Making Your Backyard Wedding Memorable

There’s no better place for a relatively small wedding than in the back yard. Whether you choose your parent’s yard or a friend’s, it will be lovely and memorable to get married someplace you’ve spent so much of your time. But planning a back yard wedding isn’t easy - there are no guarantees it will go off without a hitch.

A warm, sunny day and the scent of your favorite flowers surrounding you can make a backyard wedding unforgettable, but if it rains or is unseasonably cold, you may regret your choice of location, so have a back-up location ready just in case.

Back yard weddings are fun and festive because you’re surrounded by the beauty of nature. Almost no decorating or embellishment needs to be done when you’re already surrounded by beauty. You may want to have a runner for the bride and perhaps something simple to indicate where the bride and groom will stand, but otherwise you don’t need to worry about pew bows, candles or formal flower arrangements. You may want, however, to put bows on the backs of each guest chair to give a touch of elegance to them.

Keep the colors of the yard in mind when choosing your wedding colors. Are the flowers vivid reds and oranges? Then try not to compete or clash. Choose colors for the bridesmaids’ gowns that will look lovely against the natural backdrop so that your wedding pictures are gorgeous.

Don’t choose a wedding gown that is impractical for your back yard wedding. Four-inch heels and a slinky dress that’s difficult to walk in won’t work when you’re walking down a grassy path. Choose a simple sundress style, A-line or halter dress that is crisp and pretty but not too formal. Flat shoes or low heels are also a good idea so that you can focus on the ceremony and not how hard it is to hobble over uneven ground!

If you want to light up your back yard for an evening wedding, you can use votive candles, the small white lights usually used for Christmas trees, or even Tiki torches to light up the night in style. Do be careful to have any open flames out of the reach of little hands if you will be having children at your back yard wedding.

If you keep things uncluttered and fresh, your back yard wedding will be a lovely memory that your guests will treasure as much as you will.