Successful backyard wedding?

Think of the cost of renting: tables,chairs, bathrooms(need enough for guests) dance floor, lighting. How would you handle parking? Also what are the noise bylaws in your area? What time do they say you would have to shut down party?

I haven't hosted a backyard wedding but two close friends had one last summer and it was my favorite wedding I've ever been to. It felt intimate and completely them. I find some venues feel a little too generic but the backyard is kind of a clean slate. They had a tent and long tables. Lots of soft lightning. Very warm colors and center pieces.

We had a backyard wedding and we got so many compliments on how classy everything was. I will tell you though that renting the tents, tables, chairs, cocktail tables, etc, it definitely added up to the cost of a venue if not more. So it's really not even a money saving option at all. Don't forget to think about the weather as well.

Most likely it will actually end up being more expensive than a more traditional venue because nothing is included.

I recently went to a backyard wedding and it was absolute perfection. It was intimate and understated but elegant all at the same time. We really enjoyed it.

We're hosting a backyard wedding at a private vacation rental. The cost has been pretty much the same as the all inclusive venues in our area, but personally I really like being able to pick and choose everything that I want and don't want. Not to mention we get be property for an entire weekend so I have tons of time to perfect all my DIY details before the wedding. I will say that it has been A LOT of coordinating and planning so far, and I know we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

My biggest piece of advice is to keep guest experience a priority. Good food, lots to drink and comfortable seating and space for your guests are key.

Thanks for the comments guys! I've actually compared some prices of local rentals VS the venues I was looking at/what they included, and I'd manage to save a great deal. I should have mentioned the FFIL has a giant white tent & there's a million silk flowers at our disposal also in the family. I was already planning on providing shuttling service from a hotel, so that takes away the parking issue since majority of guests are OOT. Noise ordinance is 11pm, so I planned to start shuttling back to the hotel anyways.

Weather back up plan is about all I need at this time.

My husband and I had planned our wedding at his parents' gorgeous lakefront house. well, planned in our minds.

The lawn is ever so slightly sloped down towards the water. We had an event rental company come out to measure the area, and give us a quote on everything we would need to have an awesome backyard reception. They measured out an area to put the reception. I dont know how to explain except to say it would have been kind of like a platform on scaffolding to level out the ground. Here is where we would have had tables, dance floor, etc. Just this "platform" with dance floor, I repeat JUST the platform , was quoted at 12 grand!!!!!! THEN cost of tent in case of inclement weather (probably at least another grand), THEN tables, chairs, food, etc. It would have been a 20 thousand dollar wedding. In the backyard.

I quickly got to work and found the most BEAUTIFUL venue for only $500!!!!! And honestly, it was So much more beautiful.

mY wedding in its entirety ended up costing only around 8 grand

I've been at some lovely ones, but others have addressed it all perfectly. You have tables and chairs, parking, noise ordinances, ample electricity and toilet facilities, outdoor lighting at night, accessibility, etc. Plus the work and clean up. By the time you add it all up, it may cost more than a venue. Which doesn't even factor in your time. It can be done and it can be lovely but it's usually underestimated.

I've officiated several weddings in private homes and backyards. Some houses were crowded, some were dirty, some were very nice. In one backyard, I stepped into a shallow, grass-filled hole and tripped. One nicely-decorated backyard ceremony didn't have enough seats at tables for everyone. I never stayed long enough to find out what the restroom facilities were like.

If your guests are comfortable and properly hosted, it's fine -- but it may not be less expensive.

FH has been the one pushing hard for this, seems to have been his dream since his own grandmother remarried on her property and hosted a 200 person reception. I mentioned if restrooms and weather back up were taken care of, and it's been done before, then we can visit the idea.

I'm just finally coming around and comparing prices/complications for us to go over.

I attended an amazing backyard wedding in a huge tent with a dance floor, draping, and crystal chandeliers. It was gorgeous but in no way was it less money than a traditional venue. The tent set-up ALONE was probably $25k. Then you add tables, chairs, linens, flatware, stemware, and all other rentals, etc.

You could probably host an intimate or small wedding, with no problems. Think about up to 40 or 50 people.

As others have mentioned, you have to make sure that you have restrooms and weather back up taken care of.

But - I've both attended backyard weddings as a guest, and as a wedding vendor. I love them.

I hosted my future cousin in laws wedding in my back yard. It turned out beautifully. The only thing that didn't go well was guests that stayed wayyy too late. Many hours after the bride and groom left.

We've catered tons of them, and I've officiated at a few too. As lovely as they are, and as much as I like them, they are not a cost saving path at all. Tents are not cheap, you need to rent everything, including a cooking space in some situations, you need to think about parking, noise permits and garbage.

Which is not to talk you out of it, but I wouldn't go any further without a detailed proposal from a caterer and a rental company.

And totally get a coordinator who knows how to put this all together.

Two of my friends just hosted a BEAUTIFUL wedding at her parents property. Technically, they've spent the last 17 years prepping the area/land in hopes that they're daughters would choose it to hold their weddings. They really vamped up work about four years ago when their daughter said she wanted to have her wedding there one day and did intensive work for about 4 months leading up to their May wedding. They also spent more than we are at an all inclusive to bring literally everything from forks to food to bathrooms to shade. They couldn't even begin to put a price on the amount they spent to prep the grounds.

It can be done but as others have said it's a lot of work and can be very expensive, good luck though

We had a backyard wedding that I absolutely loved. This is the link to our photographers blog. http://joshuagrasso.com/sydni-drake-backyard-wedding/

It is a ton of work but if you are willing to do the work a backyard wedding can be incredible!

My FH best friend got married in his parents backyard and it was super sweet and intimate. The fact that his parents have over 10 acres of land and a creek going through their land obviously helped.

I was at one today. Small and intimate! A great experience and different than the giant weddings I'm used to going to. I had a lot of fun!!

My BFF and my MOH is getting married this summer in her backyard. They have a pizza oven and are having a caterer come in and having the pizza oven going along with all the other food. They have a stunning backyard overlooking the water so it won't be cheesy. They are having a very classy backyard wedding