Beating the Heat
Summer, the number one time brides choose to get married, offers brides a better than average chance of sunshine and blue skies for their magical day. Where there's sun there's heat, and with it the chance of melting guests, flowers and cakes. Here are a few tips to ensure the only melting that takes place on your wedding day, are your groom's knees as he sees you walk up the aisle.
To keep guests cool, try folding your wedding programs into handy paper fans that guests can read then wave as a way to cool down. Small bottles of sunscreen, moist towlettes, cool mints, and bottles of water, all adorned with personalized labels, can make the perfect wedding favor that guests will be sure to appreciate.If holding your wedding outdoors, be sure to offer a tented area for guests to be able to seek shade in, with water coolers at the ready to keep them hydrated.
Provide guests with umbrellas colored to match your theme that not only make great favors but also can provide shade that will keep the heat at bay.
For flowers, discuss with your florists heat beating ways to keep your flowers looking fresh and beautiful. Keep most bouquets and arrangements refrigerated until the last possible moment, and have on hand small misting bottles filled with cool water to spray on bouquets throughout the day. Assign one person in your bridal party this task, to ensure that it is done regularly.
Cakes are another wedding accessory that needs special care in order to last the day. With the artistic addition they make to a reception, not to mention their sometimes extravagant costs, you'll want to showcase and display your cake proudly throughout your reception. This is where a little thought has to be put in before the big day. By choosing a fondant icing over buttercream or whipped versions, you'll have a sturdy icing that will retain its form over a long heated period. It also has the benefit of ensuring a level of freshness that will help avoid disasters such as food poisoning from a cake with icing that has spoiled. Cakes made with jelly-filling as opposed to cream, will also fare better in extreme temperatures.
If considering a multi-layered cake, try having the layers placed on top of one another, or stacked on individual tiered plates rather than separated by pillars, thus ensuring more stability as the temperature of the cake rises.
Summer weddings can be fraught with heat related difficulties, but with a little planning and attention to detail, your summer wedding can easily beat the heat.
©2008 Weddingstar Inc.
