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Jun
2008
There is a new trend this summer with wedding receptions: the backyard wedding. Brides and grooms are saving a bunch of money on their reception location and spending a bit more on food and other parts of their wedding. If you decide to go the route of a backyard wedding, don’t let it become another backyard boring wedding.
The benefits of holding your reception or wedding in the backyard are very tempting. You can choose any caterer you want, and menu, have a different and unique wedding without the same old church hall or reception hall backdrops. You can begin or end whenever you want (barring and city or country restrictions or noise curfews) and you can have a fantastic themed ceremony and reception (can’t you just hear the medieval trumpets and lyres?).
How to make it memorable
Avoid the typical backyard wedding: guests standing around, looking uncomfortable in the heat, sipping sugary punch as if it were the only thing to keep them cool… not a pleasant thought for most guests.
Take advantage of your surroundings:
- Play up beautiful views
- Focus on architecture (a gazebo, you home, a fountain)
- Let your wedding colors reflect the colors of your yard or find dazzling colors to complement your flowers, trees and bushes
Add what’s missing:
- Add a gazebo or tent if your yard lacks shade on hot days
- Add lights: candles, twinkle lights, lanterns, spotlights, paper lanterns
- Add a dance floor if you plan to dance (some places rent dance floors or you can use heavy, short-nap carpet)
- Add areas of interest with statues, fountains, potted flowers and anything else to help create the right atmosphere
If you have a few months before the wedding, consider adding more flowers. You can plant more roses to fill in the existing flower borders or vines: raspberries grow fast and are lovely, but getting rid of them is hard.
If this is your backyard, you probably know when flowers bloom and your trees are at their best: plan your reception according to when your yard will be at its absolute beautiful best. And don’t forget to do some yard work! (Neighborhood boys are perfect for this! You can get help with your yard at a pretty good price.)
Here are a few extra “make it memorable” tips:
- De-dog the yard: find Fluffy and Spot a new place to play for the day.
- Don’t zap bugs! Nothing is worse than laughter and music punctuated by the electric death sounds of bugs hitting the zapper. A great way to keep bugs at bay is the Off Lantern (my personal favorite), which can clear up to 15-foot areas of bugs.
- Get help: delegate responsibilities and don’t let mom enslave herself to the kitchen the day before your big day making hundreds of tarts, and don’t let her serve the say of.
- Ask the professionals you hire about what they will need as far as electricity and know where that is in your backyard. Make sure your wiring can handle it, you wouldn’t want to blow a fuse during the festivities.
- Consider having a safe, fun place for kids (with an adult to supervise). Kids are attracted to water, so if you have a swimming pool, you’ll need to take measures to make it safe. Have some fun and games for the tikes so mom and dad can enjoy your party.
And a big, BIG way to make your day memorable is to…
Plan Ahead
As you begin to plan your spectacular backyard wedding, remember that you will need space: space for a ceremony (if applicable), chairs, tables, serving tables, guests to mingle or dance, etc. If you have a small yard, consider cutting down your guest list, or use a friend’s or neighbor’s yard that is larger. You can also change the reception to an open house. This will give you more of a flowing reception without every guest packed in your yard at the same time.
It would be a good idea to draw out your backyard to scale and add in tables and chairs, dance floor, serving tables, ceremony location and any other elements that need space. This way you will have a more visual idea of how your space will work.
There are a few important things you need to consider before those invitations are printed:
- Will neighbors be annoyed with music or noise? (Invite them, too, and then they can’t be too mad about it.)
- Think of the weather: be prepared for heat waves or sudden drops in temperature (misters and heaters can be rented from party rental services). Be ready with a tent or an indoor location in case of rain. )
- Is the kitchen easy to access from the backyard?
- Consider any pests that might ruin the atmosphere: bugs, animals, neighbors, planes overhead…
- Know the laws concerning events, alcohol and the selling of alcohol (check state licenses for selling alc ohol) on private residential property
- Have enough space to park cars: make sure your neighbors are okay with cars parked up and down the street or find a nearby parking lot and shuttle guests to and from the house.
And everyone’s favorite topic…bathrooms! Make sure the toilet facilities can handle the extra guests or rent port-a-potties.
Have a lot of fun!
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