Summer weddings are quickly approaching! Get the most out of this season’s best by showcasing them right at your own big day. Summer isn’t all about the beautiful beach waves or the sunny cloudless days, it is also about getting the freshest and juiciest ingredients for your own wedding spread. It is also about giving your guests a little hint of summertime during the celebration, be it outdoors or indoors.
Take advantage of the summertime madness, by buying fruits and produce that is in season. In-season blooms are easily sourced and local markets can give you a competitive price for fresh farm-to-market picks as well. For wedding guests coming from out of town, flaunting the best of what the locality has to offer in terms of produce and specialties is simply an added bonus.
Here are our 5 creative takes on summer wedding reception ideas, sure to keep your guests thoroughly refreshed and cool all summer day long.
Fresh fruits forever.
Nothing beats fresh fruits during the summer, right when almost all tropical favorites are in season. What better way to showcase these seasonal gems than to feature them front and center right at the wedding reception through a fresh fruit bar. Anything from sliced peaches, peeled mangoes, and assorted berries displayed with toppings ranging from nuts to whipped cream and even some sweets. If you don’t feel like going the whole nine yards, you can simply pick the regional specialties and make them the centerpiece of each table, like displaying a bowl of freshly picked peaches or perfectly ripe plums the guests can lovingly adore and also scrumptiously devour while they await the newlyweds’ entrance.
We all scream for ice cream.
Both young and young-at-heart guests will surely love having a scoop of ice cream to cool them off right after the wedding ceremony. Have an old-school ice cream cart on standby to keep the guests cool and comfy while you get to do the post-nuptial shoot around the grounds. Make it even cooler and set up a Make-Your-Own-Sundae station, complete with sliced bananas, chocolate, and strawberry syrup bottles, nuts, and of course, rainbow sprinkles. For a more laid back set up, go with the ever-dependable shaved ice, colorful flavored syrup, and paper cones to form your very own snow cone booth.
All bottled up.
The easiest way is also the simplest way because when guests get to see the ice-cold drinks they are sure to grab one in a snap. Fill up a tub or a large cooler of buckets of ice and a wide assortment of refreshments in individual bottles – beer, ginger ale, soda, fruit juice, etc. Place a cart at the side where guests can access the bottle openers, straws, and koozies. It’ll be such a big hit with the uncles and dads, and even the little ones.
A feast from the sea.
Perfect for beach weddings or for destination weddings near the coast, why not take advantage of the seafood and offer an oyster bar right at your reception? If you are a huge seafood fan, you can also opt for a seafood grilling station – with grilled shrimps, mussels, lobsters, and crabs displayed gorgeously with an array of sauces and dips at the sides. It’ll be a great starter course right in between the cocktails and reception parts, while the guests get to munch and mingle under the summer sun.
Coolers for the coolest.
Summer coolers are the perfect festive drinks to hand out to your wedding guests to get the party started, even if it is still sunny outside. Have your very own customized refreshing cocktails served at the bar, complete with adorably quirky names and cute little umbrellas of course. For the designated drivers and the expectant moms, summer refreshments such as strawberry colada slush and sparkling watermelon smoothies as mock-tails can do the trick. Top it all off with cucumber and mint infused water to be served by the bar or in beautiful glass pitchers spread across all tables.
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