Backyard wedding

Hi Dorothy! Do you have photos of your backyard if you’re comfortable sharing? Approximately how many guests are you inviting?

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This is from my porch. this first one is the side of my yard and goes up to the front of my house and the second one is the back of the yard. And if I was to decide to have both ceremony and reception I would say close to 70 people maybe more but I’m not sure. I haven’t sent out invitations yet because we don’t know where to have it yet🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m so behind lol

Can you share a photo of your backyard?

View Quoted Comment The yard isn’t completely flat either.

It is very hard to tell anything from the photos. I will say my sister-in-law had her wedding in her backyard and she ended up spending the say amount she would've if she had it at an actual venue because she had to pay for things the venue would've provided. I will also add with a backyard wedding you have to think about parking, noise, and bathrooms. If you don't have a lot of parking, your neighbors might complain because of guests taking up parking. I know for my sister-in-law's wedding people had to walk several blocks because of limited parking. Neighbors might also complain about the noise level especially if you plan on hiring a DJ. As for bathrooms, you will want to make sure you have enough so there aren't long lines or people making the bathrooms a complete mess.

It’s going to be ok I promise ❤️ We just need to get creative. Trust me, I had major issues with my venue space and my florist made it look like a different space when she was done 🌸 If I were in your shoes, I would have a tent professional come out to your backyard and see what they can do. You would be amazed! If you have a florist, have him/her come out to brainstorm your space. You have good space out there!!


I love that you have a porch. You could do cocktail tables, toss your bouquet off the porch, or have a DJ up there. There was a girl who posted recently with photos of her backyard wedding and it was freaking gorgeous (try searching for backyard wedding or BAM).
For what it is worth, a girl in my hometown had her venue cancel her 2 days before her wedding due to sudden covid restrictions. Moved her entire reception to her parents backyard. We shared the same florist and my mom’s friend was a guest - said it was the prettiest wedding she ever went to and the couple LOVED it!!

Here are a few other ideas I found online: https://www.brides.com/gallery/backyard-wedding-ideas

Here is one of many backyard weddings brides have posted and they are beautiful!! https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/backyard-wedding-inspo/766c27b652793ba3.html

View Quoted Comment Thanks! I will take a look at that☺️

I would look into community centers as well. Often these can be more economical than hosting a backyard wedding, because you wouldn't have to rent tables and chairs + extra bathroom trailers.

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Agree with this. Nearly every city's parks and rec dept has community centers (you can browse them online) and they provide tables/chairs/kitchen/bathrooms. You would just hire a photographer, DJ, and get catering from a local restaurant and cake from a grocery store. Flowers from fiftyflowers.com or a local grocery stores.

Backyard weddings end up costing as much as a venue, and tend to be a lot more work/stress. How many people are you inviting? Big wedding (100+), you can have the ceremony in a church/temple around 2 pm then invite guests to a reception in the hall with “cake & punch” which can just just dessert and non-alcoholic drinks or light appetizers. Small wedding (under 30), you can book a private room in a restaurant to provide guests with lunch or dinner after the ceremony. Good food and minimal decor needed.

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Are restaurants even allowing indoor dining right now?

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It depends on your state - my state never cancelled indoor dining throughout this whole mess.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this. We are having a backyard wedding because of covid and I found that it's actually going to cost a lot more than if we had rented a hall.