Hey guys! So today I would like to share some back yard wedding ideas. My wedding turned out to be so beautiful and I will never forget how much fun we had seeing everything come together. If you're trying to pul off a backyard wedding here are a few helpful hints:
1. Try to make sure the yard you're working with belongs to a close family member (preferably your own or your parents). This will insure that you can do almost everything that you want without running into the issue of the owner not allowing you to have say sparklers, or birdseed, or to drill a little hole in a tree to hang decorations. Try to cut out as much stress and arguments as possible.
2. Be flexible. Even though the wedding is to celebrate the union of the bride and groom, it is also a union of two families, so you will be getting a ton of opinions and people wanting to help. At some points I did have to stand up for some things that I wanted even though everyone else thought it looked weird, wasn't the color they wanted to wear, etc.
3. Delegate, delegate, DELEGATE!!!! This was the best thing I did for myself and my family. I planned almost my entire wedding with Pinterest so I could just send a picture of something or a link for a how-to to my family and friends that were helping and it got done. I did very little when it came to getting things done for the wedding, mostly because I was away finishing my undergrad. But when I got home all that was left were a few little details that were the fun part. Like making signs, programs, bunting, and sampling the menu. YUM!
4. Try to save your parents, grandparents, or yourself as much money as you can. You can cut back expenses in many areas. Try to use as many friends and family members as possible. I wanted my wedding to make everyone feel like they had a hand in it. I think it made them all feel important and that they weren't just there to watch but also to be involved. I asked all my aunts and a few friends to bring a different dish for a bbq. They were so excited and more than willing to help. I used a close friend as my wedding planner, another for grilling, and my husbands Uncle performed the ceremony. We also bought most things from the dolor store or hand made it from scraps. My entire yard was decorated by old antique pieces we borrowed for my cousin. And we also had a friend who is a photographer take our photos. You will have to compensate some or all of the people that help but you will most likely be able to work out a great deal! Just remember your resources.
Here are a few of my wedding plans:
Food- Barbeque Chicken, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, BBQ Pulled Pork, Garden Salad, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Soda, Lemonade, Iced Tea, Coffee, and Water.
My sister and another one of my friends made our wedding cake. It was a carrot cake. Two days before the wedding my sister made all the layers. they day of the wedding they staked the layers and only put the frosting on the joining areas on the outside of the cake. We then provided a bowl with extra frosting for those who wanted more. I however, don't like frosting very much so just the little bit on the edge was perfect! We topped it with a Willow Tree cake topper. It was beautiful. :)
We also had a S'mores Bar available. My Dad made me a long skinny box that I filled with coffee beans from working at Starbucks, lined about six bunsen burners, and provided roasting sticks. It was a huge hit and it's cheep.
We bought all our flowers from Safeway and Costco. We then arranged them ourselves and tied then with some string and ribbon. Mine had lace wrapped around as well.
Our guest book was a hand made quilt with pieces for our guests to sign with keys to a happy marriage.
We made our own photo booth with hats and mustaches for props. We also had Cornhole, Ladders, and Checkers.
Here are a few of our pictures taken after the ceremony
<3
I think the picture of the groomsmen all crowded around Andrew's ring is the best picture. It was such a great wedding!
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