Top Tips for Texas Summer Wedding
SCR is busy all year long! People are always surprised we host weddings all year long since we are an open-air venue without A/C in the main event space. When our couples follow the top tips for summer weddings these events are some of our favorites — who doens’t love a summer night?
TOP TIPS FOR TEXAS SUMMER WEDDINGS
Shaded Ceremony
SCR’s Creekside Patio is the perfect spot for a summer ceremony. This space is on the backside of the barn and shaded both by the barn and from the tree canopy overhead.
We also have couples choose to have their summer ceremonies inside the Barn! This is another shaded option and simply requires the chairs to be moved from below the chandeliers to tables afterward for an easy transition during cocktail hour when guests are on the patios.
Ceremony Start Time in the Summer
Ceremony time during the summer should be no more than 1.5 hours before sunset at the very earliest, and only if the ceremony is on the Creekside Patio. Otherwise sticking to an hour before sunset is your best option if you are inside the barn.
Any time of year outdoor ceremonies are best to start about 1.5 before the ceremony anyway! This time is adjusted based on family photos, size of wedding party, first look or not, and more factors that your photographer will finalize with you. Never finalize your timeline without first consulting your photographer!
Doubled Knot Photography
2. Wet their Whistle! Water & Beverages at the Ready for Summer Weddings
Having a cute water and tea set up on the Creekside Patio is a great way to keep your guests comfortable as they wait for the ceremony to start.
Summer weddings mean late ceremonies (I got married in May and my ceremony started at 7 pm). Thus it’s nice to have guests arrive a little early to take in the beautiful spaces. But you’ll want to make sure that you have a water display setup. Summer couples often put a lot of time and effort into designing a fun water station or water and tea area at the ceremony location!
You can do this with a simple water decanter or bottles of water. Or, go fancy and have Tipsy Trailer serve water and other non-alcoholic drinks during ceremony and then open the bar once the reception starts.
Double the water you think you need, you don’t want anyone to get dehydrated! And make sure you consult with your bartenders about ice. We recommend Trainham Ice for delivery and ice-a-plenty at SCR.
3. First-Look and Family Photos
A key ingredient to a successful summer wedding is a First Look. Now, I didn’t have one and I was a summer bride! So, I speak from my own experience of not having one and seeing summer weddings for 10 years with the good and the not so good.
Becuase the ceremony starts late there is very little time for couples photos after ceremony and family photos. Thus, summer couples choose to have a first look so their time together for photos isn’t rushed and is special! If you wait until after ceremony you and your photographers are going to be rushed and possibly stressed to go your portraits taken while the sun is still giving you that perfect glow!
Not only first-look with the bride and groom, but any and all family photos that can be done before the ceremony are a plus! Becuase the ceremony is late and you have very early access to SCR at 8 am you have all day to get ready and the ease of time waiting on ceremony to start. This is RARE and a huge advantage to a summer wedding. Taking advantage of that time for family photos is a great tip to make your summer wedding day a joyful occasion!
4. SCR’s Coolers - Let them run!
SCR’s main barn space is not A/C controlled but has two 7000 CFM Air Coolers (moves lots of air/cools) AND an industrial Hunter HVLS Fan in the top of the Barn. These two features are free to be used throughout the day to keep the air moving.
Once the sun is down the big doors can come open and guests will love the indoor-outdoor feel of the summer event.
The Bathrooms, Bridal Suite, Kitchen, and Grand Room all have A/C.
See some of our Favorite Summer weddings blogged below to see how they made their days memorable!
Reviews from Summer SCR Couples and Families:
From Lauren August Bride, 2021
I came across this venue by complete accident on Facebook and I’m so glad I did! It looked absolutely perfect, the only problem was that we weren't engaged yet. I kept Sparrow Creek in the back of my mind for 3 months before my now husband proposed! As soon as he did, I made an appointment to see the Barn in person. It was better than the pictures! I am a very DIY person and I knew I would want to do lots of projects for my own wedding. Sparrow Creek is the absolute best venue for that! We got married on August 7th, it was hot during the day, we had our ceremony at 7. However, we had waters and fans for our guests and they were all comfortable. Kalli is amazing to work with, she responds so quickly to every text I sent her. I highly recommend spending the extra money on the weekend package so you can take your time with setup and everything. There was no rush to get the decorations done and the venders had tons of time to set up. I cannot say enough amazing things about Sparrow Creek Ranch!! It was a dream come true and our wedding was absolutely perfect.
