Ballroom Dance Hoboken

A finely decorated wedding altar. Tables furnished with flowers and candles. Guest books and place cards. What do all of these have in common?

That’s right: you’ll notice them on just about every wedding, as well as the photos.

While there’s nothing wrong with these, there are small details that are often overlooked yet can make a huge difference in your wedding album. They are affordable, easy to obtain or even DIY!

Before we lay them out in this article, let’s make one thing clear. We’re not advising you to do the photographer’s job and guide them through the process instead of vice versa. However, you may want to make these suggestions and see how they fit into their plan.

And if you’re planning to not hire a professional photographer but have an amateur friend do it for you, these may turn out to be priceless!

Keepsake Boxes for Guests

These charming boxes were made with wedding couples (or any other gift-receiver) in mind.

Well, you can also use them for guests! Better yet, you can have them made for you, with each guest’s name engraved, instead of ordering ready-made ones. Each little box can contain a handwritten note as well as small but meaningful items that hold shared personal significance!

Most relevant for our topic, you can arrange these boxes on a welcome table at the entrance, so that everyone can find their own. But not before you’ve done a photo shoot! Not only are these boxes touchingly thoughtful for your guests, but they can also look excellent on still-life wedding photos.

Cake Hanging from a Tree

You can either set up a sturdy frame, or choose a hardy and stable tree branch to suspend the cake from it. Even if it’s not a completely unique idea, it’s surprising that not many couples opt for it!

Needless to say, it’s especially attractive (and unexpected!) in a completely natural milieu. Especially if you use roped to hang it on! It can have edible flower decorations. But most importantly, it can serve as a focal point for many a beautiful photo!

Umbrellas Aren’t Just Practical

The fact is, an outdoor wedding needs to be weatherproof. But that’s not the only reason why you need umbrellas, and lots of them. At least one for every 5 guests!

Clear umbrellas are one option, especially if there’s a good chance it will rain. They make for amazing photos even when it’s cloudy or overcast!

If you’re a fan of colors, you can either choose them randomly or strategically. Whatever your pick, they’ll make great props for playful group shots.

If you’re living in a sunny area with next to zero chances of rain, you can use parasols! Whatever their style, they will look even more charming. Best of all, you don’t need thousands of dollars for historically themed parasols. You can make them from paper! Here’s the simplest idea if you’re not very crafty. Of course, don’t expect them to be very sturdy. That’s not the point! All they need is to add a touch of creativity and flamboyance to your photos.

Ideas are literally endless! You can hang umbrellas or parasols upside down from the ceiling or place them in a photo booth for your guests to use. Kids will be delighted!

What’s Under Your Feet Matters Too

It’s called a dancing floor alright, but it’s not there just for dancing—especially if you choose it wisely!

At night, good lighting can go a long way to provide powerful and attractive backdrop to the floor itself, especially if the latter is a bit reflective. But that’s not all your flooring has to offer. You can also install spotlights or uplighting to add drama to the photography! This will be especially effective if you have good dancers for things like tango.

If you’re not a fan of light shows, you can pepper confetti or flower petals all across the floor, either throughout the wedding or just for key moments such as first dance.

Finally, if that’s in line with the theme, decorative rugs can add a bohemian touch to the composition!

DIY Table Runners

This idea is our personal favorite for two reasons. First, it can be customized in any way you please, depending on your theme and personal preferences. Second, it can reflect your personality if you DIY it!

If you knit or crochet, there’s your next big project for the months until the wedding reception. But you can also use lace, make simple macramé knots or use burlap for a rustic setting. If these sound too complicated, even kraft paper will do, on which your guests can doodle or write messages!

For a forest or park wedding, moss can be ideal. You’re having a beach reception? Get cacti or citruses!

Wearing high heels and dress shoes to an outdoor wedding can be classy, or it can be a nightmare. And not just in terms of comfort!

While you can’t offer your guests much relief with their blisters, you can do much to prevent their shoes sticking or sinking into the ground or, god forbid, leading to a twisted ankle. Choose good flooring, and 99% of your worries on that account will be brushed away!

If you opt for renting (which most people do), brace yourself for some shopping around. The thing is, not all rental companies will include the setup and removal in the price! Or at least give you a decent discount.

Best Types of Flooring for Weddings

Is There a Patio? Spruce It Up!

If your chosen outdoor wedding area already has a decently-sized patio, there’s very little you need to do.

For the surface to be as smooth as possible, you should clean the rocks, sticks, blow away leaves and other debris. If the patio is made of stamped concrete, check it for cracks or structural damage that could cause your guests to trip.

