A Wedding Planner’s Must-Know Tips for Planning a Backyard Wedding

A sweet, romantic wedding in the backyard of your family home: twinkling bistro lights strung across the garden; a beautiful tent lit up with laughter and music; creating new memories in the home in which you grew up.

Sounds ideal, right?

 

Until your cesspool backs up, your neighbor calls the police because of noise, your caterer can’t get into the driveway, and the electric breaker blows, plunging the whole wedding into darkness.

A backyard wedding can be an absolute dream –  or with poor planning, an absolute nightmare. At Deering Events, we plan and execute dozens of lovely backyard and private residence weddings – here  are our tips for making sure you’re prepared for everything.

 

Make Sure Your Budget is Realistic

With a backyard wedding, you’ll have to go way beyond hiring a caterer and renting some extra chairs. You’ll basically need to take care of all the things a regular venue already has: bathrooms, sufficient power, a dance floor, and more. While there are absolutely ways to make a backyard wedding more affordable, be ready to spend part of your budget on unglamorous things like generators.

 

Your Downstairs Powder Room Isn’t Going to Cut It:

Speaking of unglamorous things – your guests and vendor team will need to use the bathroom, and the one-person powder room next to your kitchen isn’t enough. We’ve heard of every unpleasant bathroom nightmare you can think of, from the only toilet in the house clogging to the cesspool backing up during the wedding.  The good news? There are super-nice bathroom trailers you can rent instead. They come with lights, working sinks, air conditioning, individual stalls: all the things you’d like a bathroom to have (we’re not talking Port-A-Potties here). Make them even nicer with a basket full of travel-size amenities and a small vase of flowers on the sink.

 

You’ve Got the Power:

Don’t underestimate the wattage you’ll need – way more than a normal house breaker can handle. You’ll want generators to handle the lights, DJ equipment, catering tent, and all of the other electric needs a large event like a wedding will have. Believe us, you DON’T want to have a breaker blow in the middle of your reception.

 

Hire a Professional:

As we already told you, there will be a ton of rentals that the rental company will want back the next day – and you don’t want to spend your wedding night breaking down the tables and accounting for all the flatware. Not only can a wedding planner take care of the setup and breakdown, but we can handle all the vendors coming onto the property and problem-solving any issues that pop up.

ALWAYS Have a Bad-Weather Plan:

This is another case where you need to plan ahead and where you’ll wish you hired a professional if things go wrong. We’ve seen it all and have contingency plans for when a beautiful day turns into a downpour.  We’ll be in our rain boots and windbreakers, rolling down the tent sides to ensure your guest can enjoy the party and stay dry, while you sip champagne in your bathrobe. If the forecast calls for a freak 60 degree day in August, we’ll know who to call to bring in portable heaters. In the middle of an unexpected heat  wave? We can handle that, too.

 

Know Your Neighbors and Your Noise Ordinances:

Unless you live on ten acres and have a huge, Gatsby-like driveway, your neighbors will NOT be happy if you have 100 cars parked on the street, rental trucks barreling down the road all day, and a noisy party till 2AM. Our suggestion? Bring them a note and a bottle of wine to let them know you’ll be hosting a big event and plan to follow all local noise/traffic rules and ordinances. Give them your wedding planner’s number so if they have an issue that day, they contact her instead of you.

 

Plan Ahead for Parking:

To cut down on street traffic and annoyed neighbors, think about hiring a shuttle bus to and from the local hotels where guests will be staying. Another option would be hiring a valet service if there’s a convenient spot to park all the cars nearby. If you are having guests park on the street, make sure to check local parking rules. The last thing you want is a police visit over a parking issue!

 

Don’t Forget the Landscaping:

Landscaping: one of those hidden expenses of a backyard wedding. Whoever owns the house is going to have to spend time and money keeping the gardens in excellent shape, watering and mowing the grass, even painting a shabby fence or trimming down unsafe branches. Expect to have some yard/grass damage once the party is over, too.  

 

A backyard wedding can be super meaningful and special, but there are definitely things you need to keep in mind and budget for. Need help planning your own backyard wedding? Contact Deering Events  here.

 

Photos By Alex Paul Photography https://www.alexpaulphotography.com/