Wedding planning can be so overwhelming and stressful. Having your backyard be the venue can reduce this stress considerably as it is a familiar space. Now you can focus on creating beautiful and lasting memories.
Backyard weddings have a reputation as a rustic or simple place to hold a wedding. But with the recent crisis, more and more brides choose to move their receptions to their backyard or similar outdoor venues.
It is entirely possible to have an elegant and intimate backyard wedding that is much more suited to you and your partner’s tastes.
Make Your Invitations
Embrace the D.I.Y theme fully by making your own invitations. This is a beautifully personal touch that will set the theme for your backyard wedding from the very beginning.
Find embossed cardstock that matches your theme colors and use Pinterest and Instagram to find examples of handmade invitations. You can use the leftover cardstock or envelopes as part of the wedding decor in a photobooth or on the wedding guestbook table.
You Will Still Need a Seating Plan
Depending on the size and layout of your backyard, there are many eating arrangements available to you. Decide where you will place the bridal table, the dance floor, and the buffet tables first.
This will make it easier for you to know how best to place the other tables to create intimacy and natural pathways for people to move and mingle.
Plan for Rain No Matter the Weather
You can never trust the weather, especially when it is an occasion this important. Look into incorporating a tent into your decor so that there is a space for everyone to move to if it does rain. Some vendors offer white tents that can look very lovely with enough decoration.
A clear tent will allow you to continue enjoying the beauty of your surroundings and will not need as much decoration. Some people get a huge tent with open sides and hold the entire wedding and reception underneath it.
Work With the Garden Vibe
Plan your decorations around the existing look of the backyard. If the backyard has many flowering plants in bloom, consider using these flowers for a boutonniere. Match the colors in your bouquet to the ones most prominent in the garden.
If the backyard is mostly green plants, add fairy lights to give it an ethereal and glowing look and feel.
Make the Entrance Entrancing
The single focal point that should be the most eye-catching and beautiful should be the wedding altar. This is the area that will feature most prominently in the wedding video and most of the pictures.
The second most important area for you to enhance is the entrance to the wedding venue. Create as magnificent and delightful a walk-through as you can because this is the first step to getting people in the right mood for your wedding.
Match Tablecloths and Napkins to the Decor
This is a seemingly simple point that can have a big effect on the visual aesthetic of your wedding. Make sure that all tablecloths and napkins are muted shades of your theme colors. This way, you do not have to go all out on the wedding centerpieces.
Avoid patterned clothes if the reception is inside a tent, as this can look busy. White and single color tablecloths are for indoors, and patterned and bold tablecloths are for outdoors.
Speaking of Centerpieces
Table centerpieces can be quite costly, and when you think of how many tables you will need at your wedding, it can add up to a sizable figure. Reduce this cost drastically by using elegant glass jars or dainty plant pots. Transport cuttings from your backyard plant into the plant pots and add little flags with you and your partner’s initials on them.
This is a great way to match your surroundings and give it that personal touch. You can offer these plant pots and jars to your guests as wedding favors. This is a delightful gift for the people you care about the most to keep a tiny living part of your happiest day.
Elegance is important but always opt for choices that add more intimacy to the decor. Backyard weddings allow the bride and groom so much more freedom to really connect with their guests.
At the end of the day, the things you will remember are the love and the celebration of that love. Go for a warm and relaxing feel that allows you to set people at ease. You want a wedding that feels inclusive to the people in your life who add more love and joy to your special day.