The importance of checking the surface for mold can’t be overstated! If there is any, it will make it very easy to slip. The cure here is very simple and cheap: you can rent out a pressure cleaner and do a once-over to blast away mold, mildew as well as any debris that may not be immediately obvious.

“It’s not just about mold or mildew either,” tells us Tim Wisniewski, an expert cleaner from a Sydney house washing company, who we reached out to for comment. “Very fine grains of sand or dirt can settle and get ingrained into the porous surface of the concrete so you don’t even notice them. With everyday footwear such as sneakers or flat sandals just for walking, they wouldn’t be much of an issue. But if we’re talking about many people dancing in dress shoes, it’s best not to take that risk,” he adds.

Another thing you can do is to break out decorative rugs and mats. Those aren’t without fault either. They either need to be thin enough to be snugly taped down so the edges don’t curl up, or long and wide enough to cover most or whole of the dancing surface.

Wood is the Go-To (But Not for Everyone)

It’s sturdy, adjustable, adaptable, green (meaning eco-green) and ever-green. It can look as rustic or as elegant as you want it to. All things considered, wood probably makes for the best dance floor there is.

There’s one big problem, though: it’s also expensive. For many people, even prohibitively so.

More often than not, wooden flooring will cost you more than the tents, catering AND décor put together. It tends to be costly even if it’s made of lower-quality wood such as plywood. And we’re talking about renting out a retractable floor, not installing one for good!

One way around the price issue is to DIY your own dancing float deck using—pallets! Exactly, we’re talking about pallets for storing goods that you’ll see in big supermarkets and warehouses. The good thing is, you can get them for free or next to nothing as they are often just thrown away. The problem is, you can’t have those big gaps, so you’ll still need to nail plywood sheets onto them so the surface can be even.

Want to Go Middle Ground? Consider Plastic Tiles

We’ve heard it many times: plastic tiles aren’t stylish. Ever seen them in a checkerboard pattern? If you have, then you’ll know that it’s just not true.

If you’re not a fan of black and white, that’s not a problem either. They are available in as many colors and patterns as you can think of. Snapping together like a puzzle, they are also super easy to install. Plus, you can get as many or as few as you need to either cover the whole backyard or just parts of it that will be used for dancing.

More pros? They tend to be on the lower side in terms of cost, and they are moisture-resistant unlike, for example, wood. For a 400-square-foot area, you’ll be looking at up to $1,500 in rental, often much lower.

But if PVC flooring looks like something you’d want to consider, make sure to check if it’s slippery!

Vinyl Sheets or Lino: Good as a Supplement to Concrete Floor

Smooth but not slippery (unless moist): this is the long and short of vinyl sheets, a.k.a. linoleum. (They are not quite the same thing in terms of composition, but they look and feel almost exactly the same.)

They are probably the easiest to install too. You can roll them over on your own—just make sure the ground is relatively smooth so there aren’t big bumps. Also, tack the sheets down around the edges with adhesive so they don’t shift.

The good thing about these sheets is that they are comfortable for dancing, and there are many styles and patterns to choose from.

On the flip side (pun intended), they are too soft to function well on an uneven surface! If you have a concrete backyard but don’t want the concrete feel, they can work as a supplement.

It’s fair to note, though, that some people don’t consider them very classy. Just saying!

Faux Grass: Best Permanent Solution

For a cozy, comfy and slightly informal feel, an artificial turf could be a good choice. Especially if most of your party will be taking place during the day! The turf can give it a picnicky touch (maybe even a theme!), and you can ask your guests to wear comfier shoes.

Financially, though, it’s only a sound option if you’re doing your wedding party in your own backyard and want a permanent faux turf anyway. The initial cost is pretty high. But it will be there to stay, and it’s an amazingly low-maintenance option.

Rain or shine, your turf won’t suffer from mud and dirt, so the guests don’t have to worry about their footwear and clothes. No matter how uneven the ground is, the installers will make it level.

Plus, high-quality artificial turf won’t be slippery at all.

There are rental options too, but in our opinion, the cost to quality ratio isn’t good enough to justify such an expenditure.

If weather forecasts were more reliable over stretches of time longer than a day or two, you wouldn’t be reading this article. But they aren’t, and your planning still needs to be done at least 6 months ahead.

That’s why we decided to put together a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves so the most important party in your life doesn’t end up thrown off course.

1. Venue Matters

Even if you want your party to be small and cozy, you can’t just place it into your living room because the clouds are starting to roll in.

