Last week's blog featured 7 Tips for Planning an Outdoor Wedding. This week, our online wedding store has a few additional outdoor wedding planning tips for those of you that will be getting married in your own backyard. Between the two of these lists, you should have a lot of your outdoor event planning prepared for.
Add "Home Repairs" to the Top of the List
Since your home will be the site for your special day, you will want everything working the way it is supposed to. Home repairs can take time to complete and they are not the type of thing you want to be rushed to finish.
Add any necessary repairs to the top of your wedding planning checklist. Decide if the jobs are something you can tackle or something a professional should be hired for, and then add "dates to be completed" to that list so you stay on track.
Prepare Your Landscaping
If you want to decorate your backyard with fancy florals growing out of the ground, you'll need to find out when those need to be planted so that they bloom on your wedding date. Another option is to grow plants and flowers in pretty pots to be placed around the yard.
Pay attention to how your backyard handles rain. Fix any drainage problems that could leave the ground muddy or washed away if it rains a lot before the big day. While you're at it, make sure there are enough level areas for placing tables and chairs, a dance floor, etc...
Check Insurance Coverage
Double-check that your homeowners insurance covers this type of event. You may need to purchase some supplemental insurance to cover the wedding day, just in case. (It's always better to be safe than sorry!)
Have a Clean Up Plan
First of all, it's your special day, so make arrangements to have someone else stay late and take care of cleaning everything up after the wedding reception. Leave detailed instructions on what needs to go where.
Secondly, remember that you are going to have a lot more trash after an event like this than your regular weekly trash pickup handles. You may want to borrow extra trash cans for the wedding and arrange for your trash service to haul away the additional garbage.
Make Plans for Guests
If alcohol will be served at your wedding, you may have a guest or two that needs to leave their car overnight. Be prepared to have their vehicle moved to a safe spot if necessary.
Also, have a plan in place, such as a list of local taxi cabs or a rideshare app, that can get everyone back to where they are staying after the wedding. (As well as back to their car the next day too!)
Talk to Your Neighbors
The guests will be going home after your celebration, but you (or the friend or family member that let you get married in their backyard) have to live there. To keep the peace with neighbors, be sure to alert them about your wedding plans so they aren't surprised when a whole lot of new people are roaming around the neighborhood and loud, celebratory noises are coming from your backyard. You might even consider inviting the neighbors to join the fun at some point later in the evening for dancing, after all of the main "wedding stuff" is over.
Combining last week's 7 outdoor wedding tips with this week's 6 backyard wedding tips will be very helpful for planning the wedding you've been dreaming of. Another way to get ready for this very special day is to browse the pages of WhereBridesGo.com for beautiful, personalized wedding decorations and accessories. Together we can turn your backyard into a wedding venue that will be the envy of other couples!
~The WhereBridesGo.com Team
Post by Deanna Powell, Certified Bridal Consultant