What’s not to love about a backyard wedding? They’re intimate, convenient, and—perhaps best of all—often a budget-friendly (if not free) venue. But before you write off a backyard wedding as an overly casual affair that welcomes a rustic vibe only, know that there are endless backyard wedding ideas to transform it into anything you want it to be. After all, there is no place like home.
"For us, it was all about sharing our home with our family and friends, and inviting them into this day with us," says wedding planner Alicia Fritz of her own wedding. "Our guest list was very diverse. We wanted to bring the level of comfort and familiarity to a group that was unfamiliar with each other, and we thought there is nothing better to break down barriers or ingratiate our guests than inviting them to our home."
Meet the Expert
Alicia Fritz is the founder of A Day in May, a luxury event planning company. She has been planning, designing, and producing weddings for over a decade, including her very own at-home backyard nuptials.
Fritz says the freedom to get creative is one of the greatest advantages of a backyard wedding. "Aside from our own wedding, A Day in May Events is often working with blank canvases, like an empty and sprawling lawn or landscape, to transform into a wedding venue," she says. "The ability to build the venue the way you want it, or envision it, is a gift."So let your creativity run wild with inspiration.
From a wild organic feel to a classy tented reception, these 40 fresh backyard wedding ideas prove that an at-home wedding doesn’t have to be laid-back.
How to Host Your Wedding at Home
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Create a Chill Lounge Area
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Pair airy, wicker accents with light furniture and tons of lush greenery for an elegant, summer vibe. Bringing the indoors out in the form of a luxe lounge area will elevate any co*cktail hour or reception, and it can easily be achieved with outdoor furniture you already own or by creatively repurposing indoor furniture. You can even cluster mismatched furniture in various textures or tones for a more eclectic take.
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Have a Rain Plan
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"While we all hope for sunny weather it’s not always the case," says Fritz. "Make sure you have a rain plan first, before you have your sunshine plan. This will help you mentally prepare for any disappointing weather on the day of the celebration, but it will also help you critically think through what to do if it rains and how you will keep your guests and vendor teams comfortable, safe, and dry." For many outdoor at-home nuptials, this means having a tented area preplanned just in case.
"Be realistic about the space that you have in your backyard," advises Fritz. "If you need a tent due to a rain plan (or your design vision), make sure your guest list marries with your tent size."
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Use the Front Yard, Too
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If your property has a large front and back yard, consider using each space for a separate portion of the wedding. At this Greenwich home, the ceremony took place in the front yard. Then, guests transitioned to the back where a beautiful reception was ready to take place.
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Be Flexible With Your Setup
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Your family backyard likely was not designed to be a wedding venue. So, you might have to get a bit creative with the ceremony or reception layout based on your guest count. At this ceremony, the couple decided to centralize a podium and place seats on all sides to make use of available space.
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Illuminate With String Lights
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"Chances are your home is not equipped with glamorous outdoor lighting to really make the property shine," says Fritz. "You don’t have to break the bank on lighting if it’s not in the budget, but making certain you create the mood and set the scene is critical for creating an ambiance." It's simple to create a welcoming display with very little effort or cost. Illuminate an al fresco dinner setting with a few overhead bistro lights or wrap them around the beams of a tent to highlight the structural grandeur.
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Elevate the Entrance
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Make a grand entrance for a tented backyard reception with curtains elegantly pulled back by foliage and accented with topiaries and candles. If you choose to have a tent for your reception, drapes can easily be attached and pulled back to create an inviting entryway.
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Take in Your Surroundings
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Take full advantage of the natural splendor around you by modeling your décor after the surrounding landscape. This beautiful ceremony setup at a mid-century modern home was designed to take in the incredible view.
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Make a Theme
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A home can be a neutral base to whatever design dreams you have for your wedding. At this chic wedding, metallic décor elements were brought in to create a glam theme to the celebration.
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Get Ready in Your Childhood Bedroom
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Nostalgic touches like getting ready with your wedding party in your childhood bedroom can add a sentimental feel to your wedding day.
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Transform Your Pool
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Transform your pool into the visual focal point of your wedding. During the ceremony, a makeshift walkway can serve as the aisle. Afterward, it can double as the entrance to your reception. You can also go full glam and have a dance floor built over the pool.
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Turn a Patio Into a Dance Floor
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If your backyard has a patio, there's no need to create a special setup. Just arrange your seating to allow for an open area to dance with family and friends.
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Use Plants for Your Centerpiece
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Potted flowerless plants mimic the shrubbery of a backyard and make for stunning centerpieces. Cluster a few plants, baby fruit-bearing trees, and herbs from a local garden store for a visual masterpiece that will smell just as good as it looks. Bonus: The plants can live on as landscaping for the backyard instead of meeting a quick demise.
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Drape Some Greenery
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Tents have the perfect structure for soaring decor. Take advantage by creating a whimsical canopy of draped fabrics and lush, interwoven greenery for added softness and intimacy. Keep the rest of the color palette neutral to allow the exquisite ceiling decor to shine.
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Tie the Knot in a Field
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For couples with family homes on farmland, find a beautiful spot in a field full of grasses and wildflowers to say "I do." The natural terrain creates a beautiful backdrop for your vows.
75 Unique Wedding Ideas to Wow Your Guests
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Use Indoor Furniture for Your Décor
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No need for excessive rentals for a wedding at home. You can make use of some furniture from indoors to complete your wedding design. For example, this wedding used bookcases to create an escort card display with table numbers in glassware.
