Fabulous Backyard Wedding Ideas

These days, it seems like every bride is trying to save a little money- and some brides need look no further than their own backyards!

These backyard wedding ideas will give you a fun, fresh and romantic way to celebrate your nuptials -and save a bundle on location fees.

However, careful planning is needed to make your Au-natural wedding go off without a hitch.

Be sure and check with your local rental agents to procure enough seating and tables for all of your guests, gifts and flowers.

If there is a chance of rain, have a back-up plan or a tent rented and on standby!

Before committing to your backyard, check out the terrain: flat, wide space is the most ideal, as hills and shrubs can get in the way of festivities.

Check out the neighborhood for ornery pets-- your wedding video is a once-in-a-lifetime keepsake, and you don't want it ruined with incessant barking! Manicure the lawn and shrubs the day before to give the lawn a fresh look- consider mowing in an aisle runner or monogram to mark your special day.

Here are some fresh backyard wedding ideas that we've come up with to give you the chicest backyard wedding on the block.

Invitations

• What could be more perfect than a green backyard wedding? These days, it's fashionable to "go green", and these Dogwood blossom invitations from Wedding Paper Diva are a gorgeous green statement with a fresh summer feel that will spice up any backyard wedding.
  
  
  
  And as any good bride knows, Thank-You Notes are a must! These invites are great because you can customize the color to any taste!
• A white wedding more your style? Check out these beautiful Rustic Evergreen invites- with just a touch of green, they set the stage for your outdoor ceremony without being overpowering. And don't forget the Thank-You Notes!

Decoration

• Some backyard wedding ideas claim to save you money, but they make up for it in time, but this is one cheap and easy decorating idea for a backyard wedding-- Don't break the budget when it comes to flowers!
  
  Simply work with what mother nature gave you, and gather flowers and branches from your surroundings to accent your tables, or purchase a cheap gazebo or archway at your local garden center. A simple strand of white twinkle lights in the surrounding trees and bushes will add a fairy-tale touch to your backyard wedding.

• These adorable paper lanterns will light up the night and usher in good luck as you dance the night away in your own back yard. (and they're one of the easier and cheap backyard wedding ideas as well!) Hang strands of individual lanterns around the perimeter of the dance floor, or create bunches to hang in the trees---gorgeous!
• Or, consider illuminating the night with these fun and summery tiki torch centerpieces! Holy luau, Batman! It's an Aloha backyard wedding with these fun decorations.
  
  Here's another of our great backyard wedding ideas--add in these picture-perfect shell frames as place card holders and your guests won't want to leave your destination wedding! (Money saving tip-these can also double as wedding favors! Just send each guests a picture of you sharing a special wedding moment with them and they will cherish it forever.
• Design custom flower arrangements around small, tasteful signs directing your guests to the location of the restrooms and coat check.

Party Favors

• Have some fun with your backyard wedding reception ideas and decorations--Give your backyard wedding a down-home cookout theme and include personalized hot sauce bottles for your guests!

• There are plenty of backyard wedding ideas that can be both stylish and practical. Beat the outdoor heat (and fend off bugs) with Personalized Sandalwood Fans!
  
  These gorgeous fans are a wonderful memento of the day (and will scent the air with the exotic scents of far away lands--- what a romantic way to bring a little bit of the mysterious east to your backyard!

• Let your guests bring a beautiful reminder of the day home with them with these amazing Butterfly Garden Gift Baskets! Once planted, these seeds will produce wildflowers that attract butterflies-- your guests will never want to leave the backyard again and is one of the most overlooked cheap backyard wedding ideas.
• Keep the green theme going with these Eco-Friendly Note Pad Favors! Have your guests write you well-wishes, hints and advice on their pages and place them in a box for you to enjoy after the wedding.

These backyard wedding ideas are only the beginning of what possibilities lay just beyond your own back door. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be creative when planning such a uniquely personal event. A backyard wedding is a wonderfully intimate and unique way to create the perfect atmosphere for your special day-- just make sure you ask the neighbors first!