Backyard Weddings

For those of you who don’t know, I help friends out with their wedding planning. Wedding planning/coordinating is really project management in disguise with an additional ounce of happy emotions and at times can turn into a very heated discussion when you involve too many parties (aka inlaws).

As I talk to more people who are thinking about getting married I am seeing a shift from hotel weddings in really nice venues to backyard weddings. The reason: cost. I hear complaints about costs and the fact that couples don’t want to throw $20K to a wedding. I’m not sure if it’s one of those things where they think they will break up later but more of that they are trying to save money during these times.

I rarely hear about destination weddings anymore. Vegas weddings are great for a quick elopement. But if you want your family there, the next step is to have that backyard wedding. It can be a little cheaper. I’m not saying 50% cheaper but definitely 25% cheaper. Again it all depends on what you are looking for in the end.

Here are some key things to think about:

1. Catering it yourself is not cheaper. Catering businesses are skilled in knowing how much food to buy for people. If you cater it yourself, there’s a good chance of buying too much food (I know you want to please people).
2. Tables, chairs, linens, oh my! Renting this equipment isn’t cheap. You might also find that it’s cheaper to buy the equipment than to rent. If you’re really organized and have access to wholesalers, you can buy and resale the equipment. Generally, these are items that are included with hotel weddings.
3. Parking can be a hassle. I attended a home event where they hired a valet service to handle the cars. I highly recommend this because these companies have insurance. Hiring your nieces, nephews, and cousins can be dangerous.

Good luck with your planning!