Backyard wedding opinions?

I would not necessarily consider it trashy. If you have a large piece of property and you rent out furniture and have catering, it can be nice. I think if it is like a backyard bbq it would be a bit trashy.

Miami2 nailed it.

Also hire a bartender. Always.

^^^ yep. Also, they aren't always a good way to save money.

Yes to Miami2!

Depends on what kind of wedding you're wanting to have. I'm having a pretty low-key, but definitely not "trashy", wedding at my parent's house. We have 20 acres and a barn, and we're exchanging 'I do's under the same tree my parents did because I've always found the idea romantic and never wanted a big ballroom wedding.

As long as your shirtless Uncle Bob isn't grilling the food while your cousin does a kegstand, I think you're good haha

Agree, definitely depends on space and theme of wedding. I don't think a bartender is a must for a back yard wedding. You are inviting people you love to your wedding, I'm sure they will love anything you do and won't call it "white trash"

I am having a "backyard wedding" I use the parenthesis because its a 15 acre plot of land with man made waterfalls, pond, landscaping, outdoor bathrooms, a parking field, and has an outdoor bar. My FILs have spent a great deal of time and resources making their home into a family event paradise. We will be the fifth family wedding held there. We are catering our wedding, hiring bartenders, a clean up crew, and bringing in rentals. It's no cheaper than local venues, but it has the sentimental value to both our families and we are having a smaller wedding.

I would not suggest them unless the property is large enough to accommodate the event, somewhat isolated for noise and parking, and is on the smaller side.

They will probably cost you more than a wedding at an all-inclusive venue. A backyard wedding means hiring people to park, renting tables, chairs, ALL dinnerware and flatware, portapotties, a dumpster, etc.

Many brides who go this route pay significantly more than they would have at a regular venue.

How many guests?

If you aren't looking to spend a lot that means the inside of this person's home will be used by the guests. Are they ok with guests coming inside to use the bathroom and office/bedroom to feed their baby? If it's hot, cold, windy or raining outside, groups of people will move their conversation inside this person's home. If it's not OK then bathroom facilities and a comfortable atmosphere will need to be created from scratch. That's expensive. If it's not available or created then yes , it will be viewed as tacky/trashy. Think of a Mom breastfeeding her baby while sitting on a fallen tree in the blazing sun. Or men urinating in the bushes because the line to the one bathroom is too long or the toilet overflowed or worse won't flush because of so much use. When this happens it's called trashy for a reason.

I would have loved to have a backyard wedding. Unfortunately, our backyard is a 3 foot square patio. I think that as long as you are hosting people right. As in, you provide the booze and food, and you have a backyard that works then go for it. Also, what the above poster says. You need to have an easily accessible bathroom.

I looked into it and it was going to be hella expensive. I've been to several backyard weddings that are beautiful and elegant. You just have to be willing to spend the money.

Speaking as a former caterer, I can tell you that a backyard wedding is almost never a way to save money. They can be lovely, elegant and gracious, or funky and relaxed, but they are not a cost containment vehicle.

Among the things you need; tenting, probably heaters in March, bathrooms, parking (possibly with police permits and/or valets), chairs, tables, dinnerware, linen, glassware, tons of ice, a great caterer and space for them to prep, staffing, and decor. It adds up fast.

Nothing much to add beyond everyone else's helpful advice besides that backyard weddings remind me of "Father of the Bride." And yes, the wedding in that movie got mucho expensive.

The backyard wedding aesthetic--e.g. fancy slider burgers, drinks poured from pitchers w/taps--was really popular during the late-2000s recession, as out of propriety, people didn't want to look like they were dumping a lot of cash on a wedding. In actuality, though, such events often wound up costing more than a traditional venue. The recession, as well as hipsterism, eventually gave way to the mason jar/hay bale/barn aesthetic of the 2010s. We all know how that turned out in terms of budgeting.

I've been to different kinds and seen the spectrum. It's all how you do it. Just make sure it's good weather (for ex: don't pick October if it's 60 degrees where you live) and have a back up plan if it rains (tents etc)

What Miami said. If you potluck it and make people sit on lawn mismatching furniture and drink bud out of cans, yea that's trashy.

Having a lovely, non tacky backyard wedding is truly a "labor of love" it will cost you more in time and money than going with an inclusive or semi inclusive venue that is already intended for wedding or event purposes. The value people find with this is usually more along the lines of sentimental reasons like a family property, etc. If done well, backyard weddings are gorgeous, and so personal. If you want it to be nice, you WILL spend a lot. A lot more than a more traditional venue (which can still be gorgeous, and personal).

There definitely are some nicely done backyard weddings, just make sure you have a tent(which can get super expensive plus chairs tables and linens) enough land, a bartender, and professional caterer. Another thing to note is people usually rent port-a-potties, which is a huge turn off. I do not want to go to the bathroom in a box if I'm all dressed up.

The time and effort of making sure your backyard is ready to host is more than I could handle. I really like my home being my wind down/neutral space so I wouldn't want the chaos of a wedding. That being said I have been to some lovely backyard weddings. I like them overall but the cost of bringing in all vendors, equipment, etc. adds up much quicker than people realize.

Years ago I officiated a backyard wedding. After making my way through a cluttered dark house to the backyard, I stepped in a hole (dug by their dog) and sprawled out. The only effort they had made was they cleaned up the dog poop (thankfully) and had a keg in the backyard. Don't do that type of backyard wedding!

I don't think it's tacky as long as you do it right. And that doesn't even mean spending 15k to spruce it up. Just make sure everyone has seats and food and drinks and that, like Nancy said, there isn't poop or holes all over the place.

This is my idea of a tacky backyard wedding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOLvBXYhGXE