Backyard Weddings -Pros and Cons
May 19th, 2010 by Allison Silber
I have been talking a bit about having a backyard wedding, so I wanted to bring my pro’s and con’s over to the blog to get some feedback!
Pros: There would be no site fee! The other place we were looking at doing the wedding would be $2650 in site fees. Instead, we could spend some of that money decking out my mom’s backyard by planting flowers, repairing pool tiles, and generally making improvements to my mom’s house. I know that sounds incredibly boring, but I would love nothing more than eliminating site fees and letting my parents make home improvements.
Con: The space is not set up for a wedding. Some things included in the site fee would still have to be purchased – chairs, tables, dance floor, etc. All these things will have to be brought in, which will cost some money, but not $2650. Since the space is not set up for weddings, the placement of things can become awkward. It will definitely be more challenging for me to plan.
Pro: More flexibility with everything! We could bring our own wine, find our own caterer, etc etc. This cuts costs quite a bit. Also, there are no time constraints or guest minimum and maximums. The money that I save getting a cheaper caterer can go toward inviting more guests, which I would love to do.
Con: We are much more on our own. No site personnel would be there to offer suggestions and help with planning. It is entirely up to us! This basically means a lot more work for all of us which can add much more stress.
Pro: my parent’s bathroom is pretty awesome. We could get some extremely amazing pictures if us getting ready in that bathroom, I would even get one of those velvet Victorian chairs.
Con: I wanted our wedding to be a 3 day trip for some of the wedding guests, and this is just not that. I did however find gorgeous villas not too far away that we could all stay at which would still create a 3 day trip experience. There is also a nice hotel right by the house for out-of-town guests. I want to do a day-after brunch, but going to an area we are semi-familiar with just doesn’t sound like that much fun! It’s all about exploring :)
As you can tell- I have been thinking about this a lot! I am beyond stressed about finding a venue as I have wasted so much time already :( I will post pictures of all these places soon, but rest assured they are all gorgeous so the main issue is with the logstics, not with what I could do with these spaces.
So, Do I put tons of time and effort and planning into my parent’s backyard to create a gorgeous DIY amazing wedding that is incredibly personalized???
Or do I go with some structure and build my wedding around what they already have, which would still be just as DIY and personalized but would be a little bit more “normal wedding”???
Or do I just forget about it and elope?? (believe me-I’ve thought about it once or twice!)
May 19, 2010 at 9:56 am, Super Burbs said:
This is a tough one!
I think it all comes down to how much time you will have and if you have an army of people to help. Everyone loves a good backyard wedding, they are precious, personal and overall adorable – but they do take a lot of effort and can surprisingly cost more money than people think.
With that being said, I get the feeling you really want the backyard wedding…so go with your gut and make it happen :)
May 19, 2010 at 10:18 am, MarilynsKeepsakes said:
I agree. Those photos you will capture getting ready in your bathroom will be much more special than a banquet hall you are a bit iffy on. Also, I know every bride wants to satisfy her guests but remember: this is YOUR day to celebrate with your new hubby, nobody elses. So be selfish and do what you want to do!
May 19, 2010 at 10:28 am, Allison O'Grady said:
True true!
I guess I do need to figure out how much time I want to spend planning this wedding and what I feel I could do with the space. I guess that is the part I am a bit iffy on- what can I really do with the space???
Thanks for the input! I will try to post some pictures of the backyard soon to give a bit more help!
May 19, 2010 at 10:39 am, Cindy said:
I think the backyard wedding ideas sounds amazing…if you have the time/patience to do all the work :)
Are there no more reasonably priced venues in your area? I’m not sure where you are looking but sometimes art museums and state parks can charge reasonable rates for weddings.
May 19, 2010 at 10:46 am, Allison O'Grady said:
Thanks for the input! In this area….. That is the lowest price I have found by a long shot- not even joking! Not to mention about $100 per person on food and drink and no one let’s you bring that all in yourself!
The place I found had $10 per person wine packages and I was allowed to bring in a caterer so that makes it a lot cheaper! But even still it’s pretty expensive!
