Small backyard weddings are becoming increasingly popular this year, during a time of economic uncertainty, travel issues and the growth of budget-savvy couples getting married.
They are an excellent option for couples who love the outdoors and want an intimate experience with their closest loved ones. However, they do come with a stereotype of being casual, and we're here to debunk that! If you’re looking to host a small backyard wedding, there are plenty of ways that you can make it upscale and exciting!
Here are 10 of our favorite ideas for a small backyard wedding reception to help you plan an amazing outdoor wedding celebration!
Tips to Make your Small Backyard Wedding in Texas Gorgeous & Memorable
1. Set up Mood Lighting
The easiest way to transform any space is by changing the lighting. When putting together your backyard wedding reception ideas, you’ll have to take the sun (or shade) into consideration and how it is going to affect your day. Do you want a sunset ceremony? Then keep in mind that your reception will be happening after dark. Some great ways to spice up an outdoor wedding venue with lighting are through icicle lights, Edison lights, candles or even candles and lanterns for a really dramatic look!
Tip: Having a small backyard wedding in Texas is an intimate and creative way to celebrate your big day with loved ones while also saving money.
2. Bring the Inside Outside with a Lounge Vignette
Renting or bringing in a lounge vignette for your day is a great way to add a level of luxury to an outdoor event, with a hint of bohemian. Just make sure that it isn’t going to rain on your day, or keep the furniture under a tent to protect it from the elements!
3. Incorporate the Venue's Landscaping
One of the best parts about coming up with ideas for a small backyard wedding reception is the pre-existing decor and greenery that it can come with. If you have trees, flowers, or hedges already in the space make sure to incorporate them into your day! Hanging drapes from trees or adding florals to pre-existing hedges is a great way to upgrade the space without spending a ton of money.
4. Get Creative with Your Aisle Runner
When you're putting together small backyard wedding ideas, something to keep in mind when you’re planning an outdoor wedding is that some elements just won’t work as well as they do inside. One of those is a lightweight paper or fabric aisle runner. Instead, consider using something more weighted like vintage rugs, or skip the runner altogether and have an extra heavy sprinkling of rose petals lead the way!
5. Change up the Seating Arrangements
When hosting a small backyard wedding in Texas, the space often allows for more flexibility than an indoor space would. While most traditional ceremony spaces have a designated “altar” space, when you’re getting married outdoors you can choose to put that space wherever you would like! For more intimate backyard weddings you can even have the “altar” in the middle and have your friends and family seated in a circle around you, giving everyone a front-row seat!
This can also go for the reception space - instead of round tables with a dance floor in the center, consider one long reception table. This kind of seating gives the space a really grand feel and can leave more room for other activities!
6. Bring Lawn Games to your Small Backyard Wedding
Our personal favorite part of having a small backyard wedding? Lawn games! Not everyone wants to dance all night long - so lawn games give guests a really great alternative to get up out of their seats.
Bring some games like cornhole, ladder golf, and giant Jenga for great options to get your guests to socialize during your wedding.
Learn More: More ways to turn up the "Awesome" on your big day, using our favorite your outdoor wedding ideas and tips
7. Provide Functional Favors
While favors seem to be becoming less common in the wedding world, we are still seeing them pretty often when it comes to having a backyard wedding reception. And... they’re usually very useful!
Some fantastic ideas we’ve seen include blankets for Fall weddings in Texas as the night cools down, and fans for your guests during hot summer weddings! Worried about your guests’ heels sinking into the grass? Provide some flip flops for them to change into as they dance the night away!
8. Trailers and Food Trucks
One thing you definitely can’t do at a traditional indoor wedding venue? Bring food trucks! Hire your favorite local truck or a luxury wedding bar trailer and plop them right in your backyard for your guests. No one will forget a unique experience like this.
9. DIY S’mores Bar for Dessert
When you think of summer nights in the backyard, do you think of s’mores? Let your guests grab some marshmallows and sit around the fire on your wedding night to make their own tasty treats! You can even set up a whole s’mores bar with different chocolates and cookies to create a really unforgettable experience.
Best Tips to Spice Up Your Small Backyard Wedding in Texas Takeaways
There are so many unique elements that you can add to have a very special backyard wedding at an airbnb, while on a budget. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a curated one that we find offers lots of inexpensive ways to make your backyard wedding memorable and exciting. So, start planning the big day of your dreams with these outdoor wedding ideas on a budget!
Interested in hosting a small backyard wedding reception at Olde House? We’d love to be a part of your big day. Book now
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