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This is the third post in the six part series, Inexpensive Backyard wedding Ideas. If you missed one go here:

 How Much Will You Spend?

Most Families Will Be Touched

 

Decide To Take Things Into Your Own Hands.

We sent out 150 wedding invitations and had 300 attend. Keep in mind that some invitations were sent to families. And other invitations were sent to large groups, like our church family and the groom’s church family. Initially, we really had no idea of how many people would attend. The general rule of thumb is between 70-80% of those invited to a wedding will actually attend.

But, as is so often the case with me and my family, the general rule of thumb didn’t apply. As the wedding day approached and RSVPs continued to come in, we began to realize the confirmed guest list was ballooning beyond our expectation. And as the guest list grew, we were scrambling to make sure we would have enough food, tables, and chairs for all our guests. We started with plan A (prepare for 150 to 200 guests), which lead to Plan B (okay, maybe 250), which lead to Plan C (okay, 275 max.), and finally settled at Plan D (300, you have to be kidding!).

I realized after it was all said and done that I had the most wonderful friends and family anyone could ever have. Even our neighbors got involved; when we realized we’d need lighting to guide people safely from the house to the dance area or to the parking lot, our neighbors pulled up the outdoor solar lights from their yards and put them in mine.

 But that’s not to say there weren’t frustrations.  I think the most frustrating part of the process was when we found out we had a wedding to plan. The groom asked to meet with my husband sometime in January to ask for our daughter’s hand. He’s a wonderful young man, so the answer was an emphatic yes. But once the excitement faded a bit and the reality of the task ahead of us set in, we recognized it would be awhile before we could start working. It was in the middle of winter and we had lots of snow on the ground. And that winter was followed by a really wet spring. It was June before we could really begin working in the yard. When the ground finally firmed up, we brought in the heavy equipment and began moving dirt – and not just a little dirt. We hadn’t done much landscaping since we finished the house, but that was about to change.

 We had to make some decisions as to what would look best where. What kind of plants should we get and where should each be placed? Where would we dance; where would we set up the chairs for the ceremony; where would we have people park; how many toilets will we need for 300 people; and on and on the list went. Time to jump in and get to work – this was going to be great fun!

 I went to work immediately and set up a system that would help me keep things organized. Simplicity was my objective. I do not like confusion; it makes me tired and grumpy.  I like things to run smooth, or as smooth as possible – and who doesn’t? 

Just mentioning that we had 300 attend our backyard wedding makes some people cringe. But I had the time of my life. After all was said and done and the day arrived, I was calm and ready for our event. I was able to stand on the edge of my lawn and greet friends and family as they arrived and were waiting to be seated.  I’m here to tell you that a wedding can be a great success and doesn’t have to break the bank. I did it, and I want you to know that you can too!

In the days, weeks, and months after the wedding, we received numerous comments and emails telling us what a wonderful wedding it was. I even received a card in the mail from a friend who was so moved by the wedding that she had to write and let me know. She ended it by writing, “Thank you so much for an absolutely memorable celebration.”

Are you ready to take charge?  Teri :~

If you would like to know how we planned our inexpensive backyard wedding you can purchase my ebook, Outdoor Wedding Guide – Our Family Story.  It’s avaiable at http://teridenison.com/store/.

Related posts:

1. Inexpensive Backyard Wedding Ideas – How Much Will You Spend? This is the first post in my six part series on...
2. Inexpensive Backyard Wedding Ideas- Most Families Will Be Touched… This is the second post in my six part series,...
3. Backyard Winter Wonderland – Calm Before The Storm Well, as you can see from the picture, winter has...

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Organization, Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.