Backyard weddings can be a beautiful way to celebrate you and your partner in a more intimate setting that is special to both of you. I absolutely love backyard weddings and love seeing how an ordinary space you use every day can be transformed into a magical spot to celebrate you and your partner’s love. But, there are some key backyard wedding tips that I always suggest to make sure you have your dream wedding.
Having a backyard wedding can sometimes mean having to plan out more of the logistics of your wedding day than you would have to if you booked a more traditional wedding venue. Don’t let that stop you though!
Here are my top backyard wedding tips to help you have the ceremony you have always dreamed of having.
Hire a wedding planner
While you may not think this is necessary for an at-home wedding ceremony, this is my number one must have backyard wedding tip. There is a ton that goes into planning a wedding regardless of where you are having your ceremony (and there may even be things that you don’t even think of).
Wedding planners will help you figure out what exactly needs to be done and how you can turn a non-traditional wedding venue into a functional space for your dream wedding. They will also help you figure out what vendors you do or don’t need for a backyard wedding and give you the best options for your wedding.
It’s also super helpful to have someone at your house the day-of to help make sure everything runs smoothly. While a backyard wedding CAN be less stressful in some ways, you may feel like you have to be more hands on with the day-of aspects of your wedding.
Having a wedding planner there to handle those smaller things that come up can ensure you are able to sit back and enjoy your wedding day stress free (or as stress free as your wedding day can be!).
Prep well ahead of time
Even though your wedding is in your backyard and is somewhat more laid back than a traditional venue, don’t fall into the trap of thinking everything will just fall into place or that you can just do things the morning of.
Make sure you don’t have a laundry list of last minute things that you have to do the morning of your wedding. You also want to try and avoid having family and friends work on your wedding day.
While I’m sure there are plenty of people that will offer to do whatever you need, this should be a day that you and your guests can enjoy, not one filled with manual labor. It may be something that’s hard to stick to but it’s one of my top backyard wedding tips!
Instead, hire professionals to take care of any moving parts on the day of your wedding to handle all of the last minute details.
I would also recommend getting anything that doesn’t have to be done last-minute completed at least a week before your wedding. This will ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day of your ceremony and you and your guests can enjoy your wedding!
Ask your photographer for advice
Most wedding venues design their space knowing where the photos will look good for things like getting ready, ceremony, etc. However, this probably isn’t something you’ve necessarily thought about.
Before deciding where each part of your wedding day is going to take place, talk to your photographer and see what they recommend. As a general rule, natural light is your best friend for getting ready spaces and the less clutter the better!
You can even opt to rent out an air bnb or a room at a local hotel to get ready at instead. This can be especially helpful if you are looking for a little more privacy before the ceremony and don’t want all of your guests walking around in the rooms next to you.
Your photographer can also give you some great recommendations on where the best place to have your ceremony is. You can even invite them over before your wedding so they can get a feel for the space and scope out the best places to take pictures throughout the day.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best
While everyone hopes the weather on their wedding day will be perfect regardless of where the venue is, mother nature doesn’t always come through. You never know when a major storm, heat wave, or freezing cold day is on the horizon.
One of the most important backyard wedding tips is to plan for every outcome way in advance. Having a backup plan in place well before your wedding day ensures that you won’t be scrambling the days leading up to your wedding to find a new plan.
Whether it’s finding a tent, fans, heaters, or anything else, make sure you have options available to you. This will make changing your plans the week before your wedding much less stressful and ensure your wedding still goes off without a hitch.
Utilize rental companies
I know, I know, it seems like buying everything for your wedding and DIYing it will be cheaper, but that is not always true.
There are tons of rental companies out there that can end up potentially being cheaper than buying everything yourself and can help make your wedding planning much less stressful.
Some rental companies will even set up and break down the items for you the day before or the day of your wedding, checking one more thing off of your to-do list.
Plus, utilizing rental companies means you don’t have to stockpile a bunch of decorations before and after your wedding. I mean, what are you going to do with dozens of glasses, table numbers, chairs, and tables after your wedding day?
Remember the logistics
There are tons of really fun things about planning your wedding like getting the perfect decorations, finding the perfect colors, picking out beautiful flowers, and creating a delicious menu. However, there are a lot of not-so-fun things you have to keep in mind when it comes to a backyard wedding.
Remember to plan for things like bathrooms, parking, trash, generators, etc. These are things that you can easily overlook until right before your wedding day and can cause unnecessary stress.
This is also one of the great reasons why you should hire a wedding planner. They know exactly what you do or don’t need for your wedding day and can help work out the logistics with you and any vendors you may need to hire.
Check in with your neighbors
While your neighbors may not be invited to your wedding, it’s still important to check in with them and let them know when and where your wedding is. This is especially important if your neighbor’s houses are relatively close to your house.
Letting them know that people may be parking around their house or that there might be a little more noise than usual that night can help you avoid any issues or complaints on your wedding day (and ensure you don’t have a bad relationship with your neighbor moving forward).
While this isn’t absolutely necessary, it definitely is one of the more important backyard wedding tips that I recommend as a courtesy for everyone around your house.
Make sure you check for any city ordinances or permits
Now, this may not be the case for everyone, but it’s important to look into any permits you may need or any city ordinances you should keep in mind for your big day.
For example, a lot of cities and counties have noise ordinances that you should abide by. Other places may have permits that you need to have large gatherings or to have certain vendors at your house.
While you shouldn’t let this stop you from having your dream ceremony, you still do want to make sure you look into all aspects to make sure you follow all the guidelines you need to. If you hire a local wedding planner or a wedding planner that has planned a lot of backyard weddings, they may also be able to help you navigate this and ensure you have everything you need for your wedding day!
There you have it! My top backyard wedding tips to make sure your ceremony goes off without a hitch. Now that you know how to plan your backyard wedding, you just need to make sure you have the perfect photographer to capture it. Still looking for one? Click the link here to get in touch and see how we can help capture your perfect backyard wedding!
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