Backyard reception?

I know a backyard ceremony sounds like it's great to save money but when you start pricing out all the things that needed to be rented it adds up really quickly.

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I totally agree. We do have to rent tables and chairs. But we will also be saving money on our ceremony location too because it's in a beautiful public park, it'll end up saving us thousands which is cool!

View Quoted Comment The ceremony isn’t where the costs are, the reception is. Moving my ceremony location would save me $500...not thousands. My reception is where the costs are: venue, food, alcohol, centerpieces, DJ.. just to name a few that’s involved in a reception.

A backyard wedding can sometimes end up costing more money, than had you rented a venue.

Some things to think about:
1) Are there enough bathrooms for 60 guests?
2) Rentals for plates, napkins, flatware
3) Will alcohol be served? How? What are local laws for this?
4) Liability insurance in the event of injury or illness of a guest.
5) Lights, DJ, Catering all requires electricity, can this be sufficiently provided?
6) what is back up plan in the event of inclement weather?

View Quoted Comment Pretty much this. Also, consider the season. Assuming it's warm, you'll need to have fans or something else to keep guests cool.

The bathroom is probably the biggest issue, I think.

I did a backyard wedding for my first one and I didn't wind up saving money. I had to rent EVERYTHING and it was all expensive, plus the stress of coordinating all of the rentals/set up/tear down. Overall I would not do it again.

As PP’s said the cost of backyard weddings can very easily exceed the costs of a venue. For a group of 60 have you looked into renting a restaurant that will give you large party pricing? They tend to be much less then traditional venues and include tables chairs, knives, forks, etc. here is a list of items that need to be rented/purchased for an outdoor wedding:

1) Tables, Chairs, Table Linens, Napkins
2) Dinner Plates, Salas Plates, Water Glasses, Wine Glasses, Cocktail Glasses, Champagne Glasses, Knives, Forks, Spoons
2) Serving Tables, Serving Table Linens
3) Port-a-potties ... the bathrooms in your dads house will not be sufficient for 60 guests
4) Generators .... the amount of power required for DJ’s, Caterers, etc. will blow a fuse. A traditional house cannot support the power requirements.
5) Tent or other way of shading an area for your guests
6) Some Homeowners Policies do not allow weddings and amendments need to be made
7) Lighting... what time of the day is your reception? You will need extensive lighting for guests to be able to move around safely after dark.
8) You need to look into your local alcohol laws to see what kind of permit you are required to have to serve alcohol to that size group. You will also need a certified bartender.

again, the costs compound very quickly. I would exhaust all your other options before resorting to this.

View Quoted Comment I started planning a backyard wedding and ran into all of these things mentioned. I definitely was not saving any money and found myself way more stressed. If this is your dream, then I would continue planning but since it is really not yours, look for other venues. My venue doesn't have a site fee, it's included in the costs of meals.

This was my dream as well but when I started to research it it definitely added up to way more than other options. Overall, the casual vibe of a backyard wedding would be trumped by how difficult and expensive it would be.

I’m 60 days from my backyard wedding. I love the site. But the cost is so much more than I planned on and plus I’m doing it all myself. It least with a venue they are pros that have done it before. At this point I really with I would have gone with a venue.

View Quoted Comment I found a venue with no site fee as well! They are out there, you just have to do the research.

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All this plus where will people park? Could it be a long walk to the site? In heels? And in the heat? Your wedding is in April - will it rain? Will there still be snow?

I agree with PPs about the cost. My FSIL did a DIY backyard wedding. She had a similar guest count as us and catering was comparable quality. She paid just as much as we are for an all inclusive reception venue. That being said, her wedding was wonderful and it’s a great option for many other reasons. She had a lot of freedom to plan however she wanted. And the reception went several hours longer than mine will be able to.

My sister's husband wanted married in his parents front yard so that' where my sister got married
They were married in the yard they had a garage then for the reception. Had tables and chairs inside
It was April so chilly and rain so good to have a place with a roof
I don' think they had problems

I'm also planning an all outdoor wedding. Don't let everyone else shatter your vision. Yes, it is pricey, but FH and I have always dreamed the wedding would take place on his parent's property. Things add up quickly, so if you are on a tight budget you may reconsider OR do what I am doing and find ways to cut costs. We live in Iowa- people are not expecting an uppity, fancy event. They just want to have fun. We will buy disposable plates and cutlery. Local churches are usually willing to donate tables and chairs if you need them. The most expensive part of this is the tent that we will be renting to cover the reception area in case it rains. I plan on buying other items second-hand from those who are already married (and then I can re-sell them myself).

You'll need to check noise restrictions for where the house is located. Many cities/towns begin "quiet" time at 10 pm.

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No one is trying to "shatter your vision" Taylor. We want you to know, upfront, the pros and cons of a backyard wedding. They can be wonderful, intimate, and have a wonderful feel to them. I am in Minnesota and no one expects an "uppity event" here either - but I, as a host, want my guests to be comfortable. That means a tent, chairs, heat if needed or cooling devices. Enough porta potties for all. Yes, many churches might loan out chairs but what if they don't? Rentals will cost.

No one wants Taylor to have a reception where there is alcohol being served and discovering halfway through she needed a permit, or to have music past 10pm and have the cops show up.

Properly hosting and planning ahead is not uppity, it is just good hosting, and that is planning ahead.

View Quoted Comment I've been doing the same thing the cost adds up but if your diy savy and network well you can cut cost

Yes it is costly but I'd your frugal diy savvy and know how to network you can cut alot from you budget for my may wedding for example IAM a hairstylist so alot of my clients work in the wedding industry my rental came to 2000 for a tent, chargers,water goblet , linens, dancefloor tables and chairs my client is giving me her linens employee credit so they are Free and I have a family member taking care of the tent and dance floor rental my fiance and I are only selling out 847 for all our rental .or DJ is a family member who does it for a living.my caterere own his own and I grew up with him my gown I for from a store that receives donated gowns from klienfelds that marked down for under 600(paid 325 for my 2,000 allure satin full corset gown) table Decore Oriental trading paid less than 150 everything else is coming from a wedding resell group on Facebook just scored 125 Betsy Johnson blue shoes never worn for 45 if you take your time to do your research and look for deals it pays off offerup has a wedding tab too

I attended a backyard wedding in May of last year. The ceremony and reception were both held at the couples home - they live on about 5 acres of land. The reception was a lot of fun. They had rented chairs/tables - used linen white table clothes and had very simple center pieces (looked like clear wine glasses and like a flower or two in each) - and had lights strung above the tables. There was no tent (I'm not sure what their back up plan would have been in the event of rain) - the weather was perfect.

Wedding was in NC - had BBQ buffet and a bar that served only moonshine and beer (keg) - there was a bartender serving it.

We did not enter the couples home - they rented two porta potties that were ways away from the reception area (thankful for that) - so it didn't smell. I don't remember the hand washing situation but I think it was just hand sanitizer.

The biggest complaint I had was the DJ - you could hardly hear the music. I'm not sure if it was a noise ordinance they were following - but very few people danced.

Parking was not an issue because they live on five acres - but I think that is a logistic that you need to get sorted out first. Parking and bathroom.

Backyard weddings can be so lovely and personal. Maybe borrow tables/chairs/etc from a facility in your area. That's what people do where I'm from! Doesn't cost a thing