-degree summer day, or even a 50-degree spring day with drizzling rain, you can offer a pleasant guest experience with some forethought.
Consider having a shaded structure, fans, or maybe even heaters for the comfort of your guests. Something that is very important to guests is being able to see and hear the couple during the ceremony from where they are seated.
Other questions to consider for your guests before choosing a location or venue: Where will they park and what will that parking area look like if there’s rain that day? Is it a long walk to the ceremony site if guests are in heels? What type of chairs or seating is provided?
If the wedding takes place in the high heat of the summer months, consider creating some hydration stations in various locations. A pretty dispenser with lemon slices floating and flavoring cold water would be nice for a self-serve station. Ice cold bottled water is easy to pass out as guests arrive as well.
“One of the reasons couples book at Emerson Fields is how enjoyable it is for guests! Ample parking, a shaded pavilion and patio, proximity from the indoor venue to all outdoor ceremony sites, and an indoor temperature controlled backup plan will make your guests feel at ease.”
3. Restrooms and Electrical Are Essential to Outdoor Weddings
Let’s talk restrooms! If you do not have an indoor restroom near your outdoor wedding venue or location, you will need to rent restrooms for your guests. Luxury restroom trailers do exist! You can plan on spending anywhere from $800-$3,000 on a nice restroom trailer depending on the delivery charges. Think through where YOU will want to use the restroom during your big day. (A port-a-potty is not ideal in your wedding gown.) If the location is your family farm or someone’s residence, you cannot expect that the owners want all your guests using their personal restroom, and they very likely won’t have enough restrooms to accommodate your guests.
“All of Emerson Fields’ outdoor wedding ceremony site locations are near our indoor, temperature controlled venue with restrooms available for you and your guests. A private restroom in the bridal suite and groom’s room will ensure that you and your new spouse don’t have to fight guests in line for the restroom.”
You want your guests to actually hear the officiant and each of you saying “I do!” Plan for renting a good quality sound system if you are located out in a meadow or under a tent. Does your keyboardist need a power hook up? Do you want to hang twinkle lights for your sunset cocktail hour? Does your officiant need a lapel microphone? Running electrical power to a private ceremony site can get very costly so check with your property owner or venue to see if they provide a power source at the ceremony site.
“Emerson Fields comes equipped with power sources at each outdoor ceremony site - the white pavilion, the open field, the dock area near the lake and inside the main venue. We will work with you to ensure that all your electrical needs are met at no worry or extra cost to you. ”
5. Utilize Natural Décor for Your Outdoor Wedding
The natural beauty of an outdoor wedding in Missouri means your ceremony décor can be kept to a minimum. You don’t need a lot of extra florals, chair bows, or aisle décor if you have a beautiful location. Yay for savings! Let the season you’ll be married in shine through with the natural elements like fall foliage, lush trees, or spring-flowering meadows.
You can always enhance your location with added elements like vintage furniture, an embellished arbor, or a unique guest seating arrangement. When considering your ceremony location or portraits, be conscious of what will be in the background of your photographs as well.
6. Dress For The Weather
No matter what season you’re getting married in, you want to consider how your wedding gown will make you feel. A full ball gown on a hot summer day or a sheer, strapless style dress during the frigid winter are options sure to disappoint. Dress for the weather by including a stylish jacket, shawl, or glamorous coat to complete your wedding day attire and prepare for any unexpected weather changes.
Don’t forget about your wedding party too! Your bridesmaids and groomsmen will want to be comfortable throughout your outdoor wedding day too. Allowing your groom, groomsmen, and fathers to shed their suit jackets and roll up their sleeves on a sunny wedding day can be just the flexibility they need to keep smiling.
PRO TIP: On a hot summer wedding day, rent TWO dress shirts for each male member of the wedding party and make time for them to change into a dry shirt once the outdoor ceremony and photos are finished.
If you read none of the other tips, please read number 6 and 7!
6. Golden Hour for Outdoor Weddings in the Midwest
The sun sets later in the summer months in the Midwest, so a 2:00 or 3:00 PM ceremony isn’t ideal. You'll be sweating buckets, and so will your guests. Plus, you'll be entertaining your guests for 8-10 hours and no one wants to stay that long no matter how fun the reception is. You want your guests to leave the wedding reception wishing it would’ve lasted longer, not wishing it would’ve ended sooner! (Leave them wanting more and they’ll be talking about your killer reception for years to come!)
Another thing to consider is that guests don’t typically want to hit the dance floor until after dark and in the summer months that may mean as late as 9:00 PM! You can offer yard games, photo booths, and other activities to keep guests engaged and entertained until the dance floor opens, but once your guests have been at the wedding for 5-6 hours, they are usually ready to go home. Work with your photographer on your timeline and ceremony start time BEFORE sending out those invitations.
Suggested Spring or Summer Timeline for a Missouri Wedding:
5:30 PM Ceremony
6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM Dinner, Cake Cutting & Toasts
8:00 PM Sunset Pictures while guests finish dessert
8:15 PM First Dance, Special dances like Father-Daughter or Mother-Son
8:45 PM Dance floor opens
11:00 PM Dance floor closes and send-off of the couple
Suggested Fall or Winter Timeline for a Missouri Wedding:
3:30 PM Ceremony
4:00 PM Cocktail Hour
5:00 PM Dinner
5:30 PM Sunset Pictures while guests finish dinner
6:00 PM Cake Cutting & Toasts
6:30 PM First Dance, Special dances like Father-Daughter or Mother-Son
7:00 PM Dance floor opens
10:00 PM Dance floor closes and send-off of newlyweds
*Adjust these timelines as needed based on how early or late the sun will set on your wedding day.
The most important thing to consider for an outdoor wedding in Missouri is those golden hour photographs that will be cherished for years to come!
7. Back Up Plan for an Outdoor Wedding
Regardless of the forecast for a Midwest outdoor wedding, you need a backup plan in case of rain or inclement weather. Picking a location or venue with multiple outdoor options or an indoor option, just in case, is always your best bet. Otherwise, make sure your ceremony space can handle a few sprinkles. At the end of the day, you will be married - rain or shine!
As you plan and prepare for your dream outdoor wedding in Missouri, use this ultimate guide to help you consider something you may not have thought about before. Remember, you can do anything you want for your wedding day with the proper planning.
“We were thankful for the fact the venue {Emerson Fields} offered a plan A and plan B - it rained all day for our wedding but NO WORRIES! We got married on the stage inside and it was perfect. Plus, Amelia and Steve made the switch from ceremony to reception SEAMLESS!! Our guests had nothing but kind words to say about their experience at Emerson Fields.”
What does your ideal outdoor wedding in Missouri look like? Let us know in the comments below! We wish you the absolute BEST day ever for your outdoor wedding in Missouri! Looking for a venue that can accommodate your dream outdoor wedding with a foolproof backup plan? Inquire at Emerson Fields to start dreaming! We can make your perfect wedding day dreams come true with four ceremony locations, a climate-controlled venue, and scenic surroundings.
Thank you to these photographers and their amazing photos of outdoor weddings at Emerson Fields!
05/19/2021 - Gabrielle Isom
