How to Prepare Your Backyard for a Fall Wedding Reception
A backyard wedding is sentimental, intimate, and cost-effective, so if you’re thinking of having one, you will enjoy all of that. You also don’t have to go to the trouble of waiting until a date becomes available at a venue of your choice, as your home is always available. If you’re thinking of having your wedding reception in your backyard, read on to see how you can prepare and decorate for it.
Do a Test-Run
Before the big day, and way before the pressure sets in, do a test-run of the wedding. You could have a regular, laid-back rehearsal, making sure that everyone in the wedding party knows where to stand and what to do. Look at your wedding gown, and get the opinions of your close friends and family, all the people who matter to you.
If possible, have them take photos of you in the dress on their phones and look at them. Remember that if there’s anything you don’t like about the dress or setup, as this is the only time you can change it. Don’t be part of the 30% of brides who have said that, after looking at their wedding photos, they would have gotten a different dress from the one they settled for.
Determine the Focal Point
An important thing to think about when decorating your backyard for a fall wedding is where and what the focal point will be. This is where most of the activity by the bridal party will take place, so it’s important to plan it out well. Depending on the terrain, decide where you want your guests to stand or sit. Highlight the ‘stage’ where the ceremony will take place with anything from DIY floral arrangements to modern installations.
Plan a Cocktail Hour
A cocktail hour will be great for giving your guests time to mingle and interact, so have a bar set up for this. You can hire the services of a professional team, and decide whether you will have an open bar or not. Note that out of the people who take alcohol, 41% of them say that beer is their favorite alcoholic beverage. With this in mind, it’s good to have something for everyone!
Rent Extra Restrooms
Unless your home is fairly big and you plan on inviting a small number of guests, consider renting mobile restrooms. These should be placed in a spot that’s going to be easy enough to find and at the same time not somewhere where they will be in the line of the photographers’ lenses. Work with a professional company to make sure you have enough restrooms, that they get there in good time, and that they are well-maintained.
Notify Your Neighbors
Let your neighbors know about your plans about a month or two in advance so they can plan accordingly. Give them a written schedule of the event if you have one on hand when notifying them, and also give them the contact of someone they can reach in case they have issues on the day of the wedding.
Make sure you know of any permits, noise ordinances, and fire codes so you can plan accordingly. With 10.4 million residential swimming pools in America according to the Association of Pools and Spa Professionals, you should also take the necessary pool covering precautions. This is because there will be many people on the compound, some of who don’t know the layout of your yard well.
Planning a wedding reception in your backyard, if well done, might be the best thing you do. The familiarity of your home and all the special memories made there will make your day even more special!
