Debra + Juan
There’s something truly magical about weddings that are deeply personal. One of the most heartwarming trends we've seen is brides choosing to tie the knot in their childhood backyard. Imagine exchanging vows in a place that’s been the backdrop to your earliest memories – the space where you ran barefoot, laughed with friends, spent endless hours learning to swim in your pool, jumped off your creaky swing set, and watched countless sunsets. For one bride, this childhood haven became the perfect venue for her big day.
Debra and Juan made the choice to get married in Debra’s childhood home. As a planner turning a space that was not originally designed to host events, into a venue presents unique challenges. This was a task that I was excited to dive into.
To host a successful wedding three spaces are often required, a ceremony space, cocktail hour location, and finally a spot for dinner and dancing. In order to achieve these three spots we had to be creative with the set up. The property featured a large front and back yard with a pool. We decided the best use of space would be to build out decking on top of the pool. This space was then used to host the ceremony and later the dance floor. The back yard was L-shaped. We maximized this space by creating two long rows of dinner tables with the dance floor in the middle. This created an intimate, dreamy, al fresco dining space, that encouraged conversation and family style dining. Market lights were strung above to help set the mood as the sunset behind the mountains.
Cocktail Hour was enjoyed in the front of the house on the circular shaped paver driveway and front lawn. While guests were socializing and enjoying cocktails out front, we were able to transform the ceremony location into the dance floor and move those chairs to the dinner tables. Giant Jenga and cornhole were set on the lawn for kids and adults to enjoy while catching up with friends, sipping on tasty cocktails, and nibbling on smalls bites.
Ultimately with a little creativity and thinking outside the box there are ways to transform your backyard into the wedding space of your dreams. There is nothing quite as intimate, relaxed, unique and truly personal as getting married in your own backyard.
Photo Credit: Studio 19
