How To Have A Backyard + Chic Wedding Day
You want a wedding day with a laid back family feeling? Kathleen and Emily's big day will show you just how to have a backyard + chic wedding day! From their adorable tented ceremony, to a rustic barn reception completely decked out in twinkle lights, this shindig is one you are going to want to take notes on.
Oh and don't run away too quickly, there is a whole gallery of photos for you to steal ideas from thanks to the amazing photography talents of Dave Waddell. Enjoy!
Home Sweet Wedding Venue
From the Brides: We chose to be married at Emily's parents' home, and it was wonderful to be married in a place that meant so much to us already. Because we were getting married in our family home, we were fortunate to have an amazing set of vendors to help us make our dream wedding come true. One of the smartest decisions we made in planning a wedding at home, was to work with Kyle Michelle Weddings to help us with design and month-of wedding coordination. We cannot imagine getting married without their help and support. I wish we had them help us get through our regular lives and not just wedding planning!
So What Are You Wearing!?
Emily's wedding dress is by Watters, and it's called the Santina. Kathleen had a suit custom made by Bindle & Keep in Brooklyn.
It was really important to us to have the bridesmaids wear dresses that they actually, truly might wear again. Emily looked for dresses sold by non-bridal retailers for inspiration and found these Boden dresses. They came in several colors the bridesmaids decided they wanted navy and white striped, and we think they chose the perfect ones.
Petals For Your Thoughts
We were totally captivated by Love n Fresh Flowers in Philadelphia. Jennie and her amazing team grow each and every bloom on their Philadelphia flower farm from seed! We loved knowing that all of the flowers for the wedding were grown with love just for us. Even more incredible was knowing that the flowers were all local and in-season, instead of shipped and refrigerated from far away. Jennie took our ideas and suggestions for colors and helped pick the perfect flower types to accomplish that, ones we never would have even thought of.
Mighty Fine Shindig
Our photographer Dave Waddell at Siousca Photography captured our day so naturally and beautifully. He put everyone at ease and got amazing shots that we hadn't even realized he'd been able to get! We were so blown away by how easy he was to work with and how remarkable the finished photos are.
Being able to be married in front of our friends and family, and with each detail hand-picked by us, felt even more amazing than we could have imagined. From the gorgeous, mismatched china rentals from Forget Me Not Vintage, to the stunning arbor and wine barrels of Fox and Finch Rentals, to the truly one of kind, handmade farm tables for dinner from Barnes Tables, there is nothing we would change about our wedding--except for it to have lasted even longer! We are so grateful to our friends, family and vendors for making it all possible.
It's Best Just To Practice
Kathleen encouraged us to practice for our first dance, and I (Emily) didn't think we needed to. If I could go back now, I would practice a few times to feel more comfortable and to think about when and how it would end, since all eyes will be on you either way!
Trust Your Vendors
Somehow we escaped without disaster striking at all! We learned from our wonderful wedding coordinator that the caterers were running late and had decided to do some food preparations along the way. While that seemed slightly concerning at first, they still arrived with plenty of time to set up all the food and it tasted absolutely amazing! I think the lesson here is to let the incredible vendors who you've hired to do something in particular, do their job and trust their judgment. It all went seamlessly and in fact, I'm glad they didn't cook on site as that would have changed the flow of the buffet line significantly.
Budget
It was an incredible night and we feel so fortunate to have had all those vendors to work with, and our families and friends there to celebrate and support us! As for the budget, we were very fortunate to have our parents support. Her is the rough breakdown:
$8,500 on food from Dinosaur BBQ (for 165 people)
$3,500 on Emily's dress
$3,100 for our amazing photographer, Siousca Photography
$3,000 for design help and month-of wedding coordination with Kyle Michelle Weddings
$500 for our delicious cake from Ramona Susan's
$1,350 for the awesome Tiny Tin photo booth
$7,500 on flowers with the incomparable Love 'n Fresh Flowers, roughly
$6,000 on rental furniture
$2,400 on servers and bartenders.
- Cakes & Catering: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
- Cakes & Catering: Ramona Susan's Bake Shop
- Cakes & Catering: Swig Events
- Event Planning & Design: Kyle Michelle Weddings
- Flowers: Love N Fresh Flowers
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Chrome Salon and Spa
- Photo Booth: Tiny Tin Photo Booth
- Photographers: Dave Waddell
- Rentals: Fox and Finch Vintage Rentals