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Host a Beach Wedding
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A family beach house can be the perfect venue for an intimate celebration. Make the most of the ocean view and set up décor to fit with the coastal ambiance.
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Use Greenery From the Grounds
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Need some accents in your décor? Look to what's already growing on the property. Small leaves make a big statement in a simple place setting, bringing the backyard straight to the table. You can also use fresh herbs like sprigs of rosemary for an artisanal flair that hints at the culinary delights to come.
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Host a Dinner Party Wedding
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The dinner party wedding is a popular trend for nuptials with a smaller guest count. These can perfectly be styled in a smaller backyard, with extra investments in décor, food, and possibly a unique bar addition.
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Take Advantage of Beautiful Foliage
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Let nature work its magic and highlight beautiful foliage in your backyard. Uplighting and lanterns can bring drama to the branches and create a unique focal point in your design.
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Decorate the Front Porch
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A lush garland with florals and greenery can create a stunning entrance to your home. This front porch not only welcomed guests, but also served as an excellent location for photos.
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Find Every Opportunity for Decoration
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Bring florals throughout the grounds of your property to bring a dreamy feel to the entire home. Pillars and staircases are prime spots to wrap a garland.
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Line the Aisle With Florals
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Florals along the aisle are a stunning way to beautify your ceremony space. Your backyard lawn will instantly be elevated with this accent.
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Set Up Banquet Tables
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Backyard weddings are all about family and friends that have become family. Your seated dinner reception should celebrate that by bringing everyone together, family-style. Long banquet tables or the slightly more narrow king's tables set a warm, communal tone that is often lost with other seating styles. You can also add in circular tables to fit as many seats into the space.
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Opt for Family-Style Service
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Take that heartwarming intimacy to the next level by incorporating it into your dinner service, too. Instead of individualized plating, have the meal brought out family-style so guests can pass the dishes to one another and interact as they do so.
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Choose a Focal Point
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The best part about having a wedding ceremony in your backyard is that you already have a pretty good idea of the area's strengths and weaknesses. Pick your favorite spot, whether for sentimental reasons or because of its visual impact, and make that the focal point of your celebration.
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Create a Path
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Assist your guests in navigating their way through the nuptial festivities by carving out a path for them. "Pay attention to guest flow," says Fritz. "Think critically about how your guests will arrive at your home and where they will depart from." Use lanterns to light up their trail, layer rugs for a bohemian passage, or have signs made out of reclaimed wood to point the way.
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Create a Floral Installation Along a Fence
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Use the structure of your backyard to your advantage when crafting your ceremony space. A fence is an easy surface for you to easily support a floral installation, like the one used as a backdrop at this charming ceremony.
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Plan a Creative Getaway
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One of the best things about a backyard celebration is that you don't have to travel very far between events or to get some rest. But don't let that deter you from having a unique getaway vehicle.
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Curate a Glow
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While nothing can rival your newlywed glow, there is a loveliness in creating a warmly illuminated scene for your nuptial fête. Pull together elegant lanterns and comforting pillar candles in various sizes to create pockets of light throughout the space.
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Consider a Rental
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Who said your backyard wedding had to be in your backyard? Rent an estate property with killer views for a larger-scale celebration with all the trappings of home.
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Keep Guests Comfortable
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Backyard weddings are all about building an intimate and comforting atmosphere. Help your guests cozy up as the temperature drops throughout the night by providing shawls or blankets for them to wrap up in. If you plan on winding down around a bonfire later, these favors are an absolute must.
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Create a Drink Station
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Welcome co*cktails look extra chic on this sweet station at this wedding at a Hamptons home. Florals and colorful sips make the design pop.
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Indulge in Local Delicacies
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The great thing about having a wedding at home? You know all the best local food. Why not pay tribute and incorporate these gems into the festivities by having them cater or set up a late-night food cart?
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Illuminate Gardens
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If your home has a beautiful garden, make sure to light it up so guests can explore the grounds throughout the night.
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Set Up Games
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For a more casual backyard wedding, set up some areas for games so guests can take a fun break from the dance.
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Include Pets
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What's a backyard wedding without your furriest family members? At-home nuptials are the ideal environment for including your pets because they're already familiar with the setting and won't be anxious or uncomfortable.
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Throw a BBQ
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Set up outdoor grills and have your catering team, or your favorite grill-master, cook the evening meal on site. Warning: Your guests may be a bit distracted during the co*cktail hour with the delicious smells of fire and smoke permeating the air.
"Make sure you have a clear and spacious area for your caterer," advises Fritz. "If they are cooking out of your home, consider a cleaning service or extra hands to put your home back together."
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Hire a Live Band
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Since backyard weddings tend to err on the budget-friendly side, you can splurge a bit and hire a live band for the soundtrack to your celebration of love. There's nothing quite as dreamy as live music gently wafting through an outdoor setting.
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Rent a Dance Floor
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At this home wedding in Miami, the couple rented a dance floor surface to help define the space as the swung around for their first dance.
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Landscape the Grounds
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"Think about your backyard wedding as good motivation to spruce up the garden beds and lawn," suggests Fritz. "Whether it’s planting new flowers or fertilizing the lawn, these will last long after the wedding and be a good home investment."
