Venue or Wedding tent? Will it cost less. Backyard wedding okay? Still be glamorous? VERY indecisive!

I suggest you run the numbers - just ball park. Rentals (tent, tables, chairs, linens, flatware, dishes, glasses) dance floor, bathrooms, valet or some kind of transportation for guests and then the cost of the venue (with those same items if necessary). Whichever one fits your budget and your vision wins. But make the decision (now) and stop listening to everyone else.

We are having a backyard tent wedding. For us it was because FH grandmother can't travel really at all. Plus we love the backyard feel. The tent, table, chairs, linen, dance floor.... will cost us about $2-3000 for the weekend. We aren't sure about the cost of bathrooms yet. The place we are going through (the only tent rental place in the area) had a nice quote thing set up on their website where we could look at the different tents and the sizes and the tables and chairs so that we could add it all up. I would suggest finding something like that so you can figure out the size you will need and the cost.

Thank you tiffany. 2-3000 isn't bad. I just know venues cost so much more.

Get on it! What are you waiting for?? I had major issues finding a new venue a few months ago when mine cancelled, and we have the same date.

What Brandy said. Play with the numbers, you may find that the cost of having an outdoor ceremony is beyond what you are willing to spend. Grab a couple of estimates from venues so that you will have an idea of what is the priciest and what is the best for your buck.

I had an indoor ceremony and reception due to our date being February and weather being unpredictable. My sister had an outdoor backyard wedding that was beautiful and she rented tables/chairs/restrooms/catering/dj and the weather was fantastic. Don't worry about your dress, it will hold up to whatever you decide.

We've only been to one tented wedding. The bride said she spent the same amount as if she would've had a venue that included all her rental items. But it was the vibe that she wanted so she was happy as a clam. But those items definitely add up.

There is nothing wrong with planning a outdoor wedding. I actually love outdoor weddings! But the key is to always have a plan B. Weather is unpredictable. Don't get yourself into a bad situation because you didn't plan ahead by having a backup plan.

I would make sure that your aunt is 110% on board with having the wedding at her house and understands EVERYTHING that it would entail. How many guests are on your list?

Get a reputable tenting/rental company to come to the site and give you a detailed quote; not what you think you'll need, but what they know you'll need. Depending on your # of people, the tent alone could be 2000.00. It adds up fast.

And do it now.

We spent 15k on tent, chairs, flatware, glassware, dance floor, tables, etc. for 180 people, and got no where close to the picture attached. Just FYI. It's also exactly what we wanted, at our friends ranch, but still, not cheap.

ETA: Does not include generator, lighting, decor, dumpster, port-a-potties(you do not want more than say, 20 people using a plumbed toilet), staff, catering, clean up........

It depends. For us it would have cost so much more to do a tent anywhere than to do it in a venue. Our venue was stunning and it cost $1,000 for 2 days (we chose to have it the day before as well to decorate). It was another $300 for rentals. Tables and chairs were included and we rented their in house sound system and linens. We couldn't have gotten all that and a tent for that price plus there are extra things you need with a tented wedding that you don't with a venue. Around here it's typical for tent weddings to be some of the most expensive weddings unless they are uber casual and truly "tent" style (cheap plastic folding chairs and tables, things like that-picture camping).

We are having a "backyard" tent wedding. It's actually in a field. We are having to rent or diy everything. Right now we are setting around 12000 without last min things that may come up or we haven't thought of.

We had our wedding in the backyard under a tent! It was awesome! :-)

I was going to do a tented ceremony/reception. Here is why I did not- it was going to cost 3k more and we just started out with pricing stuff. The amount of rentals we would need started to be more and more. If it rained the week of without drying out it would be a horrible mess. If it rained the day of water would be coming under the sides of the tent. We would have to either rent double the chairs or move them from ceremony to reception area.

Why I went with with the community center- I don't have to worry about the weather. It's saving us a few thousand dollars. I don't have to deal with a million vendors.

Don't forget that every vendor is likely to charge more if they have to come to you. It's not just tent, dance floor, etc. It's also that your caterer will need to bring enough equipment at least to keep things warm, even if not to cook them on the premises. If you need to rent tables, chairs, etc., they will have to be delivered, so delivery charges will get added to rental charges. If it's too hot or too cold, you'll need to arrange for heating or cooling. You probably can't use your bathroom indoors for that many guests, so you'll need to rent Port-A-Potties. Overall, if you're having more people than you can fit inside the house, most people find that a tent wedding does not produce a savings.

Your aunts backyard is beautiful. Don't allow family to get into your head unless they're paying for the venue. I am having an outside wedding at a great house. (With a tent reception). You're saving money if the aunt isn't charging you. Good luck!

We looked at a garden for our ceremony & reception. I asked about a back-up plan in case it would rain. They had none.

We went to another venue that had an outdoor garden for the ceremony and an indoor reception area. If it had rained, we could have moved the ceremony inside. We booked it.

2d is right. Deepsoul is not. You're not saving money if it costs mega bucks to basically set up a restaurant in the backyard.

Tents are expensive, especially pretty ones. As others have mentioned, there are also a lot of additional/hidden costs associated with a backyard wedding, particularly when you want a modern/glam feel. Your family's concerns about restrooms and parking are valid. Whatever you decide, you need to move quickly to secure a venue and vendors.

I got married outdoors, in the courtyard of a local B&B. The local weather in October is generally pretty fantastic, but I was still nervous that it would rain or be too cold (even though we had a solid rain plan!). I think many brides who would like an outdoor wedding ultimately choose an indoor venue for the peace of mind.

Tents are wayyy more expensive than you think! Definitely run the numbers and see what it will come out to. @m's estimate from her wedding is the same number that immediately came to my mind!

Yea its more work and more money usually. depends on what you want. We are having a build-a-wedding. (where you have to bring in everything). But it matters a lot to FH to have the food and bar he wants. He's VERY picky about food and only wants top shelf alcohol. More importantly he doesn't want a guest list cap or a set time to be out the venue. So there is no venue that will let you bring in your own caterer, alcohol, unlimited time and unlimited guest so this was one of our few options. but i knew anywhere else he wouldn't be happy. We attended a wedding Sunday: he didn't eat or drink and we left two songs after the food was served. (YEAH he's that picky)