You are newly engaged and excited to start planning your dream wedding. That dream involves a summer wedding with all the trimmings; in-season flowers, possibly an outdoor setting such as at a local winery, or a party tent for the reception with fairy lights in the surrounding trees. You have dreamed about this day for years and can see it perfectly in your mind’s eye. Unfortunately, in reality it is the middle of winter in Canada and all you see is dead trees and miles and miles of snow. How can you get past the current weather conditions and envision your wedding during the vibrant months of summer? With the following tips and planning strategies your summer wedding plans will be in full bloom long before the snow melts!

Pinterest will be your new best friend!

Pinterest is an amazing resource for both searching out ideas and saving pictures, websites, blogs, and other items of interest when planning every aspect of your wedding. When trying to create your ideal summertime wedding during the cold, dark months of winter, this site is an invaluable tool. From in-season flowers, to venue photos, search and save items that represent your vision. Then, as you share your vision with your wedding party and parents, you will have concrete ideas for them to follow. If you are looking for a place to start looking for ideas on Pinterest, try search “planmybridal”.

Contact the venue for photos

If your wedding will take place at a location that hosts this type of event on a regular basis, ask to see photos from the previous summer. This will give a good idea of what the landscaping typically looks like and what types of set-ups they have held in the past. If you are early enough, you may even be able to request that they plant a certain colour of annual flower to match your wedding colours. Be specific when asking for photos; knowing exactly what month or week the photo was taken will show you at what stage each garden or landscaped area will be in for blooming.

Ask while interviewing photographers

If the venue you are using is a public location such as a park and they do not have pictures of past weddings, include this in the questions asked while interviewing photographers. Ideally you want a photographer that is familiar with the locations of your photo shoots and if they have proofs from previous weddings you will be able to, again, gain a detailed understanding of what the landscaping will look like during your own day. The photographer will also have a good idea of what the ground is like, for example, does one area remain a swamp for up to a week after a good rainstorm? If the answer is yes, you may want to relocate your reception tent to another location.

Choose your florist wisely!

When interviewing florists, ask to see pictures of their work; specifically of bouquets created during summer months with in-season flowers. If you would like a specific flower but are not sure if it is season, ask if it is still possible to specifically order it from a hot-house for your arrangements.

Attend the shows!

The fall and winter months are when the wedding industry rolls out the newest spring and summer trends. Take the opportunities to attend as many of these events as possible to gather resources, ideas and contacts. It may be all “winter white” outside, but inside these trade shows you will feel like you stepped through time to view the best of what summer has to offer for brides-to-be!

Planning a wedding is an enormous task for any bride. Planning a summertime wedding through a Canadian winter is challenging at the best of times. Make use of your resources such as those professionals who will be part of your big day as well as the internet. Wedding websites like PlanMyBridal.com is an excellent resource for you to look for Toronto based vendors. Even if you don’t live in the Greater Toronto area, these vendors have the pulse of the latest wedding trends. Other sites such as “Pinterest” are ideal for finding and keeping a visual record of ideas and eleGALA provide detailed information about what wedding flowers are in season when and a blog to keep the