Outdoor wedding question

[StacylikesSparkles]

So we're getting married outside on FI's family farm. We've rented a tent and chairs (we actually have enough tables from family, so renting them wasn't necessary). When thinking about a dance floor, we priced them at $1.50 a square foot. To me, I just can't justify paying that expense.

My question is this; if you were at an outdoor, country wedding and there was no dance floor, but a dance area (with lights on poles and everything so people see that its a designated area) would you be ok with dancing on grass? Everyone that is coming knows that they shouldn't be wearing poke-y heels (they'll be on grass for the ceremony and seating in the tent) and that a wedge or flat is the way to go. I just cannot wrap my head around spending a crazy amount on a dance floor when I don't really deem it as a necessity. I'm actually not going to be wearing shoes at all (what can I say, I have a little bit of hippie in me), so to me, I think this just gives a more relaxed and comfortable 'good time' feel.

Am I wrong on this? If so, can someone tell me why in the world I would pay $1.50 a square foot for this stupid thing?

 

[sonnyjane]

Good question. The most recent wedding I attended (actually I was a bridesmaid) was outdoors. The night before, during rehearsal, they were setting up the dance floor and to be honest, it looked really bad and out of place in the middle of the park, so the bride made the decision that night to just scrap it and do without the dance floor. During the actual wedding, we just danced on the grass. She had bought all the bridesmaids matching flip flops, so we wore those, and some of the people that had on heels took them off and danced barefoot.

For an outdoor farm wedding, I feel like that's fine. Another fun idea that I recently saw on TV was that the couple bought tons of those $1 pairs of flip flops in different sizes and had them all in a bin so guests that had aching feet could swap into some cheap flip flops for dancing.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Good question. The most recent wedding I attended (actually I was a bridesmaid) was outdoors. The night before, during rehearsal, they were setting up the dance floor and to be honest, it looked really bad and out of place in the middle of the park, so the bride made the decision that night to just scrap it and do without the dance floor. During the actual wedding, we just danced on the grass. She had bought all the bridesmaids matching flip flops, so we wore those, and some of the people that had on heels took them off and danced barefoot.

For an outdoor farm wedding, I feel like that's fine. Another fun idea that I recently saw on TV was that the couple bought tons of those $1 pairs of flip flops in different sizes and had them all in a bin so guests that had aching feet could swap into some cheap flip flops for dancing.

This makes me VERY happy to hear! FI just came home last night after talking with his Mom and she wanted to add a dance floor (after we have talked for the last 7.5 months about NOT having one), so I started to freak out a bit. The ground isn't going to be 100% level, so I think that not only would it look out of place, but may be kind of a hazard when it's actually there! Were the older people dancing? I worry that they'll be the ones who are annoyed that we don't have one.

I saw the idea of the bins of flip flops! I keep checking on sale site for cute ones. Any links would be appreciated!

 

[Amys Bling]

There were old navy store closings by us and they were selling them for $1 a pair...

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

There were old navy store closings by us and they were selling them for $1 a pair...

Thanks! My MOH just emailed me about ON. Now I'll need to do some web site searching this evening.

 

[sonnyjane]

This makes me VERY happy to hear! FI just came home last night after talking with his Mom and she wanted to add a dance floor (after we have talked for the last 7.5 months about NOT having one), so I started to freak out a bit. The ground isn't going to be 100% level, so I think that not only would it look out of place, but may be kind of a hazard when it's actually there! Were the older people dancing? I worry that they'll be the ones who are annoyed that we don't have one.

I saw the idea of the bins of flip flops! I keep checking on sale site for cute ones. Any links would be appreciated!

Actually that's exactly why she decided not to have it. The ground wasn't level so it looked awkward, and in addition to that, hers was elevated off the ground about two inches, which made the whole thing a trip hazard. And on top of that, the real nail in the coffin was that because she was getting married in a public park and they were setting up the floor early so it would have to sit overnight, the city mandated that they put neon orange "caution" flags up around the floor during the day because it was a trip hazard. After she was looking at the floor surrounded by "caution" flags, the whole thing just looked awful and she decided, "to Hell with it". Her wedding had a casual feel, but it sounds like yours will too, so it should work. To be honest I don't recall too much about the dancing. I know all of the parents/aunts/uncles were out there dancing and they are in their 60's. I don't recall if there were any grandparents/80-ish guest dancing.

