Texas outdoor weddings: The best, worst cities to have them, rankings show
(NEXSTAR) — Considering a wedding outdoors in 2023? You're not alone — but depending where you want to celebrate the big day, you may have better luck doing it than others.
Lawn care industry news outlet Lawn Love recently ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities on their favorability for outdoor weddings based on several categories, including venue access/quality, affordability, services and climate.
According to Lawn Love, the best Texas city for an outdoor wedding is Denton, which ranked 16th overall on the national list. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area city received an overall score of 39.12 out of 100 points (this score isn't terrible, the top city only received 51 points) based on several categories, including venue access/quality, affordability, services and climate.
Other Texas cities that placed relatively high on the "best" list are Carrollton (22nd), McKinney (32nd) and Grand Prairie (35th). Among these cities, Carrollton ranked third overall nationally for having Most Wedding Planners per 100,000 Residents. Waco, meanwhile, earned tied in the top spot nationally for Highest Average Consumer Rating for Outdoor Venues.
Austin ranked in mid-list at number 63, with an overall score of 31.12. Texas' Capital city ranked far above other Texas Titans like Houston (107th), Dallas (114th) and San Antonio (132nd).
The Texas city ranked lowest on the list is Laredo. The Rio Grande Valley city received a 19.81 overall score . A few other Texas cities ranked higher but were also dinged in certain categories, including Corpus Christi (Fewest Outdoor Wedding Venues per 100K Residents), El Paso (Fewest Wedding Equipment Rentals per 100K Residents), and Waco (Smallest Share of Budget-Friendly Outdoor Wedding Venues).
Lawn Love's top 10 cities for outdoor weddings overall are:
| Overall rank | City | State | Overall score |
| 1. | Charleston | South Carolina | 51.712 |
| 2. | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | 51.34 |
| 3. | Orlando | Florida | 48.10 |
| 4. | Savannah | Georgia | 47.32 |
| 5. | Hollywood | Florida | 46.93 |
| 6. | Pasadena | California | 46.40 |
| 7. | Miami | Florida | 44.61 |
| 8. | Escondido | California | 42.31 |
| 9. | Glendale | California | 41.94 |
| 10. | New Orleans | Louisiana | 41.63 |
As outlined by Lawn Love's study, there are many factors that can make an outdoor wedding tricky. But here in Texas, the scorching summer heat adds another layer of complications for those wanting outdoor nuptials. Although record heat is being increasingly seen outside of the summer's peak, August is historically Texas' hottest month.
"We try not to execute outdoor weddings between Memorial Day [last Monday of May] and the end of September for the safety of the guests and our team," Cassie Abbott, owner and planner at Austin's Truly Together Event Co. told Nexstar.
Abbott said Truly Together's team executes most of its outdoor weddings in the peak of spring and fall. These wedding-heavy blocks run from mid-March to early May and from October-November, Abbott said.
How much is a wedding in Texas?
Wedding news and resource outlet The Knot reports the cost of a wedding in Texas was up $1,000. Per the site's 2023 The Knot Real Weddings Study, the average cost of a Texas wedding is $27,000.