When it’s time for wedding planning, you may be wondering about where to get married. One of the first things you need to do after getting engaged is to choose a venue. Some will be booked out a year in advance or more, so find one as quickly as you can. Choosing a wedding venue can be difficult, but knowing what you want will make it easier. Decide on the size of the venue and what you want to spend before you choose.
There are many city venues for weddings as well as country venues that use the beauty of nature to enhance the wedding. Many people want a city venue because they want the wedding to be convenient for everyone who will be attending it. However, country venues are also popular for their charm. You can compare wedding venues and decide which one will be best for the type of wedding you are picturing.
Planning a wedding can be stressful, and hiring a wedding planner can help. They know all of the great venues as well as the best places to get your flowers and decorations. They can take a lot of the stress out of the planning of your wedding.
These are several options when it comes to how you can do your wedding. You can choose venues like country clubs, or you can even use your own backyard. A backyard wedding can be quite beautiful. However, since you will be arranging pretty much everything on your own, there is a risk that you may forget certain things. Here are some of the most overlooked backyard wedding essentials.
Power and Electrical
One of the things most people fail to figure out about a backyard wedding is their power needs. Between the sound system, extra lighting, and food preparation equipment, your backyard wedding equipment will likely need more power than your home can handle. If you try to plug everything into your outlets, chances are you will end up blowing a fuse or two. You may even end up putting the entire neighborhood at risk of a serious outage. To accommodate the extra power needs, you may need to get a generator. Fortunately, even if you don’t own one, you can rest one to use on the day of the wedding. That should address your extra power needs.
To make sure you get the right size generator for your wedding, you need a list of all the backyard wedding essentials that need power. The most obvious things are the catering equipment, lighting, and the DJ’s sound system. You can ask each of your service providers what kind of equipment they are bringing so you can get an idea of the power needs. With enough information, the generator rental company will be able to recommend the right generator for your to use. If you are doing the setup the day before, you will also be able to try out the generator and see if it can handle all the equipment that needs power.
Restrooms
With all the excitement of planning a wedding, it’s possible that you can forget all about the restrooms. If you have a guest list with more than 20 individuals, your home’s toilets are likely not going to be able to handle the traffic. As such, it makes sense to look for additional toilet facilities. Fortunately, there are lots of options for upscale luxury portable restrooms that you can get. If you take your time to search for the best ones, you should get some that will provide your guests with a really comfortable experience. Did you know that you can get portable toilet trailers with proper lighting, sinks, mirrors, and most importantly, adequate space?
The traditional port-o-potties might not be the best option if you are looking to give your guests a good experience. A great way to add a personal touch would be to throw in some small amenities kits to each bathroom. You can include things like breath fresheners, hand sanitizers, Band-Aids, and cotton balls. This will save you a lot of headaches. Imagine having each of your guests waiting to use the toilet in your home. When the wedding ends, you will definitely need to get a plumber to come and fix your over-used bathroom system.
Yard Maintenance and Set Up
People don’t necessarily forget that their yard needs a few touch-ups before the wedding. However, not a lot remember that they need to begin the preparations in advance. The best way to get a nice-looking yard for your backyard wedding is to ensure that you start yard maintenance ahead of time. This will give your plants time to fill out and flowers time to bloom. You will also have enough time to clear your space if necessary. Maybe there are some trees in the middle of where you want to have the wedding. You might even have to consider getting a lawn care service. That way, you can focus on other things knowing that the landscaping and design are taken care of. There are lots of things to do, so you will definitely benefit from having one less thing to worry about. If you start preparations ahead of time, the only thing you may need to do just before the wedding is cut grass.
Another thing you must never forget is to ensure that the ground is level enough. You don’t want to end up with people falling off their chairs or failing to enjoy themselves on the dancefloor because there are pits in the ground. Again, this is something that you should do ahead of time. If you are getting a rental tent, the team will assess your grounds and tell you if it’s necessary to lay a foundation to ensure you have a level dancefloor. If you are not getting a rental tent, you can also ask the landscaper or arborists to check for you.
As you are readying your yard, don’t forget to get a power washing company to wash your exterior surfaces. You should also get the local pest control service, wasp nest removal, and wildlife removal services to ensure that you don’t end up with unwelcome guests on your big day. For the plants and lawn, lawn services should do a great lawn care service job.
Insurance
No one wants to think about something bad happening on their special day. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. If an accident ends up happening, you need to know that there is a damage control plan in place. The best way to go about this is to contact your homeowner’s insurance provider to see what items are covered. This is an important part of your backyard wedding essentials. For instance, you will want to find out if your policy covers property damage inside or outside the house. If some things are not covered, you can find out if there is a way to get them covered. In some instances, this may mean getting supplementary insurance. You may need extra coverage for areas like the bar.
