Back yard wedding

maggiemozley1234

Hey all its been a long time since I planned a wedding and a lot has changed apparently lol. We've both been married before and both have grown children and after 2 years of being together are planning a back yard wedding with a simple Hawaiian theme. Any thoughts or suggestion?

ellie63

How large is your guest list? Will you be renting tables and chairs, a tent, etc.? If it's very big you'll need to consider porta potties and parking. Will you have it catered and have people hired to serve? Many people believe that if you have to rent a lot of stuff then it's cheaper and easier to go with a venue that has it all. I wanted a simple and small backyard wedding myself, so I know how you feel, but when we ended up setting a January date we had to think differently! Give more info and ladies will gladly jump in with suggestions! Good luck!

2dBride

Don't worry too much about the ways weddings have changed.  Just because the average wedding has changed doesn't mean that you have to change anything that is meaningful to you.

A backyard wedding can work with a very small guest list.  But the PP is right--it is really easy to pay more for rentals than you would have paid for a venue, if your guest list is at all large.  You'll just need to run some numbers both ways to figure it out.

As for advice, just go with the kind of party you and your FI enjoy, and stay within your means, and you'll be fine.  Couples getting married often get hung up on duplicating everything they have seen in the movies or on television.  But so long as the two of you look happy, and your guests have enough to eat and drink, no one will mind if you skip a lot of the stuff the wedding industry would like you to believe you "have" to have.

Oh, and for specific Hawaiian stuff, you might check out Oriental Trading.

maggiemozley1234

Thx girls! We have a good size yard so we figured on about 100 ppl. I've already looked into rental stuff vs a hall and for us it does appear to be a lot cheaper! We are looking into BBQ catering since we don't want all the fancy stuff. Thx again for any thoughts and suggestions

sbradke

I have to say that I was at a backyard wedding of about 100 people recently and I hated it. There were biting bugs despite the hosts having had the yard sprayed twice.  There was no breeze under the tent. Some of the lawn was mucky and your shoes sank. Using a porta potty isn't anyone's idea of fun.

So while they sound nice and casual and fun, my experience was the opposite. 

angelabuck1168

Ha to the OP...you sound like my Fiance and myself.  this will be his 4th marriage, my 3rd.  We plan on doing a backyard reception as well.  with anywhere from 50-100 guests.  Ordering BBQ and having tubs of soft drinks, beer and pitchers of sangria. 

Remember, it's not your guests big day...It's YOURS and HIS.  (I've already told one person who said "ewww yeah but a back yard wedding?" that if they were wiling to cough up the money for a wedding site, and the additional costs...get on it.  And we would have the party there.  Needless to say, that response spread like wild fire, and no one has boohood' the back yard wedding.

beth34608

We had a backyard wedding 7-7-12. We are both 47 years old, my second marriage (widow), and his first. We had about 80 people. It rained and we didn't have a tent, we just waited out the rain, and it was great! Just do what you and your FI want, and enjoy the time; it goes by so fast. I wore a gown, and he wore a suit, but we told guests to wear hawaiian shirts, and casual clothes. We wanted everyone to be comfortable. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We also had tiki torches that were a big hit.

outcomegirl07

Hello Everyone and thanks for having me I have lots of problems already we have about 200 people that would want to come and I hate I do mean Hate PP's they are dirty and unclean and gross ... My FI wants what he calls real food and real drinks and want a so called real party.... Whatever that means ..... Help Help Help   

Kritrey

I am also planning a backyard BBQ reception in the backyard for about 80 people this coming October. We also plan to keep it casual and relaxed. I have a BBQ company who will bring the cooker to the site and will rent tables/chairs. Since its BBQ we can get away with something like Chinet plates and plastic silverware. We both would rather spend the extra money on the honeymoon.  Hopefully it turns out as well as it sounds like yours did.


n Response to Re: Back yard wedding:
[QUOTE]We had fifty guests in our own backyard.  Invited everyone to a "backyard barbecue in celebration of our marriage" with SHOES OPTIONAL at the bottom. I wore a wedding gown, he wore a silk suit, and everyone else was in whatever they wished. Table and chair rental - $200 BBQ from local restaurant - just under 500 Drinks in iced party tubs - $85 partyware from Party City and tiki torches - $80 Whole thing cost less than a grand, and it was a blast.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]

Viczaesar

Kritrey, this thread is from a year ago.