Crafting a well thought out planning guide for a backyard wedding will ensure that your nuptials will become the toast of the town. Of course, turning a humble backyard into a fairy tale wedding venue takes a bit of finesse, a workable budget plan and a well considered ceremony and reception.
It is a simple fact that a backyard wedding is a near ideal commemoration of your nuptials while at the same time easy on the purse strings. You may remember that in times of yore a backyard wedding was a staple in the lives and times of the rich and country estate owning elite. Eventually this type of setting seemed to have been forgotten by the jet setting generations that would follow, but as the pendulum is swinging back in favor of more traditional venues for the marriage minded, planning a backyard wedding is now a rather common occurrence.
Determine the season
Do you want to be married in the spring, when many flowers are in bloom and fruit trees showcase their gorgeous blossoms? Would you prefer the summer, when the smell of dried grass permeates the air and hardy flowers swing lazily in the breeze? Perhaps the gold and reds of autumn have you captivated? Then again, the crystal clear skies of a winter wedding are not to be forgotten! Choose wisely the season which best displays your backyard, so as to minimize any gardening chores and yard improvement investments you may need to make.
Make it personal
Incorporate a childhood swing, favorite climbing tree, or other such memory into your venue selection. This will make for a beautiful vignette that may be alluded to on the invitations or the program and thus will draw the guests into the celebration at hand.
If your backyard is the size of a rambling meadow, you may invite anyone and everyone, but if it is in size a lot more moderate, then you will want to opt for an intimate setting with only the family and closest friends present. If you are blessed with a vast circle of friends, find someone with a sizeable backyard who will not mind hosting your wedding celebration. In the alternative, if your budget permits, rent a reception venue afterwards that will accommodate the large numbers of friends and acquaintances who will love to toast you and your new life’s partner.
Budget for essentials
Even if the weather promises to be gorgeous, you will be wise to rent a canopy. While the weather forecaster may have egg on his face after predicting a pleasant afternoon only to find out that it was actually a day of torrential rains, you will have a soggy wedding celebration on your photos. A canopy covers a multitude of forecasting errors.
Chairs are optional. If you will have a short ceremony, then friends and family should feel comfortable to stand. On the other hand, if your space permits and if the ceremony might be a bit lengthier, you will do well to rent chairs.
Some wedding supply places actually offer packages that include chairs, pedestal, arches, and vases.
Since you will be in your backyard at the height of its beauty, stay away from marring the effect with flowers and candles.
Choose invitations which include dried flowers – handmade are best and least expensive – and let your attire be known on the invites. If it is formal, ensure that you specify the invitation will be for a formal backyard wedding, whereas the word “casual” or “laid back” will clue in your guests that slacks and polo shirts are acceptable attire.
With your flower budget greatly reduced, invest in some alternative yard decorations, such as small hanging birds made of glass or wood, which you may later on give away as party favors.
Party on!
Those keeping the wedding intimate and the guest list short will have the advantage of turning the backyard also into a reception venue. What better way of celebrating your new status as married couple than with a traditional barbeque – complete with red and white checkered table cloths – and also apple-pie? Your guests will appreciate the good food and the down home reference all rolled into one.
Space permitting, divvy up your backyard and use one portion for the actual wedding, while the other is already set up for the reception. This cuts down on transition times and keeps the party flowing.
