Let’s face it, summer weddings are as fun and as frivolous as you would like them to be! In a lot of countries, summer is the most popular season for weddings. And with so many fun decorating ideas and stunning floral décor options it is easy to see why.

While planning a summer wedding, the first thing to keep in mind is the weather conditions of the place and venue, where you would be throwing your reception. The temperature and humidity play a huge role. You want the reception to be fun and inviting, but also not a sweat-fest for your guests.

Again, if you are planning for an outdoor wedding reception then there should be sufficient fun activities and refreshing drinks always on the round, so as to make the party a livelier one.  

And last but not the least, your bridal attire, the attire of your bridesmaids, the overall ambiance and décor of the venue should complement the warm, casual, breezy nature of summer. Always remember, less is more and this applies to your idea of a summer wedding aplenty.

We have curated 15+ stunning decor ideas that might jazz up your summer wedding to levels of chic perfection, so chin up ladies!

1.  Have an Outdoor Dance-floor

You can never go wrong with hosting your reception outdoors. But if you think that might get too mainstream or even a bit claustrophobic- not enough backyard space, then simply host the post-reception dance outdoors. With a large center stage and wedding band or the DJ-station at one end of the yard, it will undoubtedly open up space for all those enthusiastic guests to get together and shake a leg.

2.  Hang Fairy Lights

Small twinkling lights of incandescent yellow or white are one of the easiest ways to add a magical sheen to your low-key dramatic wedding party. Extensive rows of lights hanging overhead or interlinked among the branches of the trees in the backyard will render the atmosphere an unparalleled exuberance. You can also simply dangle them from overhead and let your guests just walk underneath them and marvel!

3.  Dress your bridesmaids in bright colours

Having a great-looking set of girls dressed in bright, colorful prints and floral or geometric patterns, or even pastel shades of light sarees and suits with floral tiaras lined up behind the bride would amp up your wedding to great levels. If you are opting for a rustic-themed wedding and want your gang to look the part, this is a definite in your check-list.

4.  Serve ice cream

Who would say no to a cold creamy, delicious and flavourful ice cream on a hot summer day? Have 3 to 4 different flavors of ice cream served to your guests in between courses as palate refreshers or even before main courses, along with the hors d’oeuvres. You can opt to be a little experimental with the ice cream flavors and go for tropical ones instead of the usual chocolate – coconut, raspberry or matcha tea infused flavors might be stellar alternatives.

5.  Have snow cone booths

Another alternative to serving ice cream is having a snow cone booth for your guests. Your guests can help themselves to chunks of crushed ice served in different edible snow cups or wafers and topped with plenty of sugar syrup, flavored juices, or food color. This is not only a refreshing take on the usual ice cream on a hot summer day but also a trip down the memory lane to the old childhood days when they used to be a huge range.

6.  Use Mason Jars for Decor

Using mason jars instead of the usual drinking glasses is not only unusual but quite trendy as well. It has been a staple at budget weddings since forever and the perfect vessel for your drinks, flowers, or scented candles. Each of these jars may also carry cute little “happily ever after” messages that will undoubtedly be a huge hit with the guests.

7.  Release sky lanterns

Sky lanterns are both beautiful and romantic. As dusk settles on the wedding festivities and the post-reception cocktail party starts to wane, guests can take back a tiny memory of this beautiful occasion with them by floating lanterns into the air. With your partner standing next to you, you can release one into the air hopeful of all the good times you’ll be spending with him hereon.

8.  Mix and match vibrant colors for your wedding scheme

Wedding colors can be a great way to add some fun to your wedding day. A splash of orange here, a dash of red there, and complimented well with combinations of light pink, blue and yellow will amp up your d-day to dizzying altitudes of splendor. Be it in the open-air tent or the color of chairs or tablecloths, you can never go wrong with such colourful schemes for a summery reception.

9.  Use plenty of floral arrangements

Summers offer you a horde of flowers to choose from for your decorations. Be it roses or bougainvilleas or marigolds or chrysanthemums they’ll add a different glow and beauty to the overall aura of the reception. Have them arranged in the shape of a wreath or bouquets or bunches of 3 or 4 to be placed on each table for the guests?

10. Set up picnic tables for your dinner

Picnic tables are not only the staples for a park wedding but can also be the perfect décor for any rustic-themed wedding. Made of lightwood and being of lightweight yet comfortable arched backs, they serve as the perfect structures for lounging or relaxation, before or after dining.  

11. Corn as Table decor

Corn on the cob is a summer staple. And what better way to send off cheerful summery vibes through your wedding than having an arrangement of small corn cobs on the table, tied up with the bow. Guests can occasionally nibble at a few if they like!

12. Floral canopy

Having an asymmetrical mandap wreathed with flowers in the open-air will add bouts of magic to your summer fairy-tale wedding like you have never imagined before! Ditch the usual tent canopy and instead go for something floral.

13. Having colourful glasshouses

You can also stray away from the traditional canopy and go for a makeshift glass house made out of colored glass. Or have colorful pieces of transparent plastic pasted to a frame and have a decorative yet unique background where you can take your saat-pheras.

14. Use dream-catchers

Dream catchers are the funkiest way to spice up your wedding outlook. And if you are hosting a summer wedding, you can ditch the bright lighting and chandeliers and instead go for colorful, glittering dream catchers hanging from the ceiling of the tent.

15. Use lots of drapes

A cool thing about summer weddings? You can always use light colored, soothing curtains or drapes to amp up the cheerful spirit for your wedding.

16. Use mementos

If you are having a summer wedding and it’s open-air, then using old memories and mementos that you have safe-keeped over the years, from tickets of your first bus-ride together, to old pictures and even movie tickets can be displayed tastefully as decor for your wedding. It would be minimal but cute.

We, at team VenueMonk, wish you a happy summer wedding and loads of wishes for you to embark on a new journey with your loved one! Follow our website for more quirky ideas and themes for your wedding celebrations.