From Lori July Bride, 2021
This venue is absolutely stunning! This was the perfect venue for a rustic/elegant wedding. The views are incredible and pictures will last a lifetime! The people are very great with communicating what you need and what they offer at the venue! They are flexible and easy to work with too! I would have another event here.
From Ragen July Bride, 2021
We had our wedding here in July and their whole team was absolutely wonderful! Kalli is very responsive and gave us so many things to use and helped me through the whole process! It made our wedding go by so smooth and less stressful!
From Callie July Bride, 2021
SCR Venue is INCREDIBLE. Highly affordable, unique, gorgeous and has indoor and outdoor options for your ceremony (in the event it rains! Like it did for ours). The staff is friendly, kind and extremely helpful in the wedding planning process too! Kalli is extremely knowledgeable and is willing to help with any questions or ideas. She was an angel! This is the perfect venue for the DIY bride or the bride with their own vision of exactly how they want their wedding to be. The bridal suite is to die for and not only is the outside of the barn/field area picturesque, but the inside is absolutely beautiful as well. Plenty of restrooms for your guests and our guests raved about how gorgeous it was all night. If you’re on the fence—don’t be—this is the ONE!
From Lindsey June Bride, 2021
If you're looking for a beautiful wedding venue that is actually affordable please look no further. The Barn at Sparrow Creek was perfect. My now husband and I looked at this venue very first when we started the wedding planning process. As soon as we visited we knew we didn't need to look anywhere else. Kalli is amazing and has incredible vendors that work there all the time and already know what to do so you have that much less to worry about. Kalli will answer any questions you have day or night. They also provide you with so much information you're never guessing at what you're doing. I cannot recommend this place enough it's incredible! Also, shout out to Brothers BBQ, Amber Starling photograph, Mark Wagnor (the best bartender), Krazy Cakes, Pro Sound DJ, and The Little Flower Shop for making everything beautiful and perfect! :)
From Paige (upcoming) July Bride, 2021
You are amazing!!! Thank you so much! I can’t believe the day is right around the corner! Thank you so much for making this process so easy and as little stress as possible! You don’t understand how awesome it is to be able to chat with you about questions and other things! I truly am so grateful!! Thank you!
2020, June Bride
We absolutely loved having our wedding at Sparrow Creek Ranch!! It was so beautiful! The chandeliers and mirrors add such an elegant touch, and everything in the barn is so beautiful that you don’t have to add a lot of décor because it’s beautiful as is! From the minute you pick this venue, you will get such a huge list of vendors for all your needs which was so helpful! Even through the chaos of COVID, Kalli and everyone at SCR made sure our day was perfect! The outdoor ceremony was beautiful with so many trees for a perfect backdrop! Our wedding was everything we dreamed of and more! And we can not speak more highly of Sparrow Creek Ranch!
2020, July Bride
Sparrow Creek Ranch was the PERFECT destination for our big day! Everything about our experience with SCR was amazing! Kalli was there to answer every question we had and to offer any assistance she possibly could along the way. She was very kind, reliable and helpful! Not to mention the venue was absolutely beautiful! (It basically decorated itself!) Our families are still commenting on how amazing the barn was! We are so grateful to have come across such an amazing venue. We wish nothing but prosperity and success to SCR in the upcoming years!
2020, July Bride
Sparrow Creek was the BEST wedding venue ever! With all the extra planning we had to do because of COVID Sparrow Creek was always on top of all of the regulations and restrictions and shared them with me quickly. This made the experience so much better and they made sure I didn’t have to stress about anything. They are such genuine people and truly have your best interest at heart!!!
2020, August Bride
We got married on August 22, 2020 and SCR was phenomenal! They have basically everything you need to have a wedding. Inside the barn is just breathtaking with the mirrors and chandeliers, not to mention all the room you have for the DJ, bar, and food. SCR gives you the freedom to bring in your own vendors, but does have a recommendations list. The bridal suite is air conditioned and has plenty of mirrors and seating for everyone who will be getting ready with you. The three day rental is really the best because it allows you to set up Friday and clean up Sunday. I absolutely loved everything about my wedding and SCR is a huge reason why!
2020, August Bride
What a wonderful place filled with amazing people. From the beginning everyone was so nice and friendly and helpful!! My wedding was beautiful and I couldn’t have done it without them be so understanding through it all especially with COVID going on! No doubts Sparrow Creek Ranch is amazing!!
