5 Reasons To Have A Summer Camp Wedding
So, you thinking of going rustic, back to nature and planning a summer camp wedding? Congratulations, you have just opened up a world of incredible possibilities to celebrate your nuptials with friends and family in a setting that is perfectly designed to be intimate, fun and memorable.
If you went to camp, you will no doubt have fond memories of summers spent in the woods with friends and will want to recreate those special moments. If you that never went to camp then this is your chance to make those amazing memories whilst surrounded by your family and friends.
Picture yourself finishing off your weekend sitting around a campfire making s‘mores and listening to a friend play the guitar, or perhaps starting your weekend with a dodgeball tournament, tug-of-war or maybe even a go-kart race between the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
By choosing to get married at camp you can have your own private resort for the whole weekend instead of a hotel for just one night.
Invitations and Themes
This is where you begin to create the magic. Do you send out Hogwarts style invitations? Maybe you include the camp map on your save the date and send it out to your guests so that they can begin to get excited about the weekend that lies ahead.
Because you will have the whole camp to yourselves you have the option to theme your wedding in a unique way. Do you mix up your guests or do you have a brides camp and grooms camp by splitting up the cabins? Do you want to have an overall theme e.g. Viking, medieval or 80s? Your games, challenges and, events over the weekend can reflect the theme you have laid out and really bring your guests closer together.
You can name the cabins, as well as tables for your reception dinner, after things that are important to you as a couple or just to highlight the theme you have chosen. You can even have your own flag made that can fly high over the camp for the entire weekend.
Games, Games, Games
One of the best reasons to choose a summer camp wedding is the access you will have to so many amazing games and activities. Climbing towers, zip-lines, waterslides, go-karts, baseball, basketball, tennis, arts and crafts, swimming pools and lakes…the list of things you can do is almost endless.
Why not take the opportunity to hold challenges between the bride and groom’s guests? You could keep score over the weekend on a giant scoreboard at the flagpole. Capture the flag or dodgeball? Steal the bacon or an ‘Almost Anything Goes’ style competition can add a friendly but competitive edge to your weekend to help your guests, relax, have fun and get to know each other.
For those of you that want to create the full camp experience, a ‘Color War’ is a great way to mix friends up and get people playing. You even have the option of printing custom shirts as a great way to identify teams and they double up as a lovely keepsake from your wedding weekend. Most camps will have an events coordinator that can set this up and oversee it for you. There is nothing quite like a bride’s friends vs grooms friends tug-of-war to get pulses racing!
Campfires, S’mores and Fireworks!
Love it or hate it, some of the most memorable things about camp is surely the food and being outdoors! Finishing each night sitting around a campfire is a must for that authentic summer camp experience. Nothing says camp better than S’mores made on the end of sticks, roasted over an open fire!
Have friends that play an instrument? Get them to bring them with them to help create and personal and intimate atmosphere that will compliment your surroundings. You can even look to have stargazing on your schedule by lying out under some of the best night skies you’ll ever see or perhaps go out with a bang and finish your wedding reception night with a fireworks display that will light up the sky!
Do It All Your Way
Perhaps the best reason to hold your wedding at a summer camp, is that you get to have control over every element of the experience in a way that other venues don’t allow. Want to have your ceremony on a baseball field? No problem! Zip-line down the aisle? A summer camp wedding can make that happen (maybe!)
You can have the freedom to work with the Events Coordinator to create a wedding experience that is unique to you and reflects your values as a couple. Whether you want to get married by a friend, priest or celebrant, have a tent for your reception or make use of the playhouse and dining hall, set-up arts and crafts projects alongside a homerun derby so that you offer something for all your guests, you can have the freedom to do it all.
The option to be able to have things done in your own way is an amazing opportunity to start with a blank canvas and design your wedding just the way you want it to be.
Make it Last
Getting all of your friends and family together for the day can be a challenging task. Don’t let all that hard work and organization be for just one night. By having a summer camp wedding you can have exclusive access to a whole summer camp with room to house hundreds of your guests together for a whole weekend - What better way could there be to create a memorable wedding experience than making it last for 3 days!
You can split up the entire weekend into different elements to make your wedding one of a kind. Start with drinks and a BBQ so that guests can mingle, catch up and make new friends. Saturday morning can be full of games, hikes, activities and, challenges by making use of everything the camp offers before moving into an intimate evening ceremony under fairy lights and stars out in the woods.
Finally, Sunday can be a day to relax, enjoy some more games and activities, and make those all-important memories that will last a lifetime before you finally see everyone off.
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