Whether Covid19 has you changing your plans or you just want to be simple, this blog should help ease your mind!
Planning a back yard wedding with guest, ceremony and even a reception is possible! The easy part is having a wedding, the hard part can be having a wedding that feels more elegant than a back yard party! How would one plan this? What steps would one take to accomplish the vibe they are going for?
While I may not have all the answers for you, I do have 5 helpful tips! Olivia and Aaron had a beautiful small wedding this past Spring. A wedding that had 300+ guest ready to party down before Covid19 happened. When Olivia found me and told me the predicament, I assured her to trust me. I started gathering up a few things for her and Aaron to look over as well as my welcome guide. After about a week we had a consultation call and went over the what if’s.
While the days passed and became weeks, the wedding moved from the church to the home. Olivia was still keeping her flowers and cake. Not knowing how to really hold a ceremony at a private home in a neighborhood, they were still excited to try and reluctantly happy for any advice. So, I was happy to jump in and help!
Most everything plays on details, details are what photographers focus on for couples to remember their special day! The following tips can help guide you in achieving your wedding dreams still!
Tip 1: Getting Ready Area
Whether it’s when getting ready with hair, makeup, getting in your dress or the guys putting on their ties- the space you use can be a big detail! When planning a wedding in a home, picking two rooms to get ready in is ideal. Even choosing one room for the bride is still a great tip. Cleaning the room(s) up can help mobility for everyone’s well as giving a clean, elegant touch to your photos! Olivia and Aaron took it seriously and it blew me away! They not only cleaned the rooms up but, the took the beds out for the extra space! Here are a few examples pre ceremony of everyone getting ready.
Tip 2: Ceremony
No matter how small your ceremony is the space you use can determine the vibe. This backyard patio was turned into a small elegant area keeping it simple. However, on glance you can’t really tell you have just stepped out your homes back door. Stressing about a space dressed down can always be dressed up. Working with your photographer and vendors can help bring your vision to life no matter how small.
Olivia and Aaron had such a small back yard at Olivia’s parents home in a suburb area, but that didn’t stop them. They spoke with me about my opinion for staging and their vendors for the decor. This leads to the next tip, details.
Tip 3: Details
Details can play a big part for photos and giving your guest and you all the feelings of a wedding. From the details of your wedding decor to the items photographed for your flat lay, can give you extra memories to look back on.
A big detail I love for smaller weddings (or any wedding/elopement) are capturing the bride and grooms rings, invitations, shoes and more. These are great to have to get creative for photographers and gives you extra images. Other details of flowers, a cake and such truly help those who can not attend see just how beautiful your day was.
Tip 4: Utilizing space
This comes at no surprise, but saving space creates more space to move. As Olivia and Aaron got done saying their “I do’s”, the family started moving the chairs back for the dance floor. Moving nothing but the chairs and the flowers on the patio, this created a warm welcoming setting for the first dance between the two newlyweds. It is as simple as that!
Tip 5: Portraits
Getting those Mr. and Mrs portraits is key for any wedding. It’s what it is all about! And having a beautiful background is desired by many couples. You want that elegant and magical look when all dressed up. How do you do that at your house? That is the tough question! Picking that simple location for portraits can help, maybe even setting up a small staged area with a backdrop and decor or even driving down the road a bit to a hidden location (or park)!
Olivia’s parents already had a beautiful home, so they have a few locations for backdrops. However, when driving down their street, I noticed the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom! I had an idea to give them just a small extra detail in the photos where they would have felt like they weren’t just at their house.
Trusting your photographer (and/or planner) is key! Your vendors are happy to help (especially during this time). But in general, when planning a backyard wedding it can be easy and less stressful.
Some wonderful vendors who made Olivia and Aarons day beautiful were:
Venue: Home in Louisville KY
Flowers: Studio Botanica- Cristy Beck
Dress: Rebecca’s Wedding Boutique
Cake: Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe
