You’ve gone back and forth trying to determine the best venue for your magical day. A church? A garden? The beach? Maybe a destination wedding? Suddenly, it dawns on you. The perfect place to host all of your family and friends and celebrate your love is at home, in your very own backyard. They say there’s no place like it, after all.
If you’ve decided on having a backyard wedding, that’s great news! There are so many different ways to transform your yard into the perfect space without sacrificing your personal comfort. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our Backyard Wedding Checklist! Here are the must-have things to consider when planning your special day.
Is Your Backyard Suitable?
First thing’s first. Is your backyard a suitable place to host a wedding? Is it large enough to accommodate your guests, tables, tents, and any other additional pieces? Do you have a back-up in the event it rains on your wedding day? These are all things to consider before committing to a backyard wedding.
Parking
Where will your guests park? Is there a nearby lot? Will they have to park on the street or pay to park elsewhere? Ensure your guests are aware of the parking situation before they arrive.
Permits
Do you require any permits for your big day if you’re hosting it on your own property? Make sure you look into the legal side of things before you get too far ahead in the planning process.
Noise restrictions
Does your city have noise restrictions? Are the police going to show up after receiving a noise complaint and ask you to shut down your reception? To avoid having those unwanted party crashers, be sure to look into any noise restrictions and alert your neighbours prior to your big day.
Renting chairs, tables, and more
If you don’t have it, rent it. There’s no need to purchase 100 sets of cutlery or an unfathomable amount of chairs if you have no use for them after the event. Renting cutlery, chairs, tables, lighting, and everything else you need on your big day is a convenient way to ensure you have everything you want, without having the responsibility of setting it up or taking it down and cleaning it up.
Toilets
Are guests invited to use your bathrooms or will you need to rent a Porta-John? Do you have enough toilets indoors to accommodate guests? Are there separate washrooms for men and ladies? Give it some thought – bathroom business is serious business.
Rain or Shine
After all of the planning you’ve put into your big day, you can’t afford to have unpredictable weather ruin your event! Ensure you have a backup plan in the event it rains on your special day. Renting a canopy or a tent is a cost-effective and convenient way to guarantee your event goes on, rain or shine!
Invite your catering company over to see your kitchen space
Prior to your big day, it’ll be important to have your catering company over to scope out your kitchen. They’ll be able to see the size of space they have to work with, as well as determine if they need to bring additional storage for the food.
Garbage
Where is your garbage going after the event is over? Arranging for a second garback pick-up day might be something to consider, unless you’re planning on making your way to your nearest dump.
Taxi services
Are your guests spending the night? If not, leave a list of taxi services in a readily available area so you can rest easy knowing your guests will get home safely. After all, hosting an event on your property leaves you liable if anyone drinks and drives and causes an accident.
Point person
Appointing someone as your ‘go-to’ on your special day is the perfect way to ensure one person is in-the-know at all times. Have catering and rental companies dealing with the same person throughout the day to answer any questions and keep the stress off the soon-to-be newlyweds.
Are you wired?
Do you have hook-ups in the backyard for lighting, music, an anything else that might require electricity? If not, look into some alternative options or see if your events company can offer suggestions.
Sprucing up the yard
If you plan on taking pictures in your backyard before, after, or during the event, you’ll want to ensure it’s picture-perfect. Have someone come and prune your gardens and do some additional landscaping to get it camera-ready.
Insect Repellant
Depending on the time of year and if you have any ponds in your backyard, you may want to arm your guests with insect repellant for the big day.
This is our backyard wedding checklist. Did we miss anything? Let us know by posting a comment below!
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