EDIT: Need Backyard wedding checklist

ok now we're thinking of having a small reception in a backyard but not a big elaborate reception. something catered but not wedding quality food.. good food though.. so my questions are.. how much is a dance floor to rent? and if you arent having a ceremony, how much would you spend on flowers and decorations? i want it to look nice but be cheap. we're trying not to spend much money since we're gonna plan this europe trip for a month later or so.. (2 weeks england, ireland, czech republic, germany, france woohoo) thanks for any help guys. xo

ETA: please help with a checklist we need so we can see how much this thing will really cost

Message edited 10/18/2006 2:24:21 PM.

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I think that if you want to keep the cost down that you should do DIY flowers and centerpieces. You can def buy flowers wholesale and make gorgeous centerpieces and bouquets. I don't necessarily think you would need to rent a dance floor, just clear out a space in the grass and people will get up to dance. It might be fun too, I would love to kick off my shoes and dance on the grass.
Maybe if you are doing it at night you could get some cheap lanterns or even just some white christmas lights to hang around and create some ambiance.

HTH and I think a backyard wedding is a fabulous and fun idea!!!! Def taking the money to go to Europe is amazing. Wish I could take that kind of time off from school. Good luck with the planning!!!

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

a backyard wedding lends itself to things like....

decorating with landscaping. you can plant and grow your own flowers... i don't mean for bouquets, more for "decorations"

christmas lights can be found real cheap right after christmas.

you can also look at stores like ikea for things like japanese paper lanterns, candles, lanterns and such.

a dance floor isn't cheap.... my wedding was partially outdoors and we didn't use a dancefloor. maybe there is an area in the backyard that's already paved, you can use that.

another good thing about a backyard reception, you can start decorating whenever you want, this way you don't have to hire someone to do it while you're getting dressed.

there area a lot of caterers who will bring and even serve the food at your place for a lot less money than a "wedding". you can also buy your own alcohol... which can save you a truck-load of money. you don't even need a bartender. you can have beer and wine set up in "party buckets" this way people can serve themselves.

hth

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by XFINALLYX

ok now we're thinking of having a small reception in a backyard but not a big elaborate reception. something catered but not wedding quality food.. good food though.. so my questions are.. how much is a dance floor to rent? and if you arent having a ceremony, how much would you spend on flowers and decorations? i want it to look nice but be cheap. we're trying not to spend much money since we're gonna plan this europe trip for a month later or so.. (2 weeks england, ireland, czech republic, germany, france woohoo) thanks for any help guys. xo

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I believe dance floors run $2-3 per square foot. Just call up a rental comapny and ask..they;ll give you a quote over the phone! HTH

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

oOOH...I looove that wedding. She was so creative...and everything was gorgeous! What great inspiration!!

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

i absolutely love her wedding but looking at everything she wrote she did, it looks like its gonna cost me too much money :-/

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

oh another thing, how much is it to get an officient to come to your place?

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

Just one thing to keep in mind -- Check your town's regulations for noise, etc. and get a permit if you need to. Make sure your DJ / band stays within the regulations and that you finish up early enough to comply.

I think a backyard wedding could be BEAUTIFUL!

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by XFINALLYX

i absolutely love her wedding but looking at everything she wrote she did, it looks like its gonna cost me too much money :-/

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by XFINALLYX

oh another thing, how much is it to get an officient to come to your place?

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

theres gonna be like 50 people invited. i know i dont have to do everything but when i see backyard weddings i think of these gorgeous events and if im cheating out on a hall, then i want that but i just hate my financial situation right now. :( i cant stop crying ughh

how much is a marriage liscense?

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by XFINALLYX

theres gonna be like 50 people invited. i know i dont have to do everything but when i see backyard weddings i think of these gorgeous events and if im cheating out on a hall, then i want that but i just hate my financial situation right now. :( i cant stop crying ughh

how much is a marriage liscense?

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I originally thought of doing my wedding at my house. But it would have cost more than a hall

- landscape the whole yard (it cannot look messy!!!). Even it you don't do "extremes", you still have to make immaculate (landscaper, shrubbs, plants, flowers, etc..)
- Rental of tables, chairs and linen
- Rental of tent + lighting
- Rental of plates and silverware.
- Dance floor
- Catering: food + beverages
- Waiting staff

That's not even counting on the inside of the house.

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I don't know the prices, but a friend of mine recently did this at a friends house to keep costs down. They didn't rent a dance floor - they used the deck. They ordered food from a local restaurant and had a buffet style dinner. Everything came out very beautiful. If you want to see pictures, FM me and I can send them to you.

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

don't forget porta potties! i dont think you want all those people in and out of your house ( unless you are comfortable with that)

you can rent china and silverware BUT if you dont want to they have awesome stuff out now that is really strong and still disposable!

and be VERY aware of wind - i know it sounds silly but i went to an outdoor wedding once with petals on all thetables. . .they flew off in like the first five minutes! plus make sure all your table cloths are secure. . .

ETA: where you order your food from will come and set up but maybe find some teenagers to actually serve it to everyone - make them wear like black shirts and black pants. . . and ask one of your friends to keep an eye on them to make sure they do their job. . . you shouldnt have to pay them too much. . .

Message edited 10/18/2006 12:49:07 PM.

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

thanks guys!!

what is a list you think of what i need to get done for a backyard wedding?

i figured

tent
chairs
tables
linen
centerpieces
china
glasses
flatware
some sort of lighting (we might have it on a saturday day though)
dance floor
dj
caterer

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by XFINALLYX

thanks guys!!

what is a list you think of what i need to get done for a backyard wedding?

i figured

tent
chairs
tables
linen
centerpieces
china
glasses
flatware
some sort of lighting (we might have it on a saturday day though)
dance floor
dj
caterer

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

We had a backyard wedding and reception for 90 people, I didn't even think to ask the town - or anyone for that matter about ordinances or power lines or parking.

A long as your music is turned down after 11pm - you shouldn't have any problems. Unless your event will be in a gated community or something like that. The police were called to the house during my reception but they came because someone called and they are required to come. All they said was turn the music down after 11 and have fun.

Parking - we were lucky in that the street the home was on is wide and no one really parks on the street in that area. We didn't talk to any of the neighbors before hand about the party - but you could do that. Leave a letter in everyone's mailbox as an FYI.

Message edited 10/18/2006 1:16:14 PM.

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

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Posted by oOMarshmallowOo

beautiful backyard wedding

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Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I looked a little bit into doing it like this, but it was gonna work out to be almost the cost of the lower end places that we looked at, and then I had to do sooooo much more work. We did hire 2 teenagers, for 5 hrs, we gave them each $100 which worked out to be $20 an hour each no so bad, and they served and kept up with trash.. it worked out well. As for the porta potty issue, we had 90 people at our e-party all using 1 bathroom in my house(with cespools) and we had no problems, I did price them out and it was over $1,000 just for one decent toliet and sink. good luck!!

Re: ok.. need more help.. backyard wedding people please read and others

I paid $700 for 2 "VIP porta potties".

I would say they were a step up from the "construction site" version.

Message edited 10/18/2006 1:28:00 PM.

Re: EDIT: Need Backyard wedding checklist

bump

Re: EDIT: Need Backyard wedding checklist

The dance floors I were quoted were between 1.4 and 1.7 per square foot. For the 15x16 that I wanted it came to roughly between 360 and 400.

Re: EDIT: Need Backyard wedding checklist

I'll bump a thread I started about tented weddings.

I got lots of helpful tips from the girls here.

Here's the link just in case.