5 Genius Backyard Wedding Hacks That Make All the Difference on Your Wedding Day
Montana Dennis Photography
Backyard weddings can be tricky (and there is a lot more to it than you think) but we have some ideas that will make your backyard wedding a success without breaking the bank!
Montana Dennis Photography
Restrict House Access
When you are inviting more than 50 guests to your home, crowd control is a MUST! We highly recommend restricting indoor access to vendors and bridal party only. This will be a private space for prepping food, keeping decor boxes, storing refills, hiding emergency kits & personal items, etc. Think of it as the kitchen in a restaurant. It is a work area and there needs to be a space for that where the guests will not be hanging out. This is especially important for larger parties when you don’t know all the guests and you don’t feel that you would trust them to be in your house without supervision. Keep them outside, because that is where the party is! Hire security if you have to.
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2. Utilize Balconies & Side Yards
Spatial logistics is important for the flow of your event, because you don’t want a crowd by the pool (we don’t want anyone falling in) and/or too much crowding by the bar because you didn’t provide space for a line. A wedding planner with experience can help you create a layout customized for your backyard. Our team always recommends the guest enter via a side yard where there should be welcome signs and guest book, etc. Don’t forget to lock the front door, and put the catering stations on the opposite side of the house so they have load in access too, but it is NOT the same as the guests. Then, we put the bar toward the back of the space, or between the cocktail and reception spaces, if possible, to draw guests to move through the space and not crowd at the entrance. One time, we even put a DJ on a balcony to save space! Every yard is different!
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3. Inform Your Neighbors
Be respectful of your neighbors because there is nothing more nerve-wracking than seeing the police show up uninvited to shut down your party. We always recommend notifying your neighborhood in advance with a cute flyer (and a little treat attached for good will) so they will not be surprised by the noise and so they will be assured that the noise will be ending at the proper time. Be sure to look up the noise ordinances for your city so you know what time to schedule the end of your event. Or, if there’s room, invite them over to party too! Maybe you will make friends with a neighbor who has a few parking spots you can borrow, or a place to put some patio furniture temporarily. You can also make their invitation for a later time so they are only joining in for post-dinner dancing. It works! They will love it and it’s a great way to get to know your neighbors!
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4. Spread the Power
You definitely don’t want the power to go out when you are in the middle of a rocking dance party! It is always important to spread the power around. Do NOT have your DJ plug into the same circuit as your lighting. Use a long extension cord if needed, place powered items far apart, or rent a generator to power the backyard lighting independently (placed at a distance). Coffee makers pull a lot of power too and are the usual power outage suspects in our experience. Also, make sure all your vendors know where the fuse box is! Just in case! We have seen it happen!
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5. Get More Toilets
You heard us! When there are 100 guests drinking, you will need a lot more than your house can offer in the way of toilets. We recommend one toilet per 50 guests. You do NOT want them to be using your house toilets because they will be flushing constantly, and one clogged toilet can create a nightmare for you and your guests. There are beautiful, well-lit, fancy, carpeted toilets that you can rent and place on your driveway for guests to use all night and some even include music! Trust us when we say it will be worth it!
We hope these tips mad you think about how to structure your backyard event and we wish you only the best in your wedding planning experience! Don’t forget to download our free interactive wedding checklist on our website!