Decorating a backyard for a wedding can sometimes be a challenge. At a traditional wedding venue, you generally have a certain amount of things to work with which are missing in the average back yard.
But don’t worry! Take time to plan the decorations and your back yard can look every bit as lovely as the most beautiful fairytale wedding venue in the country!
Table Decorations
There is not reason that the table decorations for a backyard wedding should be any different from those at a traditional wedding with a buffet dinner. Lay out the cloths, and secure them with decorated pegs or wire clips. Add swags to the fronts of the tables if you like.
Decorate the table with a centerpiece as for any other wedding, and add glitter sequin sprinkles etc as normal. Everything should be cream or white, to match the bride’s main color, accented with the same color as she has chosen for her flowers, bridesmaids etc.
Set aside a separate table for wedding favors, or have these on an indoor table. You can decorate this table to match the main décor. Make sure the tables are level, using a spirit level, and that the legs aren’t going to sink into the ground.
Balloons
Balloons are a must for wedding decoration. You can get such beautiful ones nowadays, with wedding bells and greetings printed onto them. Use normal balloons grouped together in threes to decorate high-up areas, and helium balloons with ribbon attached to weights for odd corners.
Seating
Seating at a backyard wedding can be as beautiful as at a sit-down indoor venue. Cover the chairs with slip covers in cream or the bride’s accent color. These can be hired, or run up on a machine by a local seamstress. Using these means that you can use any chairs that you own or can beg or borrow, whether they match or not.
Tie each chair with a colored ribbon.
Wedding Arch
You can use an existing arch that you have in your backyard, or buy a simple wire arch quite cheaply. This can be decorated with faux or real greenery and flowers to match the bridal bouquet.
Cake Table
I suggest that the cake table is kept inside, unless you are sure of the weather, and have a hard level surface, such as concrete, on which you can stand the table. Make sure the it is placed in front of something beautiful so that the photographs come out well. It would be no good having photos of the bride and groom cutting the cake with Uncle Johnny and his video camera reflected in the window behind!
Marquee
If your back yard is large enough, you can put up a marquee for the reception. Decorate this will lots of balloons and curls of florists ribbon. The balloon shop should sell you ribbon in rolls – you’ll be using a lot of it! Curl the ribbon with the blade of a pair of scissors.
If you can afford it, buy some colored netting to hang around the walls of the marquee. Ready-made voile curtains are great for this, although you will need a lot. They aren’t expensive, and can be taken down carefully and sold on or used at another party.
Taking time to plan your back-yard wedding decorations will really pay dividends. Don’t start by thinking what you can’t have. Think firstly about what your ideal decorations would be, and just do it!
Good luck!