And yes, when I mentioned the flip flops I had the Old Navy ones in mind. Tons of different colors and never more than $3 a pair usually.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Good to know...and weird about the flags lol...it surely is a casual feel, so I think bare feet and flip flops (after the ceremony) will be perfect. I feel so much better about this after validation that the dance floor isn't 100% necessary.

 

[affguy]

Male intrusion alert!

If I remember correctly, your wedding is going to be very similar to mine, including your groom and groomsmen dressing pretty much the same as me and mine. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about this, as we have a dance area at our venue, but still, $1.50/sq.ft. does sound pretty steep. While looking around, I came across a website showing someone else's wedding that was going for a similar feel (outdoor, mason jars, reclaimed wood, etc) and they went with a homemade dance floor that mostly fit in, and probably didn't cost much more than $100, plus the materials could be used for something afterwards.

How long do you have? I'm at 6 weeks and counting and picked up our marriage license and banquet permit this week, just ordered my groomsmen gifts a few minutes ago, and am picking up the bridesmaid dresses and going shopping for my own shirt/shoes tonight. Still no luck on ties, as my bride wasn't a fan of my favorite (knitted silk) and my runners-up are out of stock at 2 stores and too expensive at the only one where they're in stock (more than double the price of the out-of-stock stores). I woke up at 3 AM a couple nights ago, thinking about all the stuff my bride-to-be has asked me to make (signs, decorations that require power tools, etc) and realized I'm working half the remaining weekends before the wedding (in addition to all the week days), leaving me about 6 remaining days off to get everything done. Holy cow, crunch time!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Male intrusion alert!

If I remember correctly, your wedding is going to be very similar to mine, including your groom and groomsmen dressing pretty much the same as me and mine. I'm fortunate that I don't have to worry about this, as we have a dance area at our venue, but still, $1.50/sq.ft. does sound pretty steep. While looking around, I came across a website showing someone else's wedding that was going for a similar feel (outdoor, mason jars, reclaimed wood, etc) and they went with a homemade dance floor that mostly fit in, and probably didn't cost much more than $100, plus the materials could be used for something afterwards.

How long do you have? I'm at 6 weeks and counting and picked up our marriage license and banquet permit this week, just ordered my groomsmen gifts a few minutes ago, and am picking up the bridesmaid dresses and going shopping for my own shirt/shoes tonight. Still no luck on ties, as my bride wasn't a fan of my favorite (knitted silk) and my runners-up are out of stock at 2 stores and too expensive at the only one where they're in stock (more than double the price of the out-of-stock stores). I woke up at 3 AM a couple nights ago, thinking about all the stuff my bride-to-be has asked me to make (signs, decorations that require power tools, etc) and realized I'm working half the remaining weekends before the wedding (in addition to all the week days), leaving me about 6 remaining days off to get everything done. Holy cow, crunch time!

Thanks for the opinions and info! Yes, we're definitely going for the same vibe/feel for our day, so I love your information! I just emailed FI the link for the dance floor. When we originally started talking wedding stuff, we discussed the costs of a dance floor (ridiculous!) and I asked if it would be feasible for him to make one. At the time he didn't think that was a good idea, but maybe now he will? Hmm...definitely checking on this!

What state are you in? We should share wedding decor lol Our wedding day is 09/22, so 50 days to go...holy smokes! I've been trying to do a little at a time (painting jars, cutting fabric for bunting, etc), but the closer we get the more freaked I'm getting about stuff that needs to get finished. FI cut out the wood and stained it for our signs. I'm going to paint the lettering in white (for things like 'ceremony', 'dancing', etc), which I'm planning to have my MOH help with. We have all the BM dresses, but FI still need to handle the groomsmen's outfits. He doesn't communicate with them nearly enough, but that is on him. We were thinking of having the guys just wear a white button down and gray slacks from express, but I emailed him the link to the Macy's outfit that you sent. Thanks for the suggestions!! I'm starting to feel a ton better about things

 

[affguy]

Ha ha, I'm in eastern Washington (state) and getting married the Saturday before you (9/15). We're going over to a friend/wedding planner type person's house on Monday to pick up a bunch of old wood for the signs, an old weathered door we're going to set up on the path leading into the meadow where we're having our ceremony, and a bunch of gauzy stuff that I'm still not entirely sure how I'm going to drape over the aisle. I know the FI is planning on mason jars with flowers hanging on the chairs that border the aisle, and more of them hanging in trees around the dinner/reception area. I'm supposed to make up like 6 dozen of these to scatter around the tables (small veggie type cans, not big coffee cans), and I think I'm going to try to "speed weather" them, i.e. a few saltwater baths and days in the sun. For color, the FI is making a bunch of bunting, in shades very similar to your mason jar paints. Trees will have standard twinkle lights, DJ is going to do some subtle up-lighting near the dance floor (talking him OUT of disco balls and flashy club-style lights was rough...I was like "Dude, it's a ranch, in the country, with a vintage decor...how hard do you really want to clash?!")

