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I always thought I'd have an outdoor wedding, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. We have our UU Society church reserved already, and it is pretty cool that it has two aisles (for two brides!) I'm trying to think of ways to bring the outdoors in and make the sanctuary look more lively, especially as the stained-glass windows prevent any natural light from getting in. We'll also have our own very private ceremony in the morning beforehand, in a beautiful garden at the nearby college, and take pictures there afterward (I'd love to have the wedding there, but they don't allow them). Any ideas?

It wasn't possible for us to find our absoluelty perfect site either. But it sounds like you get to have the outdoor experience you are looking for at least for part of it.

I was at a wedding where they built a beautiful arrangement around the altar space with tall, budding branches and hung them with small, fruit-like paper lanterns. Since it was the focus point, it felt very transforming. Maybe you could embrace the stained glass, and pick up that glowing light in form of glass lanterns, with a concentration of foliage to bring in the outdoors? I know there a places that rent trees & plants for events, or you could just recreate them with arrangements.

I highly recommend looking at Oriental Trading Co. for items to help in that dept. I have found amazing items for outdoors as well as in. In good quantity at good prices. Check it out and see what you think.

There are companies which rent out plants for events so you could consider renting an arrangement that would allow you to bring the outdoors in. Or, perhaps you might even have room to purchase some plants to use at the ceremony and then add them to your home collection -- whether inside or whether suited to be planted in your yard.

My partner and I were supposed to have a wedding in a beautiful garden but a hurricane moved us inside. Thankfully, we had ordered a large arrangement to use as our "altar" and we were able to bring it inside and use it to decorate the space (along with the windows which opened on to the lawns). We also used the arrangement at the reception that night and brunch the next day so we got our money's worth out of the investment!

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I'm trying to think of ways to bring the outdoors in and make the sanctuary look more lively, especially as the stained-glass windows prevent any natural light from getting in.

I went to a wedding that was indoors in a beautiful but very formal space, where there also was not a lot of natural light. The coordinator set up candles on stands around the perimeter, which added ambiance, as well as a light source. I know in the planning stages, the couple had thought of stringing up additional lights, (off the the side where they wouldn't be noticed) to solve this problem.

In addition they were married under a chuppah that was four fruit trees (in bloom) that the couple had purchased and later planted. The entire altar had other live plants, many in bloom, and the entire room smelled wonderful! The other live plants were also used by the couple in the landscaping of their home. I think that was my favorite piece of their idea - that they would be surrounded by live reminders of their wedding day around their home forever.

Renting plants is a great cost efficient way to bring the outside in. Something else that I've seen, (and often forget) is lighting. Hiring a lighting pro might sound like a wild waste of money, but the wedding I remember had fern shapes projected on the white ceiling of their site as the sun went down. It was incredibly romantic and interpretive of the season.