Wow, sounds like your outdoor ceremony was awesome. We were considering the same type of idea and we definitely have tons of venues here(even at hotels) that have outdoor gardens and courtyards. When you say “people were able to wander around the gardens” do you mean you had the cocktail hour outside in the garden before they went in to the reception tent?
Yeah, the sunset ceremony is also what I was thinking would be a good solution to the heat…plus a nice view.
If you don’t mind me asking, how many guests did you have?