So, you are ready to tie the knot. Felicitations and best wishes. It will be fun preparing for the wedding, there are so many details that go into it. Now that you have chosen the person you want to marry, you have to pick a dress, choose the flowers, decide on the theme, and in between plan the bridal shower. Wedding planning can be challenging, and the budget can get out of hand before you know it.
One of the biggest cost items of a wedding is the wedding reception. Let me tell you that you are not compelled to have your wedding at a barn or in a fancy country club that your guests may have to drive hours to get to. You can have a great wedding in your own backyard. Yes, the thought of a backyard wedding may seem understated as compared to the refinement of a posh venue or the regality of an elite club. But that is not correct; minimalist, maybe, but understated, no. Instead, it is an opportunity to make your own statement. Plus, there are plenty of benefits of throwing a backyard wedding. |
Have your wedding in your backyard! If you have tended your garden with care, let your wedding guests stop and smell those roses. Use it as a stunning backdrop for your wedding. Let your wedding photographer use the setting to produce some beautiful shots for your memory collection.
Alright, if you do not have a backyard, no need to despair. I am sure one of you or your partner’s parents, relatives, or close friends have it and will be glad to offer it to you. You can always count on Meadowvale Party Rentals to set up your backyard venue.
BENEFITS OF A BACKYARD WEDDING
Here I offer you some strong reasons to think about throwing your wedding in a beautiful wedding party tent outside.
Cost
Even if you have a sizable budget for your wedding, having your wedding in your backyard will save you a lot of money that you can better use elsewhere. More money in your pocket that you might spend on the honeymoon or use in buying a new home together. You can have a fabulous reception in your backyard for half the cost of having it anywhere fancy. The venue can be set up as you like it, and you can rent tables and chairs of your choice to fill your yard with moorings for your guests to sit and enjoy. This already eliminates the cost of renting a venue. Then you are also not restricted to using the overpriced caterers or menus that are offered by wedding reception venues. You can treat your guests to much better food and drinks than what you will get at a venue for the same price or less.
Intimacy
Hosting your wedding in your own backyard is an ideal setting to make the occasion look more intimate. You have your relatives and friends around you at your home to celebrate with you in a cozy area that you decorated with care.
Choice
Having a backyard wedding adds a lot of freedom to your decision making and choices. To start with, you can choose the date that suits you the best instead of compromising with the availability of a wedding venue. Then you have the flexibility to choose any wedding décor and theme. You can have a formal black-tie party or a casual affair. You are in charge, and you decide as you please. In effect, you have free reign over all aspects of your special day, not limited by caterers or other venue restrictions. You can do what you want with décor, music, lighting, food, drinks, and lawn games.
Space
You no longer have to worry about the number of people you can afford to invite at a wedding venue. When you have your wedding in a backyard, you have more space to work with. Most backyards are bigger than commercial wedding spaces.
Simple to reach
Holding a reception in another place can sometimes make it difficult for guests to find the place. Unless you are a celebrity or a public figure, most of your invitees probably know where you live. Let them drive down the path they have already traveled before.
Safety
COVID-19 has changed the way we think about and do a lot of things, especially gatherings. A little elbow room makes people feel safer. Being outside means there is a lesser chance of transmitting or catching germs from others.
TIPS TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE A BACKYARD WEDDING
Having discussed the advantages of organizing a backyard wedding, let’s not forget that you still have to invest yourself in a significant deal of preparations for your special day. So, here are a few tips to make your backyard wedding romantic and gorgeous.
Transform your backyard into a delightful area
Lounge furniture goes a long way to make a backyard garden look pleasant and welcoming. Get those plush sofas, chairs, and lots of pillows to add personality, allure, and luxury to your backyard. Along with creating a character, lounge furniture can give your guests a more relaxed space in your backyard to socialize. It can also provide a nice setting for photos.
Transforming your backyard will also require decorating it with taste. Have fun doing it but do not over embellish. Keep the natural setting of your backyard in mind and then proceed to work with it. If you have a nice garden, use it to your advantage. Make sure the grass is cut, leaves are raked, and plants and pavements are in good order.
Have your garden sprayed by an exterminator a few days before your reception and place citronella candles throughout the venue on the day.
Use lighting to set the mood
Adding the right lighting to your background can help adding right ambience to the occasion. It can enliven the space and also help guests feel more comfortable. On a more functional note, also make sure that walkways and paths leading inside from the parking and ways to the bathroom are well lit for guests to find their way after dark. You may also want to have a lighting expert or an electrician standby to make sure your lights stay lit up all evening and there are no surprises.
Think about guests’ comfort
Anticipate your guests’ needs. It is essential for a great wedding that your guests stay comfortable and happy throughout the reception. Think ahead of anything your guests may need throughout the occasion and add a few extra touches to your wedding. For example, if it is likely to be a hot day, you may want to provide sunscreen, cool beverages, and even fans or a cooling unit. For a dance heavy occasion, you can even choose to provide inexpensive flip-flops for guests so they can stay comfortable as they dance the night away.
Keep the weather in mind as you plan for your big day and check the weather frequently before your date as the forecast can change. Keep a backup plan in mind.
Hire a wedding planner
Unless there is an experienced person in your close circle who is willing to do all the hard organization, you should consider hiring a wedding planner. As a skilled professional, your wedding planner will make sure that every minute detail is covered. They will present you with different ideas and alternatives to choose and will also give you their recommendation. Whenever there is an issue, you can call them for advice.
