Planning a significant event like a wedding can be a daunting task! And if it’s a backyard wedding (vs. one at an event venue) there are actually more details to consider. Here is a 3-step process to get organized.
Step 1: What’s your vision?
One of the most important steps for success is to clearly articulate your vision for the event. Without a clear understanding of what you want, what’s a “must-have” and what is “would-be-nice”, it can be difficult to create an effective plan and execute it successfully.
Step 2: What do you need to create your vision?
Once you have your vision, decide how much of the work you want to do yourself, and what you want to outsource. Then create a detailed list of all the vendors you need for your event, along with a budget (how much you are willing to spend).
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do you need to rent a tent and furniture?
- Do you plan to prepare the food yourself, or hire a caterer?
- Do you need servers for meal service and clean up?
- Do you need a bartender?
- Do you want china place-settings? If so, is there a place to rinse the dishes?
- If you plan to use disposable place-settings, is there a place to put all the trash from the meal service?
- Do you want a DJ?
- Do you need to rent portable restrooms?
Step 3: Who will execute your vision?
The final step is creating an execution plan and timeline, to make sure everything happens when it should.
This includes coordinating with vendors, preparing the venue, and making sure that all the necessary equipment is in place. It’s also important to have a contingency plan in place in case something goes wrong.
Questions to consider:
- Who will manage the timeline for the day, and coordinate all the vendors?
- What, if anything, needs to be done differently in case of inclement weather?
- If guests have questions or need something, whom can they ask?
On your wedding day, someone other than you and your wedding party should be doing all this work!
Below are examples of two very different backyard wedding receptions we catered.
DIY (with a little help)
The couple needed us to take care of the food and meal service only, because they had family members managing everything else. Their family coordinated all the rentals (tent, furniture, table linen, etc.), arranged the furniture and decorated the tables.
So they chose a catering package that included everything needed for meal service, and nothing more. It was a perfect fit.
The catering package they chose does have add-on options however, so people can customize it as needed. Hope and Nate chose to add on desserts: vegan & gluten-free cupcakes for a sweet ending to their meal!
All-Inclusive Package
Although they had planned to handle everything themselves, they decided to hire us instead once it became clear that even intimate weddings can have an incredible volume of details to manage!
The service package they chose released them from worrying about minutia.
Upohar’s event coordinator managed all the rentals: tent, furniture, lights, linen, china — which included placing any orders, arranging the delivery and pickup times, making sure the furniture was arranged properly and string lights were put up.
The bartender took care of everything related to beverage service.
And our catering staff managed all aspects of the meal service, which included switching the appetizer station into a dance floor while guests ate dinner. And washing all the china and glassware, and taking out the trash at the end.
We leave you with this final thought: All backyard weddings are not the same. But if you know what you want, you can find the right people to bring your vision to life!