Oh, and since this is a thread about outdoor weddings...we skipped the tent! Looking back thru the almanac, in the last 20 years it has rained twice on our wedding date. Once was a couple showers in the AM, the other was legitimate rain. With tent setup and rental fees exceeding $1500, and the likelihood of actually needing it minimal, we decided to take a chance. Our venue does have a building, albeit with odd dimensions, so if mother nature decides to mess with us, we do have a backup plan. But if that happens, any decorations we manage to incorporate into emergency seating will be by the seat of our pants.

 

[Gypsy]

I wouldn't dance. I'd turn my ankles, I know I would. Even in flats.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Ha ha, I'm in eastern Washington (state) and getting married the Saturday before you (9/15). We're going over to a friend/wedding planner type person's house on Monday to pick up a bunch of old wood for the signs, an old weathered door we're going to set up on the path leading into the meadow where we're having our ceremony, and a bunch of gauzy stuff that I'm still not entirely sure how I'm going to drape over the aisle. I know the FI is planning on mason jars with flowers hanging on the chairs that border the aisle, and more of them hanging in trees around the dinner/reception area. I'm supposed to make up like 6 dozen of these to scatter around the tables (small veggie type cans, not big coffee cans), and I think I'm going to try to "speed weather" them, i.e. a few saltwater baths and days in the sun. For color, the FI is making a bunch of bunting, in shades very similar to your mason jar paints. Trees will have standard twinkle lights, DJ is going to do some subtle up-lighting near the dance floor (talking him OUT of disco balls and flashy club-style lights was rough...I was like "Dude, it's a ranch, in the country, with a vintage decor...how hard do you really want to clash?!")

Oh, and since this is a thread about outdoor weddings...we skipped the tent! Looking back thru the almanac, in the last 20 years it has rained twice on our wedding date. Once was a couple showers in the AM, the other was legitimate rain. With tent setup and rental fees exceeding $1500, and the likelihood of actually needing it minimal, we decided to take a chance. Our venue does have a building, albeit with odd dimensions, so if mother nature decides to mess with us, we do have a backup plan. But if that happens, any decorations we manage to incorporate into emergency seating will be by the seat of our pants.

I love the cans! I seriously considered something like this, but decided against it to avoid some of the work lol...we're doing mason jars (some painted, some clear) with candles in some and flowers in the others, bunting with some fabric that belonged to my Grandmother and painted chandeliers, as well as tissue paper poms that we're planning to hang around. We're doing some fun wooden signs with FI has cut out and stained for me. I just need to paint them. The tent we're getting will have parameter twinkle lights and we're doing some around the dance floor area. I want subtle, but pretty lighting.

I would have LOVED to forgo the tent, but both my Mom and future MIL said a big NO to that! The mother's have had a TON of opinions on things and the tent was one thing they weren't budging on. In all fairness, September is weird where we live and rain can definitely happen at random times. That was one of our major expenses at around $2k. Ugh...it wouldn't have been so bad, but we have a HUGE guest list, so we needed a very large tent. Don't worry, I bet it will be gorgeous weather on your day!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I wouldn't dance. I'd turn my ankles, I know I would. Even in flats.

With the ground not being completely level, do you think you would have felt more comfortable on an actual dance floor? I need to check to see if a dance floor would need to be elevated, as to me, that would be more of a hazard.

 

[swingirl]

I would not enjoy dancing on grass as it would certainly be uneven. But how is a couple hundred bucks over-the-top expensive when a twisted ankle getting x-rayed would be (at least for me) $150 co-pay at the emergency room?

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I would not enjoy dancing on grass as it would certainly be uneven. But how is a couple hundred bucks over-the-top expensive when a twisted ankle getting x-rayed would be (at least for me) $150 co-pay at the emergency room?

My concern is that having a dance floor on uneven ground is going to be even more hazardous than having people dance on grass. Also, we're not talking a couple hundred bucks, but more like $800-1,000. I'm not trying to spend that much on a one-time use thing.