Backyard Weddings Australia - Your Budget-Friendly Guide

As anyone who has ever planned a wedding will tell you, the costs can quickly get out of hand. Weddings can end up being expensive, very expensive. For those who want to skip the giant price tag, the allure of a backyard wedding is very appealing.

Opting for a more budget friendly backyard wedding does not mean it will be any less special, you can still plan an amazing day, filled with love and laughter, and spend the savings on your holiday or home deposit!

Average Australia Wedding Cost

According to Easy Weddings the average Australian wedding will cost anywhere between $32,333 to $60,000. The major cost breakdown as follows:

Source: Easy Weddings

Given these figures, skipping on the large venue price tag can be a great way to save some money!

Ceremony & Reception Venue

The first thing you need to decide is whether you will have both your Ceremony and Reception in the same place.

Ceremony – if you have a favourite park or beach, you can usually reserve these with your local council for minimum costs. Or if you want to make it super easy on your guests, you can have the Ceremony, as well as the Reception, in your Backyard.

Opting for a backyard Reception is a great way to keep it low maintenance and relaxed. It’s also a great way to do up your backyard! Rather than spending thousands on a Reception venue, put that money towards a new patio and flooring for the backyard. Get the landscaping done and put in a water feature.

Food Glorious Food

The beauty of a backyard wedding is you can cut out the stuffy, sit-down, three-course meal. Some popular options for backyard weddings include:

Food Trucks

Food trucks are big right now, and you can organise for them to turn up at your house, do all the cooking, cleaning and serving! Whether you go with a giant paella, pizza or other food truck option, your guest’s bellies will be full, and you will have saved a tonne on your food bill!

Grazing Tables

2019 has seen the rise of the grazing table. They look fantastic and allow your guests to nibble on cheese and snacks throughout the night. They are also a cheap and easy option. Checkout these DIY grazing table tips.

Booze

One of the biggest expenses at wedding venues is alcohol, so you can save yourself a packet by catering this yourself. Whether you want to hire waitstaff or just have some eskies stocked for your guests, you can certainly find some good savings by having this in your backyard.

Consider a nice cocktail on arrival before switching to the eskies and make sure you have some nice champagne chilled and ready to go for the speeches.

Patio Dance Floor

A backyard wedding does not mean you skip the best traditions! Turn your backyard patio to a dancefloor and have your first dance as the sunsets under your patio. Hire a DJ, or better yet, put together a wedding playlist for the evening.

You don’t need a live band or a DJ to have everyone up on the dance floor. Task someone from the bridal party to be the master of ceremony and take care of the music. Tie a disco ball on the ceiling of your patio roof and get dancing.

Backyard Games

Have a bocce set or other backyard games to entertain your guests and any children in attendance. These are great for any downtime in the program of events, such as the bridal photoshoot.

Seating

You will need some seating for the Ceremony, and also to provide some seating options for your guests throughout the evening, even if it’s just a few couches or stand up tables. Get quotes from a bunch of chair and table hiring companies or get in touch with community venues or schools to see if they are happy to hire out their tables and chairs which can often work out to be cheaper than professional hire companies.

With a backyard wedding the best part is the utilisation of the same décor for two events. The seating can double up as ceremony and reception seating.

Lighting

Get creative with fairy lights around the patio or put in some festoon lights to give a nice ambience at night. Remember, this is your backyard, so you can be quite permanent with anything you do, or just add some extra fun lights for the evening.

Wedding Cake

Don’t forget the cake! A wedding cake can cost anywhere between $429 – 600 across Australia. Traditional wedding cakes aren’t the only option out there as dessert unless you are set on the tiered wedding cake idea. The cost of cake increases as soon as the “wedding” part is added. Call cake vendors and request tiered cake quotes without the wedding part. You can buy a cake topper and flower to add as décor on your own for cheaper.

Want to cut down on this, opt for cupcakes or a donut wall, or task someone you know that is an amateur baker to help out.

Wedding Decorations & Flowers

Your backyard is your backdrop, so spend the time to do up your garden with some flowers which will bloom on your wedding day.

Have a floral theme and source multiple wholesalers or suppliers to get quotes on seasonal flowers and foliage. You can find people online that can do it for cheaper or you can DIY – there are multiple tutorials on YouTube that can be used as a reference to do this by yourself or ask a friend who is creatively inclined to help.

Say Yes to Pre-Loved Dresses and Hire Suits

There are so many ways to save money here. If your heart and wallet is set on brand new wedding attire, go for it. If you care little about this and would rather spend the money on something else, say yes to pre-loved wedding dresses or something online that is under $1000 or even cheaper if you opt for simple dresses that can be found on high street stores.

This goes for suits also, there are multiple ways you can source your wedding suit, hiring is a popular option or opt to buy a suit as this can be used during other occasions.

Good-Bye Fancy Transport

Gone are the days where this is of high importance, having a backyard wedding ceremony and reception will save you a couple of hundred in transportation to and from locations. If the bridal party is traveling for photos, get a bridesmaid or groomsman to drive you.

Get a New Patio for Your Backyard Wedding

By saving money on venue hire and catering, you can invest in the ling term future and useability of your backyard.

Great Aussie Patio’s specialise in creating your dream backyard. Speak to one of our design experts for help creating the perfect backyard for your wedding or other special event.