DIY Backyard Wedding or Event Tips

 So I missed posting in May due to being crazy busy prepping for our daughters wedding. She got married at a farm down the road, but had the reception in our backyard. I wasn't so sure it was a good idea, after we offered her that option, but now that it's all over I can honestly say it was a GREAT decision! Don't get me wrong, it was a ton of work and I don't think we saved any money, but the memories that were made in our backyard are priceless. 

Let me give you some lessons learned and ideas that will hopefully help you if you are considering hosting a large event in your backyard.

1. It's less expensive to buy some things than it is to rent them. Tablecloths were one of the things we purchased instead of renting. I washed them all after the wedding and plan on selling them or donating them for future use. Why do I need 20 white tablecloths? Outdoor lighting. It was going to be $75 to rent 1 strand of outdoor lights. We could purchase the same thing from Costco for $40 and our backyard looks great! Decorations. My daughter did a great job buying decorations that she could use after the wedding in her new home. Some of those things were repurposed items and some were new. We felt like the money spent wasn't wasted because those items are now being used to decorate her house. 

2. Rent your bathrooms! We had 125 people and the thought of all of them coming in and out of the house and using our bathrooms was more than I could handle. And, we have a septic system so it was not really an option. I know you may be thinking, "Port-a-potties are so gross!"  We rented a Porta-Lisa. She was amazing! There were 2 bathrooms, each with AC, music, sinks, paper towels and we even added a vase of flowers in each of them. It was worth every penny!

3. Rent a Tent! Not knowing what the weather would be, we opted to rent a tent to be on the safe side. The day ended up being beautiful and we didn't need a tent, but it was still helpful. We were able to put out the tables and tablecloths and some of the decorations the day before because we had the tent to cover everything. 

4. Prepare your neighbors! We have a facebook group for our neighborhood where I put out the idea (6 months in advance) to get people's thoughts. Everyone was very kind and supportive. When it got closer to the date, we made cookies and printed off a flyer with the date and apologized in advance for any inconveniences we might cause (like extra cars parked on the street or loud music, etc.). We hung them on everyones doors in the neighborhood. 43 to be exact. After the wedding we had neighbors telling us how pretty everything looked and how much they enjoyed the music. We even had some elderly neighbors tell us they were dancing outside on the deck to the music. Success!

5. It was a lot of work! It definitely would have been easier to have it at a wedding venue. We put out over 200 bags of mulch, planted tons of flowers and spent months working on getting the yard and house ready. The disadvantages of that are that it takes a lot of work and money. The advantages are that it's a great way to get things marked off that "to-do" list and your yard and house look great for the rest of the season.

6. Memories! The photographer captured a lot of great moments that took place in our backyard. We look out at the yard and remember that special day and all of those that came and shared in it with us. We hope that they have great memories of it as well. 

7. Have a coordinator at your house on the day of the event. I knew I didn't want to be pulled in multiple directions during the reception if the caterers or someone else needed something. I didn't want to miss a moment of our girls' special day. We have some great friends that volunteered to be at our house and answer any questions for people and be available for anything they needed. What a blessing that was. Jace and JoAnne - you guys rocked it! So thankful for you both! If you don't have someone that will volunteer to do this for you, then it would be worth it to pay someone. 

We were very blessed to have so many friends and family help in so many ways. If you are planning a diy backyard event and have questions or I can be of any help, message me and I'd be happy to share what we learned. Here are a few pics of the reception in our backyard.