An outdoor wedding is trickier to plan than an indoor affair — and the weather isn't the only factor you'll need to keep in mind. Celebrating outside will significantly affect logistics, the day's timeline and (most importantly!) your catering. Remember these important considerations to help things go as smoothly as possible.

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Sure, your caterer will be crucial to planning logistics, ordering rentals and much more, but even the most-organized caterer won’t completely step into the role of wedding planner. “Many couples think the caterer does it all, and that’s not usually the case,” says Michael Prete of Portsmouth Catering in New Hampshire.

While some caterers might take a lead role in planning your day, they might not help with tasks like handling non-food vendors, coordinating the day’s timeline, decorating the tables — or (a biggie for outdoor weddings!) creating a full-scale plan B if rain forces you inside. Outdoor events come with extra considerations and complications, and a dedicated wedding planner can help ensure that everything goes well.


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“We wouldn’t want to serve a hot soup or a bunch of heavy items in the middle of summer,” says Kelly Mahanes of Harvest Moon Catering in Charlottesville, Va. She’s right — just think about how uncomfortable everyone would get eating that outside. Mahanes also doesn’t recommend doing an outdoor cheese display in the middle of July, for understandable sun- and heat-related reasons. Work with your caterer to plan a seasonal menu, she advises: “If you choose items that you might find in a backyard garden that time of year, you can't go wrong!”

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You know those gorgeous, rustic weddings you see on Pinterest? The ones that seem to be in the middle of a field or forest? And boast long, barn-style tables under a canopy of twinkle lights? While beautiful, a setup like that is not always practical — after all, access to electricity (at the very least) is really helpful for prepping food for a crowd. “Depending on how remote the venue is, it might not provide any cooking equipment, plates, tents, lights, etc.,” says Danielle Staunton, of A Spice of Life Catering in Boulder. “This can double the budget for the catering portion of the wedding expenses.”

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