Hosting a Backyard Wedding Event

If you are fortunate to live in an area where the climate will allow you to hold an outdoor wedding you can create the dream wedding you have always wanted. You will need to decide on a theme. Some ideas may be to follow the season, garden party, favorite sports team, whimsical, elegant, fun, or a traditional wedding theme. Decorating for your backyard wedding is easy and fun. Adding a few things can make a big difference in the atmosphere. I have listed a few ideas to get you thinking.

1) If your bringing in portable bathrooms, tuck them away so they are not in view of the event area. Put them behind the garage, or you can put up a temporary wall with some lattice and a few extension poles. It is also nice to use the bathrooms with a sink. You can add a candle and some flowers, along with some decorative towels for your guests to use. You may want to add a sign pointing your guests in the direction of the facilities.

2) Plan ahead so you have plenty of time to address any visible ground issues. Rent an Arbor or construct some kind of a focal point for your ceremony, which makes a great backdrop for your pictures.

3) Add some whimsical lighting, like string lights or lanterns. Bring in some large fresh potted flowering plants to add color and dimension. You can purchase these, or some garden centers rent plants also.

4) Decide on the kind of food you want to serve, and how you want to serve it. Buffet style, sit down can both be nice for a backyard wedding event. If your serving finger foods, you can hire serving hostesses to walk around with trays and small plates and napkins for your guests. Be creative with your meal plan and add some cute and fun serving pieces into the mix for the reception. For example if your using a garden theme, use lots of flowers and candles. You could use new garden tools for serving pieces, and plant pots for things like salads. Remember to dress your tables for the type of food you are serving. For example if you are serving seafood like crabs, oysters, clams, you may want to use paper table clothes that can be pulled and thrown away after the meal, and replace with a cloth one later. Designate an area for servers to serve beverages from. You can construct a portable bar, or rent one.

5) If the yard is surrounded by trees, hang some whimsical lanterns or string lights in the trees. You can also place lights on any fencing to add some ambiance.

6) Another idea for a back yard wedding is to create a French Cafe look. For this you may have to borrow some tables with umbrellas from friends and neighbors. Put cute round table clothes on them, and set your tables with cute mix and match dinner plates either in paper, plastic or china. Depending on how fancy you want to be. If you have enough time for preparation, yard sales are a great place to find unique dishes to use for serving, and also for table settings. And you can usually get them really cheap if you know how to bargain.

7) Place a small table with your guest book, and adding some photos of you and your fiance is a nice touch.

8) Make a wedding sign that can be used on the street so your guests can find your location easily.

9) If you have a built in pool, utilize this area with some cocktail tables, candles and decorations. A really cool thing to do with the pool, is to take the helium filled balloons and tie them to string. Use a weight and float them just above the water in the pool. At night time, you can turn on the under water pool lights and this creates a great focal point and conversational area for your guests to mingle.

10) Other ideas may be to have a Luau, BBQ, or possibly a picnic with games and things for your guests to partake in, like corn hole, horseshoes, volley ball, etc. Getting married around Halloween, host a halloween reception party.

AND REMEMBER, ALL OF OUR ARBORS CAN BE USED INDOORS AS WELL...