This is why your venue, even if it’s in a park or a forest, needs to have covered spaces, either tents or permanent pavilions big or numerous enough for everyone. Tents are especially convenient for two reasons. First, they can guard your guests from all sorts of elements: from rain and wind to sun. Second, they are scalable and portable, so you can easily remove one or two if some guests happen to cancel in the meantime. (Which always happens, let’s be honest!)

There are several different types of tents. Sturdy frame tents are best if the terrain is particularly uneven. (They will also be the best safeguard against storms.)

A set of sailcloth tents is the best middle-ground if all you can expect is light to medium rain or scattered showers.

If you’re having a late afternoon or evening party, clear tents are your most elegant option! Their canopy is transparent and usually partially reflective, giving your lighting a particularly beautiful glitter.

However, overhead isn’t the only concern here. If there’s lots of rain, it will soak up the ground, so you’ll need some kind of flooring so your guests don’t end up muddy or worse.

Permanent buildings like gazebos, pavilions or even your garden shed can be a great option, if only to serve food from.

But if you opt to put your garden shed to a creative and festive use, be sure to inspect its roof and walls! What’s good enough for storage might be too neglected and frail for food and people. Especially when there’s hail!

Better yet, it’s something you can easily do on your own, tells us Nick Mason, an expert from a company that does roof repair in Perth. “Just grab a ladder and check for loose or missing shingles. You should also clear debris from the gutters (if you have them). If you notice any small leaks or damaged areas, patching them with roofing sealant is an easy and inexpensive fix,” he points out. Even if this fix doesn’t last you a lifetime, you only need it to work well for an afternoon.

2. Adjust Your Decor

What happens to floral, drapes, candles or lanterns if the day is windier than usual?

They’ll likely end up all over the place, in fact everywhere except where they should be.

The must-haves for this situation are fitted tablecloths and chair covers. Thanks to your tents, they’ll be protected from rain alright. But they can still fly around if they aren’t fastened to the furniture. The bad news here is, they’ll usually be made of some kind of polyester (and we don’t really like plastics). The good news with the bad, these materials are also stain-resistant.

Zip ties and Velcro are the keywords where most of your decor is concerned. They can secure anything that’s hanging, like string lights, banners, signage and paper goods.

If you’ve planned for vases and centerpieces, weighted bases or decorative stones or sand should weigh them down enough. But if the weather gets really nasty, you can always just move them inside.

3. Guests Can Get Cold Too

In all the hubbub of securing the venue itself, it’s all too easy to forget a simple truth.

Even summers can get chilly, especially when after a sudden storm. And your guests can be forgiven for not thinking to bring warmer clothes to a wedding.

That’s why you should have blankets or wraps available for guests as a backup. Umbrella stands are also a must. Needless to say, you don’t need to have an umbrella for every guest. One for every five or even ten guests will do, in case anybody needs to pop out of the party.

By the way, umbrellas can make for awesome photo shoots, especially if you get clear ones! Just take a look at these ideas on Pinterest.

It will also help immensely if you keep your eye on the forecast and send everyone a quick note 3-5 days in advance, so they can adjust their clothing.

If your party is taking place in early spring or the fall, you should even plan for several portable heaters for the elderly guests!

4. Ambient Sound & Lighting

Electricity is your main concern here as you don’t want it affected by a downpour!

That’s why all the cables and extension cords need to be waterproof and safe. Protective casings are the best solution here.

Of course, the safest option of all is anything that comes without cords! We’re talking battery-operated LED lighting, or even solar. But the problem is, solar requires a lot of sun ahead of the wedding in order to be dependable.

To be ready for all circumstances, it’s best to have a power generator at hand. If push comes to shove, the last thing you’ll worry about will be noise!

5. Food & Beverage

Since your outdoor venue will be tented, your food should be safe from rain or wind.

But what if your wedding falls in the middle of a heatwave?

Now, if there’s one thing that looks less appealing than tupperware, it’s flies feasting on your food. That’s why lids are a must for summer as you don’t want the food to get contaminated before your guests have even gotten a chance to try it.

It doesn’t have to be an aesthetic disaster either. When arranged with care and attention to detail, glass containers can look very elegant too! Think Pyrex or just about any of the countless copies of it.

As an added precaution, it’s good to organize your buffet so that dishes are rotated. In dog days of summer, food can go bad very quickly. And it can start looking bad even quicker!

On a brighter note, drinks aren’t nearly as complicated. All you need are ice buckets and dispensers.

Inexpensive doesn’t need to be cheap, right?

