Outdoor weddings can be beautiful, intimate, and personal—so long as all of the guests were actually invited. Gate-crashers like jealous ex-boyfriends, mosquitoes, and flies, however, can make the event memorable for all the wrong reasons! Learn how to get rid of bugs for your outdoor wedding from the pros at Mosquito Joe®. (We’ll leave the boundary-challenged exes to you).
Let’s explore several practical strategies for getting rid of bugs at your outdoor wedding, including solutions for mosquitoes, flies, and other common outdoor pests.
Why Bug Control Is Essential for Outdoor Weddings
The same qualities that make your backyard a beautiful setting for a wedding also appeal to bugs. Warm weather, lush plants, a water feature, and plenty of food and drink can create an inviting scene for friends, family, and insects alike. This is why knowing how to get rid of bugs for an outdoor wedding is vital. Bugs can harass your guests, contaminate the food, swim in the drinks, and damage your décor unless you figure out how to keep them at bay.
While you could end up with any number of party-crashing bugs, a few are more likely than most to show up at an outdoor wedding. Some of the most common pests include:
- Mosquitoes
- Flies
- Ants
- Yellowjackets
Let’s consider strategies for getting rid of the bugs at your outdoor wedding.
Best Ways to Prevent Bugs at Your Outdoor Wedding
The following is some of our best advice on how to get rid of bugs for an outdoor wedding:
- Hire Professional Pest Control: Schedule special event pest control treatment with your local Mosquito Joe two to three days before the big day. This gives the chemicals time to fully dissipate. You may also consider our eco-friendly pest control treatments. This outdoor wedding mosquito prevention approach rids your property of mosquitoes and other pests before the big day.
- Establish a Bug Repellent Perimeter: Use pest-repellent coils or lanterns around the edges of your backyard to create a barrier to new pests entering.
- Provide Personal Repellents: Provide guests with personal pest repellents in the form of sprays, wipes, or bracelets. Offering repellents in a variety of forms increases the number of guests who will use them. Treat the repellents as part of the wedding provisions, using decorative touches for their presentation.
- Keep the Air Moving: Some pests are really weak flyers, especially mosquitoes and gnats. Putting air in motion prevents these bugs from attacking anyone or anything surrounded by the moving air. Strategically placed electric fans can protect groups of people as well as food and drink tables. Guests can also use attractive handheld fans that you provide to help keep the bugs away.
- Screening Is Your Friend: Even if you decide against using a tent with mesh screens for the event, you can use screened covers to keep the bugs away from the food and drinks.
- Incorporate Natural Insect Repellents: Place citronella torches or candles, pest-repelling plants like mint or lavender, and essential oil diffusers loaded with peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, or rosemary throughout your backyard.
Insect Repellents that Won’t Ruin the Vibe
While insect repellents are an effective tool for getting rid of bugs at your outdoor wedding, some are pretty nasty to human noses, too. If you’re wondering how to prevent bugs at your outdoor wedding without compromising on ambiance, consider less intrusive insect-repellent options such as DEET-free sprays, repellent wristbands, and essential oil diffusers. Offer a variety of options in decorative stations around the backyard.
Or, consider making your own bug repellent for outdoor weddings. You can fill individual spray bottles or roll-on bottles with DIY concoctions that are not only functional but will also improve the sensory experience of the event. The following recipes can help you create pleasant and effective insect repellents for outdoor weddings:
- Refreshing Lavender & Eucalyptus: Combine ten drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint oil with one cup of witch hazel.
- Mint & Rosemary: Mix ten drops each of rosemary and mint essential oils with one cup of witch hazel.
Consider integrating your wedding’s “signature scent” into the rest of the décor. Use the same potted plants in your chosen oil blend to decorate the food and drink tables, and garnish a signature cocktail or punch with a sprig of rosemary, lavender, or mint. You might even make your own pest-repellent bracelets as wedding favors. Make beads out of air-dry clay, and add one or more to bracelets of leather cording. Soak the hardened beads and leather cords in the essential oil blend you choose (minus the witch hazel). Once they dry, make up enough bracelets for your guest list.
See? Your strategies for getting rid of bugs at your outdoor wedding can actually enhance the occasion.
Outdoor Wedding Mosquito Prevention Tips
There are ways to prepare your backyard ahead of time to make it less inviting to mosquitoes and other pests. Here are some great mosquito prevention tips:
- Eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes breed.
- Trim back overgrown trees and shrubs where they hide.
- Rake up all plant debris.
- Add mosquito misters or specialized mosquito traps discreetly around the backyard.
- Carefully consider the season and timing for the outdoor wedding.
- Spring and fall weddings avoid peak mosquito activity in summer.
- Late morning or early afternoon weddings avoid peak activity at dusk.
Planning ahead to keep mosquitoes away is critical because prevention is better than getting rid of bugs at your outdoor wedding.
What to Do if Bugs Crash the Party
Despite learning how to get rid of bugs for outdoor weddings and implementing all our tips, it’s best to be prepared for a few determined pests to crash the festivities. Set up a few discreet fly traps or bug zappers in hidden spots to help keep stray pests away from your guests. A few bugs are to be expected at any outdoor event. With these solutions, you can keep them from becoming a nuisance.
Enjoy a Bug-Free Wedding Day with Peace of Mind
The key to the beautiful outdoor wedding of your dreams is careful planning, early preparation, and effective pest prevention measures. You’ve learned how to get rid of bugs for outdoor weddings and create a pest-free occasion for your guests. For added peace of mind, go the distance and hire Mosquito Joe for professional pest control to ensure the big day is pest-free from start to finish.
You can count on Mosquito Joe for effective service you’ll be happy with because the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ backs everything we do. Request your free estimate and let Mosquito Joe help you enjoy the (pest-free) outdoor wedding of your dreams.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and may not be applicable to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your home and property. Mosquito Joe is not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of this blog content or your actions. For the most accurate guidance, contact your local Mosquito Joe location for a comprehensive, on-site assessment.
