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Plan the Perfect Picnic Barbecue Wedding - Enjoy Some Sunshine on Your Special Day!

Written by Chelsea Triola  |  03. May 2014

Interested in having a May wedding but aren’t sure of a good theme to choose? With the month of May comes nice weather and fun outdoor activities, so why not add this idea into your big day by having a barbecue picnic styled wedding?

A barbecue picnic style wedding is a great idea for the couples who would like to keep things casual. If you’re planning to have your wedding in your backyard or somewhere outdoors, a picnic theme with delicious food off the barbecue would be the ideal setting for you and your guests. Take a look at these great suggestions to help complete the perfect barbecue picnic themed wedding:

Invitations
Incorporating your theme into your wedding invitations is a great idea because it is the first thing your guests will see. A nice idea for a picnic barbecue wedding is to have simple invitations in the shape of mason jars. Choose colors you desire or that will match the theme. A great addition to the invitation is to add a red and white “picnic blanket” type of cloth around each invitation. Or, have your vendor draw it in on the invite.

A Place for the Cards
Instead of having a card table or a box for the guests to place their cards in, set up a large picnic basket as they walk in, so they can simply drop their card in upon entering. This idea is quite different from other weddings and will surely make your celebration one of a kind! This distinctive basket idea will also make it much easier to grab later on in the night, and all the cards will be in one place.

Food
The food is an important part of every wedding, especially at a picnic barbecue wedding! You want to choose dishes that will have your guests wanting more. A barbecue wouldn’t be complete without the burgers and hot dogs, of course! Also fix up some BBQ chicken legs, corn on the cob, sausage and ribs. Be sure to include the pasta salads and macaroni and cheese, a perfect dish for the kids. A fun idea for the corn on the cob is to put each cob on a stick and dip them into a tub of melted butter! For the snacks, you can never go wrong with french fries and ketchup! Or try watermelon on a stick for a more healthier choice.

Drinks
Since drinks are usually just thrown into a cooler at a BBQ/picnic, we have added some cool ways to display your drinks to truly bring out your theme. Set up a red children’s wagon or a set of two or three of them in a row, throw a bunch of ice into them and stick the beers in them! Another fun display idea is to set up a table just for the drinks and put each into large glass jugs, each with a dispenser for easy access.

Decor
The decor is what is going to really make your theme pop! Set up some clean, white wooden tables with chairs or benches for the guests to sit and add a red and white seat cushion to each chair. Another nice addition is to place a picnic styled (red and white checkered) tablecloth to each table. For each place setting, use mason jars to store the forks, knives, spoons and napkins. This will add a more picnic feel to the utensils rather than just laying them down on the table. Place empty wine barrels all around your ceremony, with a pretty sunflower on each. This will look beautiful, especially if it is an outdoor wedding. String some lights from the trees, tent or room you are celebrating in to make the place light up once the sun goes down. To add a hint of elegance, use hanging paper lanterns for the lighting, instead!

Seating Cards
Rather than doing traditional seating cards, set yours up in a fun way by adding mini ketchup bottles to each card! Attach the card with a red or white ribbon (or any other color you desire) and set them up on a table near the entrance of your party. These ketchup bottle seating cards will be a memorable addition to your big day and your guests will absolutely love the unique idea. Another great plus about this idea is that the red bottles will match with the red and white picnic style decor!

Favors
Send your guests home with a favor that they will be able to put to use! Set up small picnic baskets for each guest, complete with the perfect picnic essentials inside! Add a picnic blanket, a s’mores kit, and some matches for a bonfire! If it is too much to add all these picnic items, you can do it on a budget by using mini picnic baskets with just the bonfire matches inside!

We hope these fun ideas will help you complete the picnic barbecue wedding of your dreams! Remember, you can always add your own touch to the ideas by adding in colors you desire or floral decor for a fresh spring time touch!

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