Many people assume that garden weddings are for people who have a mega wedding budget. The reason being that everything from permits to the decoration and entertainment costs a bit more. Then you also need to pay extra to keep guests shielded from the elements. That being said there are a number of things that can be done to house a large number of guests in your backyard and not pay top dollar for anything. As a matter of fact backyard weddings can be pretty frugal.
Opt for your garden as opposed to a public park
Getting a spot at a public park to get married may cost less than most banquet halls but the fact remains that you still need to pay money and all without the benefits of what banquet halls offer. For instance, the park authorities will require that you clean up the area after the ceremony ends, they will also dictate when the ceremony ends and you will be liable to pay for any damage. This means that you’ll need to hire a few people to clean up the place, then make sure that kids do not run around the park and damage stuff and end your wedding before the park closes. This is a lot of hassle for a wedding that can easily be planned in your own garden. If you do not have a garden then opt for the garden of a family member or a friend. Generally speaking you’ll need a square foot of space for each guest at your wedding on average.
Hire a large tent to cover the entire garden
Hiring a tent will not cost you more than $50 for the entire day. Depending on the size of your garden covering the entire garden with one tent will work out to be cheaper than using more than one tent to cover different segments. Ideally, you’ll want to hire a waterproof tent if you expect that the wedding celebrations will be headed into the night when dew and light rain is usually expected.
Have the ceremony in the house with people seated outside
The cheapest way to get married is at the church but with long waiting lists this can be a challenge for couples who want to get married fast. If the garden is small open up the doors to the home, setup the aisle along the garden leading to the open doors. The stage can be set inside so that you’re maximizing the seating space outside. You will need flowers, a stage, carpet and the lights inside should suffice. Arrange it so that people sitting outside preferably in lower light than inside can view the proceedings easily.
Turn on regular garden lights with filters instead of special lighting
Many garden wedding ideas call on people to hire or buy special lighting. However, since many gardens already have lighting all you need to do is to make it more beautiful. Take a few sheets of transparent blue and yellow plastic. Then wrap the plastic around every garden light and secure it with sticky tape. This will help present a more romantic multi-colored lighting effect, which will look great in photos. Total cost is around $10.
Borrow and not rent seats
Many of us have a dozen or so garden seats in our home that are not being used all the time. If you are expecting around 50 guests you can easily borrow seats from neighbors and friends, just for the ceremony. The seats can then be covered with decorative cloth so that they all look the same, and not out of place. However, if you do have an extra $100 to spare hiring seats and tables for your garden wedding is highly recommended.
Get quotes from celebrants
Wedding celebrants tend to be busy and expensive during the wedding season which is usually in the summer and spring. However, you can save money and bargain if you decide to get married in winter. This will help you save around $200 off what you’ll otherwise pay a celebrant. Modern Weddings recommends not booking a celebrant’s service in advance if you’re getting married during the off season because you can end up paying more but if you are getting married during the wedding season then booking in advance will help you save money.
Manu Alias has been in the wedding planning industry for over a decade. He has arranged more than his fair share of garden weddings for people who were on a tight budget. His garden wedding ideas are often unconventional but end up helping people save a lot.
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