HELP! Backyard Wedding???

I personally love "backyard" weddings! I have been to three and they've all been very nice, you can really do a lot with a tent & dressing up the tables & chairs. The small white christmas lights along the borders of the tent add some elegance, and hanging chinese ball lanterns. Plus, theres no rules so you have more freedom to do what you want to do! I'd say go for it

You can still have a really nice back yeard wedding ... we are planing a back yard wedding, we are in the same boat, very low budget .... want our own foodthis and that ... we are renting a tent and its going to have fabric draped down with white lights behind them lights my package includes all the tables chairs dishes linnen flat wear glasses and dance floor and its all for under 3000 and that also includes the set up and brake down of every thing, yours might be a little bigger sounds like you have a bigger invite list than we do, we are only inviting 80 ... Just family. but its going to be really nice, and since yours is in september if you are having it at night you might want to consider seeing if they can throw in a heater, it might get chilly at night

Oh how I love backyard weddings. They always reflect the people throwing it so well. What is your budget and what do you want in it? What can you live without? Those are the questions I would ask yourself. =P

This is a great idea, if we had a big enough back yard we would def. be having it at home. You'll be able to really have control of setup and all the little minor details that come with the wedding.

I am just picturing Laura's ideas in my mind!! WOW it's gonna look awesome. I've seen many pictures of backyard weddings and if well-planned they look gorgeous.

Go for it! I have seen some really beautiful backyard weddings. I wish we had a backyard big enough, or even knew someone with a big yard!

Having been a caterer for many years, I love, love, love backyard weddings, and they can be very elegant. But they are not always a budget alternative. Your first call tomorrow morning should be to a reputable tent company in your area to schedule a site visit and give you an estimate for tenting, lighting, tables and chairs, a cook tent with equipment and china and linen (or disposables in both cases). The pricing, especially for that size group, might knock your wedding stilettos off. (Can you cut the guest list?)

Then, you need to figure in staffing (waiters, bussers, bartenders, and someone to run it all; 200 guests don't arrange themselves.....) and very unglamorous stuff like porta potties and parking valets, if you need the valets (you definitely need portosans.....)

You may find that all this expense makes the backyard out of the budget; then you look for a venue that you might not have thought of; womens' clubs, museums, historical societies, gardens, aquariums...

Sarah a heater is such a great idea!!

Celia thank you for the insight!! I defintely will call and find all exact pricing to make sure it is cheaper!!

And i will try to cut the guest list!!

Thank you for all your support! I was really worried everyone would think it would look cheap!

Backyard weddings can not only be beautiful... they can be very personal... and cost effective. Most of all, my favorite part of backyard weddings is that they become very intimate.

I'm not sure you will want to have almost 200 guests at your parents' house. It seems like a LOT of people for a backyard wedding, but of course my experience is based on California standards.

If you're considering more than 100 guests, you definitely should consider the lack of amenities (such as restrooms, parking spaces, and kitchen facilities) that will present obstacles in your planning. It can all be done... and it can work well. But you have to research a lot more and not assume that things are included. Make sure you check and double check everything. I would go as far as to say... get a planner to help you do everything right.

Good luck!

I can’t see what’s wrong with the backyard wedding?? They sounds so attractive to me.....I always want to have one but we don’t have the perfect backyard for this.....Not only you can decorate your backyard as you want but you can save a lots of money also......You can have a vintage looking theme to make the perfect use of your mother’s backyard.....

Love backyard weddings!! If I had my choice, that's the route we would've gone. However, we didn't have a big enough space for it. The only thing I recommend however, is to check rental prices. When I priced out a backyard bbq, the price wasn't too different from doing it at a venue and using their caterer. A tent alone can cost $1000, especially if you need it for 150-200 people. Then you have to think about the cost of chairs, tables, etc. Just make sure you check out the pricing to see which route is cheaper for you

Edited to say: Does Outback (where your FH works), have a space for a banquet, or will they let you use one of the rooms? Then you wouldn't have to worry about finding somewhere they can cater, and the it would ultimately be cheaper than a backyard thing.

Here's an idea (however the chairs in the pic are pricey)

I had considered it, cause my mom has an amazing backyard! HOWEVER, it was NOT cheaper... i need, tables, chairs, linens, lighting, etc....plus that is a LOT of people no matter HOW large the yard is... and that was my problem.. i still needed a place for all the cars, and then you had to rent the portapotties...etc...etc... !Question! Do you remember the movie Father of the Bide with Stever Martin?! Are you thinking more HIS backyard wedding... with the "Bride Burger and Groom Burger", more low key, easy peasy or more elegant like the DAUGHTERS ACTUAL backyard HOME wedding. cause hers is expensive, lol and his was not! You got the food down, so you're good there! What about a rec center?! at least it has restrooms and parking....

You can find some ideas here, http://blog.bridesview.com/.

Here's a backyard wedding I shot last December. It was beautiful! The groom made the arbor, the "tree" bar which wrapped around the tree, and the dance floor. The bride decorated the arbor and painted the dance floor. The yard was strung with the large Christmas lights. It was beautiful and I really loved the attention to details. There were only 80 guests. Friends of the groom did the valet parking...make sure to check with your neighbors about all the cars that will be in the neighborhood. An attendant was hired to manage the 2 bathrooms (keep them clean & stocked with tp, disposable hand towels, & clean out the trash cans). (2 bathrooms were not enough) Bartenders and servers were hired for the buffet...and for cleanup afterwards.

Take a peek...a backyard wedding can be beautifully done.

http://www.emindeeimagesblog.com/?p=1107

These can be the most pretty and cost effective. Let nature be your guide. Dont do too much and use what you have and just make it pop. keep it simple and everything will look great.

Rent a tent and some chairs, do a coctail style wedding and you dont have to have many tables. Have fun with it.

I love backyard weddings! If you have a large space I think its very doable. I was going to do one, but the logistics of parking and a level space for a backup tent proved too daunting. The pic Stephanie Z posted is truly my dream backyard wedding and it incorporates the tent with or without rain, but a really elegant look can be made by stringing white lights from tree to tree as well.

http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2010/01/backyard-wedding.html

Take a look at what ideas pinterest has OMG. Your options are endless!

http://pinterest.com/search/?q=backyard+wedding

I too thought about a back yard wedding, but it cost way more than we thought, renting the tent alone can be a huge amount plus table, chairs, linens ect ect. I had no idea it would be that much and changed my mind quick.

I would really consider cutting guests anywhere you can. I invited 282 people and about 175 showed and I really feel like I only saw/talked to 100. Then get a nice venue that takes care of the tables/chairs/linens and use their caterer. I doubt the discount on the outback can overcome the extra cost of the tables, chairs, linens and tent. 200 chairs alone will run you about $500. And that's the cheap ones. Without covers. With covers you are looking at $1000. Again, just chairs!