I have been to many weddings, but the one I remember most is one that was done in a backyard. There were games, kegs of craft beer and a relaxed, fun atmosphere.
They still had the bride and groom dance, and cut the cake and everything wedding guests expect from a reception, but without the rituals that always end up forgotten
Throwing an outdoor reception saves money on a hall, on food and on entertainment but it doesn’t skimp on memories. Nobody will think about how much money you saved. Only how much fun they had.
In this article, I will give you some ideas on how to throw the best backyard wedding reception:
Get Custom Shirts
One way to make sure everybody remembers your wedding is to have custom t-shirts made. Or, if it is chilly then you can design your own custom long sleeve shirt.
Does the bride have a funny catchphrase she is known for using? Throw it on a shirt for the bridesmaids to wear. Does the groom have a unique name? Use it for the groomsmen.
This will be remembered for much longer than the color of the dresses and suits. Sure, during the ceremony they should wear their dresses, but after, it’s a party and should be loose.
Have Plenty of Lawn Games
Not everybody will want to dance. Instead of sitting at their table drinking, let those who don’t cut a rug have some fun with these lawn games.
Set aside a section of the backyard for games so you don’t have people getting in the way and to make sure nobody gets hurt.
Do a Pig Roast
Pig roasts seem expensive. At least until you see how much it costs to feed everybody at a traditional wedding reception venue.
You’ll be surprised at how economical it is to feed lots of people with a pig roast or barbecue. You can hire a guy to come by with his smoker and do it on site so the logistics of feeding everybody is easy to manage.
Buy the Booze Yourself
You can save loads of money by ordering a bunch of kegs of good beer and many bottles of wine and liquor. Then, hire Bartenders for private party to take care of drinks so it’s one less thing to worry about.
Guests will appreciate an open bar and you will love how much less it costs when you are paying for bottles of alcohol at wholesale prices.
The only potential downside is that you could run out of booze.
Hire Somebody to Clean Up
If you have some high school kids in your neighborhood who are always looking for odd jobs for their summer spending money then they can be hired to do the clean up.
If your family and friends are really good sports, they may offer to do it themselves to save you even more money, but the job may be too big a task.
With the average cost of weddings these days hovering around $33,000, it makes sense to save that money for other expenses like when you have kids or to buy a house.
Have a memorable and budget reception and everybody is happy! You really don’t need to spend a lot of money to make it memorable for you and your guest.
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