Outdoor Weddings

backyard wedding concerns...(long sorry)

I've got a few concerns. I am planning the wedding/reception in my mom's backyard..its very big, open & flat...I have a couple of concerns though...so yes I am asking early. I don't want the neighbors houses' in the background of all my pictures. So...what would be a sort of cheap way to fix that...At the back of the yard, there is a woodline and that is where I plan to have set up like the front of the wedding. I thought of doing a fence down just one side of the yard and having all of the professional photos done from the other angle...but thats just too much trouble...what if thats not someones best side or something. Doing it on both sides will probably be way out of budget. What can you guys come up with for some possible other solutions...Oh..and I know I need to rent tents and chairs in case of rain...every state and area are different...I'm having trouble finding anything in my area that does it. How much in general is spent on the tent/chair rental (approx 150 guests...) The reception will not be formal or anything it will just have a dance floor and I will probably borrow tables and chairs from my church if I can (they usually do stuff like that) So those tables are just buffet style...sit where you want kind of affair. Should I rent two tents...one for the ceremony and one for the reception or will it be possible to change the set up quickly and add the tables while we are doing photos. This is long so I will stop now ☺ Thanks for your input!
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Re: backyard wedding concerns...(long sorry)

  • I have seen pictures of people who hung fabric as a way to section off views of things they didn't want, but for it to look nice it might cost a lot... Personally I like the idea of planting something that will grow really large, really quickly, and if you can make it work, hydrangea (sp?)will also provide lots of flowers.As for the tent, just use one.  You don't need the ceremony to be tented if it's not raining as long as you provide some shade in the form of doing it under trees, or keep it really really short.  FWIW I had a tented reception for 75 with tent, lights, tables - for guests, dj, guestbook, placecards, tall cocktail tables, chairs, all serving platters and utensitls, champagne glasses, wine glasses, coffee glasses, wine glasses, and ALL linen for $3300 more or less, that was in VT.
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  • I had thought of planting stuff..but I guess I'd need to research it to find out what things will grow in our area to provide a barrier kind of thing...My stepdad wants to plant trees along the border but they wont be big enough to provide any kind of border...its 2 years away so I have plenty of time...but this kind of thing is something that needs to be thought of ahead...I guess this is just something that is going to take extra time and planning...lucky me?! Sometimes I just want to say forget it all lets go to the courthouse or elope or something lol...but then..I don't get to have my big day that I always wanted..so I decide against it ☺ My whole budget is $5000 unless my Mary Kay business takes off and does a lot better than it has been and I begin to make money doing it. So at 5000, I don't know how I'm going to pull it all off...we'll just cross our fingers, take extra time to research and plan and hope all goes well I guess! Thanks ladies...
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  • I'm thinking this will vary in each locale but we're paying .99/ea for chairs plus $75 delivery charge.  The tents are EXPENSIVE. The cheapest we found was $350 for a 20'x20' which covers about 5 60" round tables.  When I told them we have 23 tables (175 guests) he said we'd need the HUGE tent which was $1,000 plus the site would have to have an inspection and fire permit! Luckily, we live in AZ and the precipitation for the last 5 years has been .08 inches and has never rained on the 23rd (or that week). So I've decided to forgo the tent idea entirely and just pray that the one day it rains in October will not be my wedding day. I'm praying as we speak.
  • Unless you are working with a GIANT back yard, two tents might be a bit much to squeeze in (and even harder to squeeze into your budget.) I would go with just one. If its not rainy, you might even consider doing the ceremony out of the tent and have the reception ready to go in the tent (if its rainy, people will be understanding of the shuffle if you need to change seating, plus therell probably be fewer people if it is a rainy day, making the transition fairly easy.) I like the idea of planting tall, large plants (check with a green thumb to find out what will be big and blooming for your date) Hollyhocks, lilacs, bamboo and pampas grass are all good options too. look at some chuppas and archways to get inspired for easier backgrounds. You could create a large archway for formal pictures and to block out some of the neighbors for candid pics. If you're having a tent, many of them come with optional sides (maybe you could have atleast one side on the tent and have that block out one of the neighbor's houses. I've also seen people do some pretty amazing decorating with fabric (tulle, satiny, textured, etc). If there are any posts in the yard, off of the tent or even to run a line from the house to the treeline that envelopes your celebration in elegant fabric that coordinates with your colors would all work. If your reception goes until after dark, be sure to ask the photographer to stick around (that way you will be sure to have plenty of pics where the background cant really be seen and will make the people in the pictures seem even more vibrant/eyecatching! Good Luck - and dont worry too much about the background everyone else will be focused on your day & if you let your photographer know your concerns, then they can help a lot with strategic angles!
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