Advice for a backyard reception?

[JCJD]

We''re hoping for a backyard reception at my dad''s house this June. We don''t have the guest list yet, but it''ll probably be between 200 and 350 people. My dad has a 1 acre plot and a large house, but a lot of the yard is on a slope. There is a patio and the driveway, which we could use for the buffet and/or dancing. How much square footage is needed for tables, buffet, DJ, dancing? Will the tables and chairs totally ruin the yard? Any way we can protect the grass? What to do about inclement weather backup reception site? Do reception halls do this? Any ideas? Any advice would be much appreciated!! Thanks!!!

 

[MelissaSue]

Hey JC-

As far as square footage and such I can''t really help you out.. but I was at a backyard wedding this summer which was beautiful. They got a big tent, which they didn''t need, because it didn''t rain, but it was nice for the speakers and they could set up lighting that way too. and I think that the caterer provided all the tables and such, so the caterer could probably help you out with the square footage and everything. It didn''t seem as though the tables and chairs were doing any significant damage to the yard. (but, you may want to worry about PARKING..which will also likely have to be done on a yard)

They set up some sort of dance floor under the tent, I think it was just one big floor piece..I don''t know where they got it from.

 

[Playboychick]

When I was getting married, my husband and I looked into this. Unfortunately it was a lot more work and money than it was worth.

Some things to take into consideration:
*Parking - Can your driveway & street accomodate your guests? Will you need a valet service?
*Bathrooms - How many does your home have and do you want all your guests using them. If not, then you need to rent a port-a-potty. And for a wedding you''re going to want to rent an "excutive" porta-potty.
*Weather - if you end up with bad weather, you''re stuck with it. You can get a tent, but that doesn''t guarantee everything will stay dry.
*other details: Catering, lighting, linens, tables, dinnerware, servers (may be supplied by the caterer...may not.)


Backyard weddings work best with a small guestlist or when you have a large estate and plenty of property for the tent, dancefloor, tables and parking.

You may want to look into Estate Rentals in your area.

 

[JCJD]

Thanks for the advice Melissa and Playboychick! I think we''re going to go for it!!

We finally got the first draft of the guest list done last night, and it turns out to be only 130 people we want to invite, and I already know about 10 who won''t be able to make it (although we want to send them invites anyways). Plus, we decided on a Friday night 7pm wedding ceremony (cheaper!!), so the reception will be dessert and hors d''oeuvres to save $$. We''re also thinking about just renting some stereo equipment and burning CD''s for the reception music (FI is a tech buff with lots of techie friends who would be willing to DJ), with the patio as dance floor. Since we want people to mingle and dance, we''ll have a couple sit-down tables for the grandparents and others with tired feet and a bunch of those tall cocktail tables to stand around. As for parking, our church is literally across the street from my dad''s neighborhood, so the ushers, dads, or somebody could shuttle people from the church to the house and back in rented vans.

The house has 3 bathrooms, which should be sufficient for about 100 people. Plus, 100 people would easily fit into the house if we had a thunderstorm or tornado warning (welcome to Tornado Alley!) Also, there is a ton more space around the patio than I originally thought - plenty of room for a large tent, dancing, food tables, 2-3 round tables, and 6-8 cocktail tables and scattered chairs, so I think we''re good to go!! THe only thing I''m not sure about is kids entertainment... The youngest ones probably won''t be there, as it''s a late evening wedding, but the 7 and older crowd (especially the 12-15 y-olds!!) are a challenge... Any ideas? Other ideas and advice on backyard receptions are welcomed and much appreciated!!

Thanks!!!

 

[abradabra]

I went to a really nicely done backyard reception this summer in Massachusetts. There were about 350 people in attendance and the space was definitely not as large as yours, so even if your guest list gets large, you should be just fine.

This wedding did not allow anyone to drive and park at the house (it was a small street and even if it weren''t, that''s a bit rude for your neighbors)--but rather they shuttled everyone from the hotel to the church to the reception and back again. It was very great--they had these open air trolleys that were very kitschy!

Instead of letting everyone in your house, I might consider renting portapotties. You never know if someone is going to get out of control/sick (alcohol, food allergies, anything else that could go wrong) and you don''t want people like that traipsing through your house, potentially stopping up your toilets, etc. Plus, locking your house will allow *you* some privacy if you need to get away for a few minutes (no one could be wandering around nearby). It will also make cleanup a lot easier. At this wedding, the portable bathrooms were GORGEOUS. I mean, nicer than a lot of house bathrooms with sinks, lighting, potpurri and everything (not like the ones at construction sites and concerts). I don''t think they are very expensive to rent either, and your caterer might be able to help.

I think the whole cocktail style reception is perfect for a backyard venue (that is what the couple did and it was great)--just rent a tent for potentially inclement weather (they make such gorgeous tents these days). As for kids, I might suggest dedicating a room inside the house with a TV and games for them to hang out in, watch movies, play video games, etc. You could even get a babysitter to give parents a break. Older kids (11/12+) will probably want to be out in the mix (being vaguely obnoxious, in an endearing way), so I wouldn''t worry too much about them.

 

[JCJD]

Thanks abradabra! I was at a wedding last summer that had a trolley for the wedding party's transportation, and it was really beautiful. I brought up the port-a-potty idea to my stepmother and dad, and my stepmom was really against it. However, she did agree that it's better than my dad's idea of digging a hole between some pine trees... LOL!

I've got 2 brothers, 18 and 14, so we've got tons of video and board games in the basement, so that should work out pretty well for the kids entertainment. Maybe I can get my aunts or grandparents to rotate supervision....

We finally got our budget decided, so we can finally start shopping for caterers and rentals to see if it's even financially feasible to do! But it is our first preference if we can!

Thanks so much everyone!! More advice if you've got it please!!

ETA: Melissa - I read on weddingchannel.com yesterday that I only need 7 sq feet per person at a cocktail/hors d'oeuvres party. That website is a wealth of knowledge, FYI!