Carefully draw up the guest list
Creating the guest list is where the planning of a wedding reception begins. The number of people you decide to invite will have a lot to do with your choice of a backyard as the venue, your overall budget for the event, who you choose to invite, and with many other choices you will make. Therefore, draw up an initial guest list, then check and recheck it so that no one you would like to invite is left out.
Rent the right tent
A tent cover not only saves you from weather making your guests uncomfortable, but also adds a lot of allure to your wedding. When planning an outdoor wedding in the GTA, where it gets quite warm during several months of the year and other months have a high diurnal temperature variation to render the nights chilly, you always have to take the elements into account. Once you have a suitable tent cover, you already have the essential protection and can add any other items you may need, such as fans, heaters, misters, side walls etc.
Think about accessory rentals and book them
Renting a nice tent gives you a great blank canvas to start creating an image of the venue in your mind. You will likely want to add some extra touches to lend the tent your character. If you are unsure which tent to get, be sure to get in touch with Meadowvale Party Rentals. Keep in mind that if your backyard wedding is during the hotter months in the GTA, you may also want to rent tent fans to keep guests comfortable and happy.
Rent a dance floor
Your wedding day will not be whole without the bride and groom dance your guests will be anticipating. They want to get their groove on, as well, and you do not want them to be digging their heels in the grass as they bop. Therefore, it is important to provide them with a dance floor that they can jig on. Plus, people are more likely to dance and have fun if there is a specific area to do so. You can rent a dance floor and the rental company will set it up for you.
Set up a bar
It is your backyard, and you will have to set up your open bar. It is not a cheap option, but it is still going to cost you a lot less than buying your guests drinks at a posh location. This is a great way to welcome your guests. You have a fair bit of room to tailor your bar menu to suit your budget. To keep things under control and to act in a responsible manner, you can also consider offering a certain number of alcohol drink tickets to each of your guests who want them or can remind those driving to respect the legal limit.
Rent other items needed
Make a list of all the items you will need for the setup you envisage or get your wedding planner to do it. Try and rent as many of these things as possible from a single provider so that you do not have to run around too much. These items can include a stage, arches, chairs, tables, linens, dinnerware, glassware, serving equipment, catering equipment, video equipment, sound system, carpets, and many other items that you may need. You can also get the rental company to perform the setup and teardown of everything so that you do not worry about them.
Provide restrooms
A wedding reception can be a long and wet affair and some of your guests will need to relieve themselves. If you have invited a limited number of people for your backyard then you can also open up the restroom of the home where the event is being held. However, if you have a large gathering in a big backyard, then you should consider setting up portable restrooms. These can be easily rented and will make sure that everyone is able to enjoy your event. Believe me, it is a much better alternative than dozens of people frequenting the toilet in your home.
Take care of parking needs
Do not take parking for granted, especially not for a home wedding. You do not want your guests to show up without having a clue where they can park, passing a long time looking for a parking, or having to park far away and walk a long distance to the reception. This can get worse if it is raining or is too hot. Make sure that you discern your parking needs for the event, identify the places that can be used, and provide your guests with a parking map. An even better option would be to hire a professional valet company. They will know the number of cars you expect, make plans to accommodate them, and, if needed, have a shuttle arrangement in place. I did hire a valet company when we organized a home wedding for our daughter and found them highly professional and effective.
Make arrangements for cleanup
Do not forget that a wedding reception will yield quite a bit of debris in its wake in your backyard. Make sure rental companies will take down and gather up their own equipment to take away. However, there still will be quite a bit left over. Make no mistake, your backyard will need some serious cleaning up. Either enlist a few people who are willing to help or hire a cleaning crew for the job.
Create your own theme
Themed weddings continue to gain popularity and your backyard reception hands you an ideal opportunity to be creative and follow your tastes. Whether you like nerdy pop culture or are more traditional in your choices, your reception is a good occasion to let your hair down and have a little fun.
Hire a professional gardener
Your backyard must be in immaculate condition for the reception. Even if you carefully tend to your garden and it is in good shape, it will still make sense to engage a professional gardener to stop by a few days before the event. They will know to mow the grass, shape the hedges, prune the trees, trim the bushes, clean up the beds, and do some sprucing up that will delight your guests. Also have any weeds and dead plants removed and replaced with florals or greenery that help bring in the feeling that you want your wedding to include.
Consider renting a photo booth
Photo booth adds a lot of fun to a party. You can find photo booths with a lot of options, both real and simulated. You can select props for people to put on things such as elaborate hats, ornate hair, superhero masks or virtual filters such as animals, flowers, and other such details. A photo booth is a fun way for your guests to engage with one another.
Do not forget about the children
Do not expect the kids to just sit for hours through an event that does not hold their attention. There has to be something of interest for them. If you have the space in your backyard and some room in your budget you can add some interest for the children present by creating an area with a popcorn machine, a snow cone machine, a swing, outdoor games, or even a bounce house. These will keep them entertained for hours and they will remember your wedding for the good time they had.
So, all it takes are some good backyard wedding ideas and a trustworthy company that deals with event rental equipment to produce an exceptional occasion for the lucky couple and their guests.
All of us here at Meadowvale Party Rentals wish you happy wedding planning! Check out our rental catalogue here to check what items you can use at your backyard wedding. Meadowvale Party Rentals have a variety of items you can choose from to set up your backyard venue. Additionally, if you have any questions about what to rent for your backyard wedding, please do not hesitate to contact us, we would be happy to help in any way we can.
Hi
I’m planning to host a backyard wedding for about 40 people which includes 5 kids. I would like everything to be delivered set up and taken down after the event. Could you please send me a quote or packages that you have for the same.