Santa’s elves must have pitched in to help because by February 15th the Valentine’s Day candy and stuffed bears that littered America’s shelves were whisked away to be replaced by chocolate Easter eggs and Peeps®.
It seems the seasonal turnovers get earlier every year, but it still means we’re almost officially in spring! The time of year long-awaited by the residents of the frozen tundras in the mid-west and north-east. This has been another slow-moving, cold winter with homeowners confined indoors.
What to do while awaiting the final thaw? Plan that poolside party! Just envisioning the sparkling water and the feel of the lush grass beneath your feet is a powerful motivation. Perhaps this is your first year as a pool owner. Perhaps you’ve been hosting spring fling parties for years and want to shake things up a bit.
Even if April is too early to open the pool where you live, you can still embrace that beautiful outdoor space you’ve been pining for from the warm side of the window. Perhaps it is even the perfect location for a wedding.
Spring Weddings
When you look back on photos of your parents and grandparents, there tended to be certain protocols to which those weddings conformed. While the festivities were still of course beautiful celebrations of love, there were standards set, most having to do with an impossibly poufy gown and a catering hall of some sort.
Enter the modern couple. They want to have fun and be integrated into the party, not set apart like plastic figures atop a tiered cake.
Spring Style
It’s interesting how fashion impacts society and society impacts fashion. A while back CNN aired American Style, an excellent 4-part miniseries that looked at “how America’s changing style trends have historically mirrored the political, social and economic climate of the nation.”
If this is any indication of changing societal customs, we are seeing some interesting new wedding dress trends from Spring 2019 Bridal Fashion Week. According to this article on Martha Stewart Weddings, “the best part is that they’re all incredibly wearable.” Bows of all shapes and sizes are SO in with colorful gowns making a big splash.
With this trend toward the fun and flirty wedding gown comes the venue that suits the look. How about a beautiful backyard? With tents and flickering torches? Nothing takes an event from day into evening like an outdoor affair.
Your initial concern when planning a wedding outdoors may be that it means sacrificing elegance. It does not.
A tent to accommodate the guests can be festooned in ways you can’t really decorate in a reception hall. You can run vines and lush greenery amidst flowers of your choosing and even add the glam with suspended chandeliers and starched linens and candelabras for the tables. Nothing about your backyard wedding needs to scream “BBQ!”
Additionally, today’s backyards are outfitted with more amenities than ever before. Pool lighting, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, gazebos, fireplaces, and pergolas all lend themselves to that resort-style look that also elevates these special events.
Brides.com serves up 25 Backyard Wedding Ideas that could really change your mind about how graceful and stylish an outdoor ceremony and reception can be. (The Knot also gives some home wedding reception secrets.)
The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Backyard Wedding
JuneBugWeddings.com provides this excellent guide to planning the event as well as all the other logistics you’ll need to know like insurance and permits and power.
None of these are too overwhelming in the context of the magnitude of the occasion, but it’s best to have all your bridesmaids in a row for the least stressful event planning.
They also list some excellent reasons to hold your wedding ceremony in the backyard:
- You can invite your furry friends.
- You will save money.
- You can choose any date.
- You can keep the guest list small.
- There’s the sentimental factor if the home is one special to you.
Like the stirrings of spring, this celebration scene is perfectly suited to the beginning of a new partnership. Blue skies, green grass, and puffs of cloud create the ideal jubilant backdrop.
This backdrop is also suitable to support any style. You can rock every mood from Barefoot Bohemian to an elegant garden party ala Downton Abbey. Your guests will love that the ceremony and reception are held in one place.
Let’s face it. Wedding preparations can be fraught with drama whether from the in-laws or caused by trying to manage an event on a strict budget.
The more you know going in, the more control you can have over the process. Even in a formal setting, there is something innately relaxing and intimate about hosting a party such as this, outdoors.
Spring Ahead
Another justification for backyard nuptials is to celebrate second weddings. People who have once before gone to the expense and the pomp of a religious ceremony and a commercial venue for the reception often find the ambiance of an outdoor wedding far more comfortable and at times, appropriate.
Backyard weddings also suit:
- Older couples and younger ones
- Couples on a budget
- Couples who wish to make the event their own
- DIY-lovers
- Non-traditionalists
- Couples who want to enjoy the day as much as their guests, in a place they love.
Spring Time
Even if you’re not getting married or helping to plan a wedding, this is still a great time to start brainstorming about kicking off this season with a backyard bash! You and your friends need to break out and have some fun in the sun. Think about shaking that snow from your shoes and soaking up some Vitamin D and plenty of laughs to replenish your soul. How about putting that guest list together next weekend??
We are pool financing solution experts who also provide the means to install pools and outdoor kitchens, and any kind of backyard update or event you can dream up! Low rates and 20-year terms make the decision to renovate your backyard oasis much easier.
At Lyon Financial, we love the difference we can make for your family by providing something that puts years of memories within reach. Call 877-754-5966 for more information about installing your corner of paradise!
