There is something so intimate, loveable and laidback about backyard wedding ceremonies. Hosting a wedding in your very own backyard exudes such a personalized, cozy, homey spirit. After all, having your loved ones over to share in your wedding at your own space, as opposed to any other venue, is incredibly personal and meaningful. Your home is where your heart is, so it makes sense to marry there.
Backyard weddings are low-key, low-stress and easy on the wallet. And we think folks who go this route are pretty cool. It is an unexpected choice and one with endless options. You can go fairly glam and rent everything you need from an event rental source from chairs, lighting, decor, dishes, and glasses to an entire dance floor. OR you can take the easy-going approach and borrow a bunch of mismatched chairs and china and DIY the heck out of your event. It’s YOUR house, so everything can be just the way you want it.
Hosting your own wedding gives you the chance do things your way, without having to follow a venue’s specific rules and regulations. Want a candlelit ceremony? No problem! Look how amazingly romantic tea light candles in recycled glass jars look strung from tree branches.
Want your pet(s) included in your wedding? In your own back yard, they are most certainly allowed! Ruffled Blog featured Julia and Brian’s adorable at-home wedding photoed below. “Bride Julia knew she wanted the focal design point of her wedding day to be an oversized banner backdrop, so she set to work making it herself — and we love what she had to say about the end result: “It’s perfectly imperfect — just like our wedding.” Scarlet O’Neill, Laura Olsen Events, and Leaf and Bloom brought everything together so beautifully! 
Any yard can work with just a little bit of prep. A few rows of wooden chairs and some paper lanterns are all you need to transform even the most basic backyard into a wedding wonderland. Two dramatic urns with lush florals are an easy way to provide the perfect focal point to exchange your vows at.
You can create such special moments in your yard, like this amazing swing embellished with string lights, throw pillows and an artful swag of fabric.
Lawn games lend themselves to this type of wedding. They provide entertainment for your guests and encourage them to interact with each other instead of their phones. Plus you can keep all the fun games for future parties.
Personalized corn hole sets are awesome! We sourced a set (similar to the ones below) on Amazon for less than $140 here.
And who doesn’t enjoy a game of Jenga? Especially GIANT Jenga.
An extra large four in a row is super fun.
There are so many ways to handle food and drinks at your event. You can make your own, have everyone bring a covered dish, hire a caterer or even bring in a food truck or two.
Self-service buffet tables are a nice option:
Mason jars with fun striped straws are a cute addition to this drink station.
Things to consider if you are planning a backyard wedding:
Local Ordinances
First, check with your local authorities about noise, curfew, parking, lighting or permit regulations that may be applicable. If regulations are in place, be sure to abide by those rules. Also, check to see if your neighborhood maintains any of its own regulations about parties. If so, be sure to contact the HOA president for approval beforehand.
Parking
If you don’t have enough room, arrange to have your guests park somewhere close by. Have a friend drive guests to your house from there.
Bathrooms
Not enough plumbing for your number of guests? Consider renting some porta potties. They have some fairly nice options these days.
Neighbors
The best way to avoid irritating your neighbors is to invite them.
Clean-Up
Definitely hire help to clean up afterward. It’s your wedding day and you’ve done enough. If you need to save cash, ask friends and family to help out. Many hands make light work.
How fun is it to style your own wedding, your way, at your own home? TheZebra.com provided some awesome inspiration boards with loads of great ideas for different backyard wedding styles:
One of the best parts of getting hitched at home? The happy memories of your wedding day will fill your home for as long as you live there.
Rainbow sherbet dessert! Macarons, pecans, and layers of rainbow sherbert make this cake alternative colorful and refreshing.
We are sort of sad to see our crazy, wonderful Prom Season 2019 come to a close. It was a wild ride with so many shoppers and stylists and dresses all converging in our brand new Prom Store. All-in-all this season was super spectacular. And even though the last proms have come and gone… at least we are now getting to enjoy the flood of photos coming in. We love to see all our gorgeous Gilded Gown girls in their looks from Prom Night. Please enjoy Part 3 in our series featuring girls from all over the Southeast who found their dresses at The Gilded Gown! (And, if you haven’t sent in your pics, please email them to thegildedgown@gmail.com. There is still time to be included in Part Four. Plus, we wanna see YOUR pics too!)
This is Part 2 in our Prom 2019 Series featuring gorgeous girls in their dresses. We are so honored they found their looks with us at The Gilded Gown. And, we are absolutely astounded by their beauty and grace.
Prettiest Portia of North Carolina attended Prom at 
Gorgeous Kendall Johns stopped traffic on her way to
We are celebrating our best prom season ever at The Gilded Gown. There are so many wonderful things we are thankful for this year: We opened a brand new 6,500 square foot prom store, and we had the best team of prom stylists ever! We were thrilled to be able to take several members of the Gilded Gown team to Prom Market in Atlanta so they could learn all about the latest designs, fabrics, and styles to better serve our customers. AND we offered a super-amazing selection of exclusive designer gowns in all sizes, styles and price points to our shoppers. So it doesn’t surprise us that this year we helped more girls find their dream dresses than ever before. The fact that our shoppers visited us from so many states is absolutely thrilling. Now that the photos from prom night are rolling in, we are just BLOWN away by all our gorgeous Gilded Gown Girls. We thought we’d recap the tremendous season by sharing the very best part of our season, seeing all the beautiful girls absolutely glow on prom night. (This is part one in our series, stay tuned for more pics.)
Lush, extravagant Peonies are a beloved vintage garden classic, adored throughout the world for their beautiful early summer blossoms. They are the perfect choice for your wedding florals if you are looking for something romantic, gorgeous and unforgettable. Not only are they super lush and pretty but they also have a delicate sweet scent. Peonies add so much charm to a bountiful bridal bouquet:
There is a trend in wedding reception food that we are loving. Charcuterie Tables (or Grazing Tables) are basically cheese boards on steroids. They are an absolutely lavish spread of antipasti, assorted cheeses, vegetables, spreads, and various tidbits covering an entire table. Essentially the ENTIRE table becomes the cheese board:
