A green lawn for a wedding or reception: preparing for the big day
To have a green lawn on the day of a wedding, it all comes down to the timetable. Reseeding takes several weeks. Recolouring is done a few days before, after mowing, with 8 hours without rain and under 2 hours of drying. The weather and the state of the grass remain uncertainties: keep a margin.
A garden or country-house wedding is prepared months in advance, but the state of the lawn is only settled at the last minute: a dry July, a restriction order, and the grass yellows three weeks before the date. Solutions exist, provided you know which one suits the state of your turf and the time left.
A month before: tell dormant grass from dead grass
A lawn yellowed by drought is most often dormant. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture states that turf can stay dormant in summer for four to six weeks without adverse effects, and that it greens up seven to ten days after rain returns. If the grass is yellow but dense, it is alive: you can wait for rain, water if the order allows it, or recolour. If in doubt, do the simple dead or dormant grass test before spending anything.
If soil shows between the tufts, the grass is dead or missing there. No colorant recolours soil: you need to reseed or lay turf. The simplest way to decide is still to send us a photo of the lawn.
The lawn countdown
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 months before | Reseed or turf dead areas. The Royal Horticultural Society advises sowing in late September, or in spring by April at the latest, and laying turf from September to March. |
| 1 month before | Diagnosis, checking the local drought order on VigiEau (France), testing the colorant on an inconspicuous corner to judge the shade once dry. |
| 7 to 3 days before | Mowing, then application in a window of 8 hours without rain. Keep one or two days of margin to go over an area again if the weather turns. |
| The day before | Setting up marquees, tables and chairs on a dry lawn. No more mowing. |
| The big day | Spread the foot traffic, open several ways onto the lawn rather than a single corridor. |
One point counts more than the others: do not mow between application and the event. The colour goes with the mowing: that is how it fades over 2 to 3 months.
Recolouring without stress
What many people call grass paint is, at Greeneclat, a colorant: the blades stay alive, with no plastic film. It is made of organic pigments, a 98% bio-based plant resin and water. Our page what grass paint really covers sets out the facts, and our guide "how to paint a yellowed lawn" details each step of recolouring.
Shade and dose
Meadow Green, light, suits a lawn that is still green and north-western France. Forest Green, deep and matt, does a better job on very yellow turf or a garden in the south. The guide which shade to choose helps you decide. Dilute at 1:30 for a very yellow lawn, 1:40 if it is moderately damaged, 1:50 if it is still green.
Quantities, at retail price
According to our calculator, 400 m² of lawn that is still healthy needs one 1 L concentrate, at €89.99, that is €0.22 per m². For 300 m² of very yellow lawn, you need two litres: €179.98, that is €0.60 per m².
The steps
- Mow, then protect anything that must not be coloured: paving, edging, furniture, flower beds.
- Spray in criss-cross passes, in two light passes rather than a single heavy one.
- Let it dry: under 2 hours in usual conditions, 2 to 3 hours in summer. Children and pets stay away during application and drying; once dry, the product is safe for them. Our article on safety for children and dogs answers the questions that come up.
- Judge the result once dry, not before.
Foot traffic, the other challenge on the day
A hundred guests on a dormant lawn means a lot of traffic concentrated in the same place. The USGA, the United States Golf Association, notes that heavy traffic on dormant turf, even coloured, damages it and delays its recovery: colour brings no wear resistance. Open several ways in, move the bar or the photo booth rather than letting a single corridor form.
What cannot be promised
Nobody can guarantee a perfect lawn on a given day. Rain within 8 hours of application compromises setting. Dead grass stays dead grass. The colorant does not make grass grow back, does not fill in worn areas and heals nothing. It is neither a fertiliser nor a weedkiller. What it brings: yellowed but present grass that gets a green colour back in one application, for 2 to 3 months.
Estates and reception venues: a seasonal service
For a venue that hosts weddings all summer, recolouring is planned like mowing: one application before the season starts, a second pass depending on mowing, and receptions that depend less on watering. Trade terms can be requested from the page Request a trade price. Hotels, campsites and holiday lets follow the same logic, set out in our article on a green lawn at a hotel, campsite or holiday let.
Frequently asked questions
How many days before the wedding should the colorant be applied?
Between 7 and 3 days before, after mowing. This leaves one or two days of margin to go over an area again if rain falls within the following 8 hours. Do not mow afterwards: each mowing removes part of the colour.
What if it rains just after application?
The colour needs 8 hours without rain after application to set. Earlier rain can wash part of it away. That is why you apply a few days before the event and not the day before: the margin lets you go over the affected areas again.
Can guests walk, sit and put up marquees on the lawn?
Yes, once the lawn is dry, which takes under 2 hours in usual conditions. Set up marquees and furniture the day before, on a dry lawn. During your test a month before, check contact for yourself with a hand or a light-coloured shoe once dry.
Can children and the dog play on the recoloured lawn?
Yes, once it is dry. During application and drying, keep them away. On the regulatory side: no pictogram, no CLP classification element, a safety data sheet free of any hazard, available on request.
The right format for a garden reception
For a lawn of up to 400 m², the 1 L Meadow Green concentrate is enough on turf that is still healthy, with free delivery in France and dispatch within 48 hours. It also comes in Forest Green. If you are unsure about the shade, send us a photo of the lawn a month before the date.