May 19, 2010 at 11:03 am, Alan Viau said:
I do many backyard weddings. The biggest considerations are 1- poor weather back up plan
2- bugs
3- parking for guests
4- being on time
I think they are fabulous for intimate settings.
May 19, 2010 at 11:08 am, Jenna said:
My question would be – how many people are you talking about? And, if you go with backyard, what’s the rain plan? If it’s a small enough group that you can accommodate inside/under a tent if it rains during the ceremony, I’m all for backyard. As mentioned above, I think when you look back in years to come, it will be more meaningful. I say that as a bride-to-be who had to give up on the idea because our guest list was too big for any of the home options we had! We are sticking with outdoors, just down the road, though – and I’m still working on my Plan B if it rains during the ceremony! Best of luck – and whichever you choose, it will be okay because you’re thinking & planning ahead!
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May 19, 2010 at 1:56 pm, Kristin said:
I think a backyard wedding would be absolutely beautiful and more special if it fits your personalities.
However, the planner in me would worry a bit about all the details (coordinating vendor deliveries, bugs, guest comfort due to heat and weather dilemmas).
If you feel confident and have a great team to help you, I think you should go for the backyard wedding! All the ones I have seen in photos are absolutely beautiful.
May 19, 2010 at 2:04 pm, Alicia said:
My biggest concern would be, is there enough parking? In conjunction with that, how will the neighbors feel about a wedding on the block. If they are the type that might call the cops if you don’t cut the music by 9pm, it may cause extra stress. However I definitely think it would be incredibly meaningful for both you and your parents. If my parents had a stellar backyard, I’d be all over it.
May 19, 2010 at 3:08 pm, Delancey said:
I think you should definitely do it! Your parents house is beautiful and could be made into a great venue. And those are all good points, but can all be handled and I think you’ll have fun creating it exactly how you want :)
May 19, 2010 at 5:09 pm, Hi-Fi Weddings said:
we had our ceremony in a friend’s backyard (it was gorgeous!!!) and the reception at a restaurant down the street that had everything inclusive (including fresh wildflowers on every table!)…so maybe you could kinda have the best of both worlds! :)
May 19, 2010 at 10:06 pm, Jackie said:
I think you could have a beautiful wedding wherever you have it. I think you just need to decide if you want to go away and do it or stay and do it. Because you always will make it go right whether it costs more for one thing or the other. Ya know?
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May 21, 2010 at 5:30 am, adrienne scott said:
We’ve had a few absolutely gorgeous backyard weddings. I agree with Alan’s points. If you’re sure you’d be happy with whatever rain plan you come up with, then that’s awesome. We’ve had brides who have wanted an outdoor wedding but then weren’t happy when it rained and the ceremony had to be moved inside.
Also, have you asked any planners for help in determining the physical set-up? In our experience, a planner is worth every single penny, especially if you’re having to make many decisions and aren’t sure if they will work. An experienced planner will ease the stress and help you with decisions.
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May 23, 2010 at 5:21 am, Aprilette said:
I think that having a wedding in your backyard is a brilliant idea.It’s challenging though and that would also mean that you need a lot of help from several people to make things work. Great savings still!!!
May 23, 2010 at 7:16 pm, Amberdawn said:
I’m debating the same thing, though my mom doesn’t have a great backyard; I want to rent a vacation home. It would cost as much for one week as it would for one day at a typical venue. And it would house my fiance’s family during their stay. I do worry about rain though!
May 23, 2010 at 8:07 pm, Allison O'Grady said:
I think a vacation home would be incredibly fun for sure!! Isn’t the vacation home idea so great? Plus if it is cheaper-that is always better! :)
October 19, 2010 at 12:08 pm, Melanie said:
I’ve actually been debating the very same thing! We’re shooting for a Vegas wedding, but if for whatever reason it can’t happen, I’m definitely considering my mom’s backyard. Pros, cons, stress, ahhh! ;)
October 22, 2010 at 4:39 am, AlexM said:
as a wedding photographer i’ll have to vote for backyard. i LOVE shooting backyard weddings. the stress level seams to go down, it’s much more intimate. get a good planner and go backyard. you won’t regret it.
AlexM