Calling all Backyard Wedding Brides!

I'm not having one but a friend of mine from my church did, they got pallets from Lowes and put them together for a dance floor, then draped pretty lights from tree to tree.

You'll have to rent tables and chairs, unless you have a handy fiancé/brothers/family. I'd probably recommend tents, just incase it rains. Make sure you have everything set up smoothly so it doesn't feel too much like a regular bbq.

Just realize that a backyard wedding will probably not save money. First off, you'll need to rent everything from a dance floor to Port-a-Potties, which a regular venue would provide. You'll also need to rent a tent in case of rain. Second, every vendor will charge more for having to set up makeshift facilities in our back yard (e.g., warming facilities for your caterer, a sound system for your DJ) than they would to set up in a regular venue. If the idea is to save money, be sure to price everything out before deciding on a backyard wedding.

We are having our wedding at a park and I must say don't be discouraged by the previous comment, depending on what route you go for your vendors it can be cheaper than a wedding venue. (we are saving around 10k.) I will admit its a lot more work, but to me I'd rather have more money towards buying a house so thats why we decided to go this route

I would suggest having a day of person to hand everything off to and definitely make a good list and budget and seriously utilize all your resources!! for example our DJ is my FBIL's friend and for the package we are getting he usually charges about $2000 but he is charging us a fraction of the cost! He is a major Dj for many clubs and events so we really scored on that one! but take your time and really compare prices! its worth it.

By the time you rent everything, provide toilet, electric, parking etc. amenities, you'll usually spend what you would at a small venue, plus handle the workload. I like garden weddings, but too much depends on the area you have to work with. More info here.

http://www.jayfarrellphotography.com/backyard-weddings/

I wanted to have a backyard wedding but after pricing all of the rentals, the figure was way outside my budget. I wound up finding a venue and caterer for $5,000 less than the back yard figure. I think it depends on where you live and what you decide to serve, as well as guest list. Good luck.

Another thing to consider: what will your backup plan be if it is raining or super windy, crazy sunny, etc?

Haven't read all the comments but we are having a back yard wedding and it's costing us more than other venues around us... oops! But, it meant a lot to FH to be married at our home so it's worth it

Having a backyard wedding is not always cheaper depending on the guest list #s.

You need to provide rentals, tent, tables (for the food and eating areas), seating (for ceremony and eating areas) and light the area if it's at night.

Dance floor rentals are expensive as are portable nicer bathrooms.

So it may be cheaper to look into a small local banquet hall that has these things included.

You also need to look into noise rules. (Don't want the police to come stop your wedding!)

Also you may need a generator for the DJ/band or caterer.

I'm throwing a medium size backyard wedding (80 guests) and if the venue did not mean so much to us (his parents were married there and it was his gmas house for almost all her adult life) I would just go with a nice banquet hall and save myself the headache.

You have to rent everything.... :3

A friend of mine did theirs in the back yard. The top things you need is:

tents

tables/chairs

port-a-potty- honestly, it doesn't have to be one of those expensive air conditioned ones.

Still hire a caterer, you can scale back to something like drop off catering or something.

Dance floors are not necessary, I've been to many backyard weddings/events where we just used the grass!

I went to a friends backyard wedding and it was miserable. It was way too hot and humid to be outside and they had no back up plan or tents. The food was semi self catered, the grooms mom made macaroni, potato salad, and other sides, and the bbq sandwiches were catered. The food sat out in the sun with nothing covering it also. It was BYOB but the bride and groom did provide water bottles that sat in a dirty kiddie pool and a more than half empty keg that the groomsmen got into the night before and the morning of the wedding. And @2DBride reminded me with her comment about porta potties that they did not have them at this wedding and they locked the house so guests wouldn't be going in and out. This wedding was legit in the country so it's not like guests could just drive a mile down the road to the nearest gas station either. Luckily I was a BM so I was allowed in the house to cool off and use the bathroom but other guests weren't so lucky. My point is don't make any of these mistakes and make sure you treat your guests right.

We are having a backyard wedding for less than $7500 (100 guests max but probably less). Local venues in our area would cost us upwards of $12k. @VMDIZZLE is totally right, you don't need to rent a dance floor. We are doing a good amount of things DIY - invites, centerpieces, favors and my bouquet (those will basically be the only flowers). We are renting tables/chairs/tent and getting a bbq food truck who also supplies the plates/napkins/cutlery. We are hiring a good friend to bartend for the afternoon and having a DJ friend take care of the music. Not having a traditional wedding cake, just a small one for the 2 of us and sheet cake for everyone. We are also not having a typical wedding party. I'm asking one of my friends to stand with me as a witness and FH is having his brother, but we aren't having anyone buy dresses or rent tuxes or any of that. We just want everyone to be comfortable and relaxed and enjoy the day.

We are super laid back so this type of wedding fits our personalities. Its not for everyone. As long as you do your research and are willing to do some DIY projects you can totally make it happen and you don't have to spend a fortune. Just make sure you have a plan B for if it rains, etc.

@stilllizg We have the same wedding date! & What you're saying is EXACTLY what my fiance and I are hoping to do. Are you renting port-a-potties?

We are having a backyard wedding at a vacation rental for 75-100 people. The more inclusive wedding venues in our area are mostly 12k and up so we'll save a few grand.

I will say it is A LOT of work to do this because as PP said you have to hire all of your own vendors. I'm a very DIY kind of person so for me this is just what I do and am enjoying the experience.

My advice is to keep your main focus on guest experience: good food, plenty to drink and comfortable space.

At one of the first backyard weddings I officiated, I stepped into a hole and fell. The groom panicked, but I was fine. If you have a dog, fill in any holes it has dug! And, of course, clean up any poop!

@Kerri I'm not totally sure about the port-o-potty situation yet... I'm still trying to minimize the guest list (immed family and close friends only) and its a toss up of whose house its actually going to be at (we have 3 options lol). If we do then it will bump us above the $7500 but its not like its a frivolous expense so I have no problem paying the extra money.

Its exactly what we wanted to do from day 1. My first wedding was the whole 9 yards - sit down dinner, bridesmaids, $600 wedding cake, blah blah blah. At the time it seemed like what everyone wanted me to do so that's what I did. Now that I'm older (and maybe just a little wiser lol) I don't want or need all the incidental stuff. I understand brides wanting fancy shoes and huge flower arrangements, but its just not me. (My dress is $300 for pete's sake). Not to mention we are paying for it ourselves and need to watch every penny we spend and I still think $7500 is a bit much, but its better than $15k!

Cameo is wrong, sorry. It is absoluteyl more exnepsive if you do it correctly.

Big things that are commonly forgotten and/or absolutely necessary:

Tent

Rentals for every. single. thing.

Generators (You can't run this off a house if it's more than 30 people)

Port-a-Potties (more than 10 people shouldn't be using the same restroom)

Dumpster (You will generate a shit load of trash)

Access to lighting, as well as water and gas or electric for catering. (This can't be done in a normal kitchen, unless it's quite a large nice home with gourmet kitchen...)

Parking access

County and Neighborhood liability & noise regulations.

Insurance.

My guess is Cameo is having a party in a park with a DJ and some rented tables with the hopes it doesn't rain or get too windy, public parking at your own risk, during the day, etc etc. You can't have alcohol in a lot of these public parks as well.

I did it, it's rough.