So you have a large enough home, with a large enough yard for a wedding and you’re doing it! And why shouldn’t you? My personal opinion is that opting for outdoing every wedding ceremony that you’ve ever seen by having a beach wedding is somewhat forcing it and usually ends up failing to impress as the newlyweds have imagined it. There is much to do to make a yard great for a wedding and we have decided to share a couple of tips with you.
Planning
Make no mistake, even though backyard weddings are a great way to save money, there is still a lot of consideration left to do:
Is it big enough
The term ‘big enough’ is somewhat relative to your guest list, so consider this and the backyard size.
What kind of a dinner
A plated dinner or a buffet – not every backyard is large enough for a buffet, but for a plated dinner, you’ll need even more space! However, opting for BBQ is always an acceptable idea, especially if your friends and family are a laid-back, chill group of people.
Beverages
Think about where you will store your drinks. If your house doesn’t have more than a couple of fridges, you’ll need to borrow a couple. Maybe even consider renting a larger one. You can’t really jump to the store in the middle of your wedding to buy some cold beer.
Catering
You’ll definitely need catering – you and your new spouse won’t be able to cover the needs of a huge number of guests. Looking into catering is a must!
Preparations
Obviously, you are getting married in the summer. But you’ll need your backyard looking lush and this takes preparation. Even if you are paying perfect attention to your backyard, you need to make this event special, so make nature cover most of your decor costs. This is why backyard wedding preparations start 8 weeks before the event at the very least. Having a whole year for preparation is great, as you can plant your plants this year and expect a beautiful, glowing, colorful place a year from now!
Theme
Regardless of whether you’re going simple or elegant, you will have to decide on a theme – are you thinking about going with a vintage setup with shade sails, or a rustic theme with a lot of wooden paraphernalia. Here’s where the details kick in, such as appropriate flowers, centerpieces, photo frames, chairs, catering choices, linens and many others.
Tents
You are planning your backyard wedding for the summer, right? Well, it’s going to take a while and your guests will likely be exposed to a lot of sun. Renting a tent or tents is definitely the way to go, when it comes to your backyard wedding. The best-case scenario: you’ll get sun protection, the worst–case scenario: you’ll get where to hide during a heavy rainfall in the summer.
Lighting
Okay, so you are all set for the day. You are not planning on telling your guests to go home the moment the sun goes down, right? Oh, no, this is going to be a long party. A long party with a ton of lights. Light everything up, trees, bushes, tables, balconies, using stringing lights. Think about placing Chinese lights. Go absolutely wild, it is your day and it is your choice!
There is no shame in getting married in your own home – in fact, I consider it a thing to be proud about. If you have a large enough backyard, by all means, go for it, it will pay off tremendously and it will be well-worth your time!
Article by : Diana, mom of two beautiful girls and a great beauty and fashion lover.