Permits
Before you spend a lot of time looking for and booking vendors, you need to first check with the officials in your city if there are permits needed for you to host a large outdoor party. In some areas, there are noise ordinances, health department regulations, fire codes, and zoning issues. It would be best if you didn’t violate any of these. In some instances, your vendors might also need to file some additional paperwork. This means you need to include your wedding planner when you are holding planning meetings. You will also want to ensure that they have access to the emails to and from the city clerk’s office. If the planner knows what’s needed, they will be able to coordinate with the vendors so the necessary paperwork can be filed.
Neighbors
You might love the idea of a backyard wedding at your home, but you should keep in mind that such events can get a bit noisy at times. This means that your activities might catch the attention of your neighbors. As such, to make sure that everyone is on the same page and to avoid surprises, you should notify your neighbors about your backyard wedding preparations. Ideally, you should do this at least two months before the wedding. This will give everyone time to plan ahead. If they have any plans that will clash with yours, they will be able to adjust accordingly. To ensure everyone is on board, share as much detail as possible. For instance, the neighbors should know the exact time of the ceremony. That way, they can ensure that the surroundings are extra quiet. You should also let them in on your parking plans in case there are some concerns regarding street parking.
If you are approaching your neighbors in person, it might be a good idea to also provide them with a written schedule. That way, they will know what exactly is happening and when. You can even take a small gift with you. For instance, you can get them some earplugs. Gifting your neighbors is a great way to thank them for their patience. When it comes to ensuring everyone is happy, a little consideration goes a long way.
Parking
Parking is one of the most important backyard wedding essentials. As you arrange permits and talk to your neighbors, you must also make sure that you understand the rules surrounding street parking in your area. Certain communities have regulations that restrict street parking during certain times. Some even prohibit overnight parking. If those are the regulations in your area, you may have to hire a valet service so they can park your cars at the nearest parking lot.
Clean Up
This is another overlooked area. If you are going to be having lots of people in your yard, you will likely end up with a lot of trash. This means you need to have a plan in place for collecting all that trash. The best way may be to get plenty of recycling bins. You will also need people who will be in charge of emptying the recycling bins during the day. Your caterer might have that service under their list. Leaving your bins unattended can lead to unpleasant sights and smells.
Plan B
One of the things that most brides forget to do is plan for the unexpected. Weather happens, and this is why it would be a good idea to have a plan B in place. For instance, if it ends up raining or it becomes unseasonably hot or cold, you will need a plan. If you plan properly, your plan B can be just as awesome as the initial plan. If you have a big enough house, you can even end up moving the party inside. However, for this to be feasible, you should have planned for it in advance.
If you are not so fond of taking things inside, there are options you can explore outdoors. For instance, you can put a hold on a tent early. That way, it will be on standby in case you need to use it. When you are using a tent, ensure that all the sides are completely covered. You may also need to get some fans to combat the heat. If it’s too cold, propane heaters will be a great idea to make the environment warmer. While your hope is generally not to have to go for plan B, it helps to have an alternative plan in place, so you don’t end up stranded.
Setting up Deliveries as Far in Advance as Possible
It’s very important to ensure that deliveries are made as far in advance as possible. To make things easier for yourself, you may have to work with a wedding coordinator. You just have to give them a list of all the deliveries then they can keep track of things for you, including the Canada geese. The idea is to ensure that a week before the wedding, you are done with all the deliveries. This includes your rentals, supplies, furniture, and any other pieces you will want to use at your wedding. This ensures that you don’t end up scrambling on the morning of your big day when you notice something hasn’t been delivered yet. If you manage to do the majority of the heavy lifting before the wedding day, you will be more relaxed when it finally arrives.
Lighting
If you are planning to do your wedding during the day, chances are you may not pay too much attention to lighting. However, it’s better to ensure that you are prepared for the possibility that your party may extend into the night. As such, you will want to ensure there is enough lighting. Lighting is one of the most dramatic ways to create a good for your wedding. This especially works for backyard weddings where there are no built-in lighting sources. You can research a few lighting options, including twinkle lights, lanterns, or strings of cafe lights in the trees. You can also get chandeliers. If you are not sure how the different light options will look, you can get pictures on the internet.
Hopefully, you won’t get scared away by the number of things you need to do to ensure that your backyard wedding goes according to plan. Backyard weddings can be lovely if you take the time to prepare and get all the backyard wedding essentials right. A great way to ensure that you don’t forget any of the essentials is to have a backyard wedding checklist. If you put everything on a checklist, you can easily share duties with your wedding planning team so that nothing gets left out. You can then hold periodic meetings to check progress.