explore

WELCOME TO THE

Katie Jaynes Photography Blog

Weddings

Portraits

Engagements

Personal

Welcome to the blog. Here you're going to find everything from heart-warming marriage stories, to beautiful images of our clients. We want to invite you into our lives.

For Brides

September 30, 2020

Planning A Backyard Wedding: How-To Guide

backyard wedding

Backyard weddings have become more popular in the last decade. Partly because of a global pandemic, partly because of the practical purposes.

There are a lot of reasons people would consider ditching the traditional wedding for a more intimate backyard wedding. When we talk to brides and grooms who are planning a smaller backyard wedding, we heard a lot of interesting insights and reasoning.

For some couples, it’s all about having the people they love close to them in a meaningful place. There are some AMAZING venues out there, no doubt, but they may not have an emotional connection to you or your future spouse. Maybe a beautiful backyard of a family member or friend does. If you’re trying to find a special place to exchange vows, what better place than home?

If you’re thinking about having a backyard wedding, regardless of why there are a lot of things you’ll need to plan and pick. Just because it’s not hosted at a dedicated venue, doesn’t mean it can’t be stressful. Hopefully, this guide can walk you through the process of having a precious wedding ceremony is a place that means so much to you.

Chair and Table Rentals

One piece couples forget about is chairs and tables. At most venues, tables and chairs may be covered with the rental package, but when you’re forging your own path in your backyard, don’t forget about where your guests will sit for the ceremony and where they will eat.

There are a ton of event companies that rent out chairs, tables, and linens. They usually don’t end up being an enormous expense but are easy to forget and can be costly if you don’t plan for it in your budget. 

Food, Both Hot and Cold

Not only do you need to pick a caterer that has amazing food, but you also need a catering company that will deliver to the home AND has a way of keeping the food warm.

Catering companies usually have chafing dishes to keep food warm. When you’re having a wedding at a home, you probably don’t already have everything you need to make sure your chicken isn’t stone cold after the ceremony. When you’re picking out caterers, make sure you think about when they will deliver the food and how you will keep it hot and fresh.

One way you can do this is have it delivered close to the ceremony time. When caterers are delivering food to a reception venue, they can bring the food right before or during the ceremony, or right before the reception begins, meaning they don’t have to worry about the food sitting out or getting cold.

With the backyard being the ceremony spot and the reception location, you might not have this luxury, but you can still coordinate with them to make sure to pick the appropriate time. Caterers take pride in their food and they don’t want anyone to experience in less than perfect condition, and your guests won’t want to either.

Consult the Famers Almanac

This is true of any outdoor wedding but ALWAYS think about the weather. We probably don’t have to tell you this one, but it’s very important that you not only think about rain but about how cold or hot it could be during the wedding.

If it’s going to be very hot, make sure that you provide water for all of your guests. You don’t want any of your loved ones feeling sick from dehydration. At the other end, if it’s going to be very chilly, consider buying some cheap blankets to give out during the ceremony or having heaters at the reception if it’s going to be outside. Coffee is always a good idea, too.

There is the old saying that “rain on your wedding day is a sign of a good marriage to come,” and that could be true (it’s not), but a rainy wedding day can still seem devastating. That’s why every couple should always have a plan b for their backyard wedding.

Music Makes The Party

If you want to do any dancing, you need to think about how you’re going to blast the music. We’ve seen couples have a lot of creative solutions to this problem. 

Some couples hire a DJ to set up equipment such as a sound system and speakers, and actually bring a dance floor to make a backyard transform into a wedding venue space. Portable dancefloors are an excellent way to bring in more space to your backyard and create a comfortable place to party the night away, and they can be visually appealing, too.

The other option for music is to create your playlist, which is a more cost-effective way. With Spotify Premium (because you can’t have those ads playing during the party), you can create the perfect playlist for your guests. This is also how you can choose to manage the music for the ceremony. Have a friend who is in charge all night of hitting the play button for the processional and recessional. Make sure they know the flow of the day and know the plan so there are no kinks when it’s go-time. It can be as simple as that. 

Your Wedding, Your Way

When you’re planning your big day, just remember that tit’s about YOU and YOUR spouse. Don’t let anyone try to sway you one way or another when it comes to your wedding. Do what’s going to mean the most to you.

If you have any questions about planning a backyard wedding or you need some tips, give us a call and we would love to talk to you about what we’ve learned and how we could help!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *