top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureCourthey Hetherington

DIY Backyard Wedding on a Budget


This past summer, my partner and I finally made the trip down the aisle, friends, family, and toddler in tow. We decided early on that we wanted to have the party at my parents acreage, just east of Sherwood Park, AB. I grew up out there, so obviously it meant a lot to me, and to my husband, it just meant "free". Of course, it was not "free", weddings never are, but we vowed to DIY our way to a lower price tag - we made deals with friends, called in favours, and planned the party for a Friday night, all in hopes of keeping the price tag down, but the biggest place we saved was on our decor. We managed to use salvaged material, Goodwill finds, and took advantage of the fact that my dad was the shop teacher at school, and slowly created the vision I had in my head from day one. Keeping the overall theme as casual, and flexible as possible by choosing jewel toned colours, and a vintage feel throughout, helped since we weren't trying to match anything particularly. While we did rent a large tent for the yard, along with tables, benches, port-o-potties, and beautiful outdoor lighting, we kept our outsourcing to a minimum.




Some of the other ways we saved money:


- My mom planted flowers in pots and all over her yard, so we didn't need to order more flowers than the bouquets,

- For dinner, we ordered platters of pasta from a local dine-in, eat-out place that delivered everything hot to our door, and had friends plate and serve the food (we splurged on the late-night snack and had a taco truck come out, but it was SO worth it),

- We asked a friend with a cool old van to come and drive us and the wedding party from pictures, rather than rent a limo or something. It was hilarious and made for great pics!

- Our bartenders, who were all friends, worked in shifts in a converted horse shed that dad made into an incredible bar. This way, they were all able to enjoy the party as well - we had 6 of them that worked 3 "shifts", and it worked out very well,

- Our fantastic DJ, also a good friend, set up his equipment and played all night for us,

- and finally, my interior designer friend came the morning of the wedding to help set everything up and make the yard beautiful.


We were very fortunate to have both the yard to host the party, and the people to come out and do us these favours, it is all in who you know. Don't be afraid to ask people for help, when it comes to weddings, people, especially those close to you, are always so willing and happy to provide whatever they can for you on your big day.


14 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

15 Things to Do While You're Stuck at Home

Social Distancing sucks. It's hard on our relationships, our work life, and therefore on our mental health - humans don't typically thrive in isolation. We crave contact and social interaction on a re

bottom of page