Price isn’t the only reason why you’d want an outdoor wedding, though. Big, bulky and majestic just isn’t a thing anymore, even where weddings are concerned. Simple and minimalist isn’t just nice. It’s also the only surefire way for the bride and groom to have some fun as well, and not just during the party, but while planning it too!

But even a small event won’t devise and organize itself. So here are several ideas as food for thought! You can choose one or even combine two or more.

Enchanted Forest

If you have a wooded area at your disposal, it can make for an incredibly romantic venue with its natural charm! When done right, this one’s probably my personal favorite.

It does call for hosts and guests with a sense of adventure, though! Installing nets and meshes against mosquitos big enough to cover the whole area would make a serious dent in your budget. So you’ll likely have to make do with insect repellent sprays. (Before you say citronella, here’s why it doesn’t work.)

The best kind of décor for your forest wedding would be foraged greenery, vine and flowers, plain and simple. You can use these to decorate the arch as well.

As for furniture, the more mismatched it is, the better! You can literally make a round and borrow chairs from your friends. Rough cinder blocks lined with cushions can also look fabulous.

That said, a forest wedding doesn’t come without any risks, and not all of them are immediately obvious or benign like mosquitos. If the property that the forest is on isn’t regularly being attended to, it will need some serious prep work.

First, you’ll need to clear the zone of debris like fallen branches and leaves, rocks and roots. Bear in mind that there’s bound to be at least several pairs of uncomfortable shoes or even high heels, no matter your instructions! The last thing you want are sprained ankles as a result of your wedding party.

But it won’t be enough to just look down. You also need to look up! Do a good inspection of the trees to detect if there are any loose branches. You can trim any overhanging, dead or weak branches on your own if they are small and easily accessible. But in some cases, if there are very old trees (yes, just the ones that are most beautiful!), you may need to call in a professional arborist to assess and handle the risk.

Exactly how acute can this problem be? We asked George Smith, horticulturist and owner of a tree lopping company based in Adelaide, Australia. “Trees can suffer from internal decay that’s only detectable if you look at the roots or the tree’s overall structural integrity,” he tells us. This can make a big and heavy branch that looks perfectly healthy on the outside fall without any signs of warning, he adds. Especially because they’ll suffer some strain the lighting is being mounted.

Vintage Tea Party

This is bound to be a win with your guests for a simple reason: everybody loves nostalgia. With a skillful photographer to underline the vintage aspect, it will be a memorable event!

Best of all, you can get different sets of teacups, saucers, cutlery and plates from a your local thrift store or flea market. It’s completely fine and even desirable for them to be mismatched, as long as they look vintage!

It’s also a perfect opportunity to break out your grandma’s dollies, napkins and tablecloths. Maybe even her wedding dress! If you want to take it one step further, you can ask your guests to also dust off theirs or their parents’ old clothes.

Food options are also affordable for this one. You can serve finger sandwiches, scones and jam, cupcakes and different flavors of tea.

A very nice detail would be an old typewriter (make sure it works!) instead of a guest book.

Bohemian Garden

This one’s great if you live in a city where you can rent out a dedicated section of a public park, rooftop garden or a community garden. The idea is heavily customizable and will look marvelous the more you improvise! In fact, the more colorful and ethnic you make it, the better and more cosmopolitan it will look.

Rugs, cushions, macramé backdrops, tapestries and hangings, hammocks — anything goes in this arrangement.

As for chow time, why not rent out a vintage food truck? Whatever you choose to serve from it, it will have a special flavor. Options include anything from salad bowls to noodles, poke bowls with a variety of sauces, to gourmet hot dogs with creative toppings or even grilled veggies for vegans.

Whatever you do, make sure to get a photo booth with boho props like oversized glasses or flower crowns, and of course, a Polaroid camera!

Simple & Cozy: Backyard Oasis

I love this idea because ANYONE can do it. And by anyone, I even mean people who don’t have a backyard, or it isn’t big enough. If you don’t, at least one of your friends or relatives does. In fact, letting you host your party in their backyard could even be their wedding gift to you!

Another pro is, this idea is scalable. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you want, with as few or as many guests as you need. The only necessary prep work is to trim the lawn, and you’re good to go.

String lights and/or paper lanterns are all you need in terms of lighting. Better yet, the latter are crazy easy to DIY Chinese style, and you can even make a garland of them!

You can throw in candles, mason jars, pine cones or flowers to make things more colorful. And the sitting arrangement can be done with simple wooden benches made of planks and wooden blocks, to optionally add a rustic touch. But if that doesn’t sound appealing to you, even rented out plastic or wooden white chairs will look fabulous in this setting.