Three Things To Include In Your Backyard Wedding Budget
My plan was never to have a backyard wedding at my house. But due to the pandemic and the uncertainty of everything, we canceled our original venue, cut our guest list in half and through a party in our yard.
I never wanted a backyard wedding because of the fact that its so much work! I don’t know why this category of wedding get slated as easy and casual. It’s not! Pretty much unless you hire a wedding planner, everything is on you to book, schedule and take care of. You don’t realize how many little things go into a wedding until you plan one.
But we did it! It still cost the same as our original wedding at a venue would have, but I can honestly say it was the best decision we were ever forced to make.
If you’re a bride who is brave enough to take this challenge on, I applaud you! Its a ton of work, but it is so gratifying to know that this event was the result of all the time and effort you put into it.
Whether you’re just looking into a backyard wedding as an option or you’ve already committed and want to make sure you’ve crossed you T;s and dotted your I’s, here’s a list of items you can’t forget to budget for! I’m including the costs with these too so you have an idea. For reference, my wedding was in Massachusetts and was in 2020.
Restrooms
Unless you have a massive house or a small guest list, you’ll probably want to look into getting a temporary toilet situation to place in the yard. You definitely don’t have to have typical porta-potties you see at concerts or construction sites. If you look around, some rental companies have some pretty impressive (and expensive) facilities you can rent!
I rented a unit that looked like this. The total cost was $1,150 for the weekend (shits expensive). And trust me, there were nicer options that were thousands of dollar more… Call around, ask for options and compare quotes! These are something I would book out 3-4 months in advance.
Tent, Table, Chairs and Linens Rental
This can typically be done through one company. Search for “event rentals” in your area. This is one of those items where you can make it as cheap or expensive as your taste and budget desires. You may also want to speak with your caterer to ask if they are providing plates and utensils, or if you should ask the event rental company about it. You can also rent a ton of different décor items from these types of companies.
For reference, I rented a tent to accommodated 75 people (we had 55 guests), 6 beautiful farmers table and matching chairs, and misc. linens. This grand total came to $2,158. This gave me some major sticker shock! If I had had more time to plan (I planned this COVID wedding in 6 weeks) I definitely would have shopped around more and compared pricing. But you know, I kind of just had to go with who was available on such short notice.
Day of Coordinator
Though not a necessity, I would highly recommend investing in this. Who wants to be running around on their wedding day making sure vendors are arriving and making sure everyone is where they need to be?!
I hired a day of coordinator for my own sanity, obviously. Planning a wedding in 2020 had already proved to be a stressful challenge and I wanted my wedding day to be stress free. We paid our coordinator $1,000 for the day, and she did a fine job. I recommend looking for one on your local Bride Facebook Groups! The cost of coordinators ranges wildly I found, so I would suggest asking for recommendations and including your budget in the post you’re not wasting your time or theirs!
These are three budget line items you don’t want to forget when planning a backyard wedding by yourself. As much work as it is, your backyard wedding will be so rewarding and memorable. Happy wedding planning!
