Backyard wedding costs?

kristiea80

I'm toying around with the idea of having my ceremony and reception in my soon to be inlaws backyard....Has anyone done something like this recently, and might be able to give me an idea on pricing? When you look at tent companies online, they just say "call for pricing...." Thanks!

RoyalOrient

Backyard weddings can be inexpensive for a small intimate function but it can be costly for a larger affairs. I considered it but for my wedding of 200, the cost was too high. The tent rental alone is dependent on the size of your wedding. You also need to have a dance floor,lighting, rent tables, chairs and bring in your own caterer. You might also need to rent portable toilets too. You need to consider parking availability, clean up (grounds take a beating), and a rain plan. Not sure where your location is but some of the best rates I found was from this company. They list some prices for chair, table and other rentals.

http://www.lepartyrentals.com/

kathanddave

I had an outdoor wedding at Fort Adams on the North Lawn and had to pay for tent, chairs, tables, tent decorator, etc.  It was very reasonable and I went through Newport Tent.  Billy @ NT is great and will work with you, he is worth checking out. 

amylydia23

Don't forget permits!  My cousin just recently had her wedding at my aunt and uncle's house and there were a lot of hidden costs they didn't think about when they first started.  Like PPs have said you will need the tent, chairs, tables, dance floor, lighting, heaters (depending on the time of year).  Most likely, portable toilets will need to be rented too.  Add on the cost of the florist, DJ, caterer, bartender and alcohol.  It can really add up.  My cousin also didn't realize how much work everyone had to put into it.  They had to set everything up themselves.  The day of the wedding she realized she had no one to play the music for the ceremony and she had to grab my sister to do it literally 5 minutes before the ceremony started.  A backyard wedding can really be great, just be prepared for anything!

KB_RI

My friends did it and spent more than I did on my wedding. They did have to rent portable toilets, as there is no way the plumbing could have handled that many guests. I'll be honest, it was a lot of work. If you go that route, I'd suggest budgeting for a DOC to help with setup. Don't forget your FILs also should look into their insurance liability to be sure it is enough to cover if one or more people should be hurt on the property.

As far as tent costs, I found they varied wildly by vendor and type/size. For a 30x40 frame tent (only kind we could have on our site), the required fire safety package, plus rentals (nine round tables, three rectangular and 61 garden chairs, plus one tent heater) it cost about $2,120, and I shopped around.

Samswed

We are also having a backyard wedding, cost has been ok...........but, think about the porta potty situation. We are renting very nice ones, they are 500 each. Tent cost was reasonable, we got a combo discount with Taylor Rental.

amygirl78

Don't forget Restrooms! It can be really overwhelming to your home's regular stystem if you add 100 guest's to the house.
Your probably going to need to get port a johns too.