Expert Insight

• Evening weddings have the potential for romance, solemnity and enchantment. Gowns and floral displays will be enhanced with candlelight and string after string of tiny lights. The decorations that add to the evening ambiance will take the same amount of work and expense as a daytime wedding, whether it is inside or out. The florist will deliver and decorate in the morning to prepare the site for your wedding. You will be able to rent floral decorated candelabra for the service, which will work well for the mood you wish to create during the service and for photographs.
  
  

Effects

• You can create the effect of a starry winter night in the snow kissed woods with strings of white Christmas lights, painted white tree branches and flowers that are dusted with glitter and crystals. Your fantasy wedding could be in a candlelit room with decoration that reminds the attendees of a castle with swags of crystals flowing down from candelabra. A beach wedding at night could be lit with candles nestled inside large sea shells and rows of torches. You can also have floating candles and flowers in a pond or pool of water.
  
  

Size

• An evening wedding is appropriate for any size, style or theme. A small intimate party will find the scene romantic and memorable. An intimate wedding can be held in a large variety of settings indoor or out. A large wedding will effortlessly flow from the service to the reception when planned well. It is important to book evening wedding locations for a large gathering six to eight months ahead.
  
  

Considerations

• An evening wedding is generally planned for 6 p.m. unless it is a New Year's Eve midnight affair. It is important to be thoughtful of travel for those people who need overnight accommodations. Be sure to research and supply information to help them plan an overnight stay if needed. It is also essential to have detailed directions to get to the place of the wedding and reception. It is harder for guests to find their way around at night in unfamiliar territory.
  
  

Potential

• An evening wedding reception can be very beautiful and memorable. At a small, intimate wedding the tables can have swags of white lights covered in netting draped at the front. In a large wedding the bridal table can be decorated with swags of lights, netting and flowers. Chocolate, punch and cake fountains can add another set of mood lights to the atmosphere. Display the cake under an archway that is covered in swags of netting, satin ribbon and white lights. An evening reception can be a buffet meal or a formal sit down multi-course dinner. After the celebration leave your guests behind as you are driven off in a limousine, horse-drawn carriage decked with lanterns or a beautiful boat gliding out on to a moonlit lake.