Wedding Blog: Tales of a Planner

Wedding Ideas and Planning Tips from Industry Professionals here at Ybarra Events

Wedding planners are more than just event planners. We're designers, problem-solvers, coordinators, budgeteers, part-time therapists, and friends to the couples and families who are entrusting us to help them with their events. Since we're on friendly terms now, here are some tips and tricks to the trade of navigating wedding planning! 

Advice for your Backyard Wedding

Thinking of getting married at home? Firstly, congratulations on getting engaged! What an exciting experience to share with loved ones. Hosting your wedding at your own house can be a lovely affair. There can be some benefits to a backyard wedding, one of the main ones being, it may be a very meaningful location to you. Inviting loved ones to space that holds so many fond memories can give your wedding such an intimate and special feeling. But if you are planning on hosting your wedding at home in order to save on cost, there are quite a few things to consider. Generally, it is much more expensive to rent all the items needed, like tables and chairs, restrooms, and a remote kitchen, than it would be to book a wedding venue that provides most of these items included in their rental fee.

Is there an emotional connection to the property?

Make sure when you are weighing your venue options, if you’re considering getting married at your house, that you’re doing it for the right reasons. If you are wanting to get married at home because it is a special place that you want to share with your family and friends, then absolutely go for it! It is important, though, to have enough space for everyone to fit comfortably. Most often, homes turned wedding venue end up as an outdoor event, which is my favorite backdrop for an event! Whether your property is surrounded by woods, gardens, vineyards, ocean, or mountain views, setting that perfect backdrop can be whimsically magical, warm, and romantic. Does your property already set the perfect dream wedding backdrop? If yes, check that box and we’ll move on to what other things you need to consider. If your property is pretty enough, but not really what you were picturing, and you’re just doing this to save money, let’s look into the possible additional expenses so you can make an educated decision.

Legalities

Speaking of neighbors and the possibilities of complaints, cover your bases. Make sure to check with your City/County and get the necessary approvals to host a private event. You likely have noise ordinances in your area that you should adhere to. It’s ideal to be a good neighbor and give your neighbors appropriate notice of the event so they’re mentally prepared. You don’t want a noise complaint called on you and have to shut down your wedding. If you have an HOA, be sure to check their bylaws about private gatherings.

I recommend you also get Liability Insurance. Hopefully it won’t be necessary in the end, but better safe than sorry, and it is not very expensive to obtain.

Still hire professionals!

Your wedding day is a big deal. Yes, I’m sure you have had other large gatherings over the holidays or for family reunions, but these gatherings generally don’t come with the same expectations. Your wedding day is a special, once in a lifetime event, and should be treated as such. Treat yourselves and your loved ones to a special experience, where they get to arrive and be a guest, rather than overseeing a bunch of tasks. Hiring professionals for setting up, running the day, and cleaning up will be completely worth it.

Suggested Wedding Professionals:

• Caterer (Some catering companies bring their own staff)
• Staff (Ratio of 1:25 guests)
• Bartenders (Ratio of 1:75 guests if serving beer and wine only. For mixed drinks/full bar, ratio of 1:50 guests)
• DJ/Band
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Florist
• Cake Baker
• Hair and Makeup Stylists
• Rental companies (for tent, tables, chairs, restrooms, linens, china, etc.)
• Transportation
• Officiant
• Accommodations
• Planner (Why you may want a Planner)

Amenities you’ll need: Rentals

Adequate Restrooms

You may not immediately think of restrooms when you think wedding, but believe me, they are important! The wedding guests generally remember thing from your wedding day, whether It was phenomenal food, or the flowers were exquisite, but you definitely do not want them to remember that there weren’t adequate bathrooms. You want to rent from a company that is not a just a standard porta-potty that you would see at a construction site. For your wedding day, I recommend getting something that allows you to flush and wash your hands. Having a mirror and nice lighting is a huge bonus as well, since you and your guests are wanting to look beautiful and handsome all evening. Fancy Flush Inc, the leading expert in the Napa, Sonoma, and Bay Area, recommends having one stall per every 75 guests. That way you don’t overwhelm the restrooms and have long lines. You must keep in mind, guests will all be ready to use the restroom at similar times. In the beginning of cocktail hour, right after the ceremony and also right after dinner and toasts. Of course, they can wait in line for a bit, but you do not want them to have to wait too long and have a poor guest experience. Keep in mind, similarly to the shuttle buses, the trees will need to be trimmed high enough to clear the restroom trailer upon delivery. They will need to have an area that is level and easily accessed by a truck for delivery.

Dance Floor

You may already have a space in mind that would be perfect for dancing, like a beautiful stone patio. If you are planning on setting up the dance floor in a grassy meadow or lawn (or sometimes even a dirt clearing) consider renting a dance floor. Dancing on uneven grass or on dirt, which causes dust clouds, is not ideal. There are a lot of amazing dance floor options, in virtually any color, or there are even LED Dance floors that light up!

Power!

Yes, of course you will need electricity for your event. You will need it for the lighting, possibly the catering, the coffee makers, the DJ, or Band, and possibly even the hair dryers and curling irons if you’re getting ready in a rural space. If you do not have access to outlets, or if your outlets don’t have an adequate amount of wattage, consider renting a generator. This does present other logistical problems, but it is do-able. Just make sure you know who is picking it up, and returning it, you will need to get gas for it too, if the rental company does not pre-fill it. Placement at the property matters as well. Generators are not silent, and you want it far enough from the event to not be a nuisance and to be safe, but close enough to reach the power cords. Make sure to pay attention to all the safety warnings about well-ventilated areas, and do not link too many cords together, causing a fire hazard. Safety first!

Plan for Weather

Depending on the time of year and location of your event, you will need to consider renting a tent. Tents are great for multiple types of weather. They protect, not only from rain, but other elements like heat and wind. Clear tents are gorgeous but may not be an ideal choice for a hot day. They tend to heat up like an oven. Contemplate renting a solid topped tent (white is a popular choice) to protect against harsh rays of the sun. Tents can be incredibly beautiful if you add draping and lighting as well. Not all tents need side paneling, especially if you want to enjoy the view, but on a windy or rainy day, side paneling will be very appreciated by you and your wedding guests.

For cocktail hour, you may want to look into getting umbrellas as well. I usually recommend getting umbrellas that are separate from tables or wine barrels because you will need to adjust the umbrella placement to compensate for the movement of the sun.

Later in the evening, as the sun sets, temperatures may drop, and you may need heaters. Even setting up a fire pit with some lounge furniture could be a real crowd pleaser. S’mores anyone?

Remote Kitchen

Depending on the type of food you have selected for your wedding day and the method of service (buffet, plated, or family style), you’ll need different catering equipment. Discuss the specifics with your selected caterer, but here is a list of items you may need to order:

• Oven/Stove
• Prepping Tables
• Hot box
• Trash cans
• Ice chests
• Water pitchers
• Beverage dispensers
• Beverage tubs
• Bussing Trays
• Chafing dishes (with sterno fuel)
• Pans for chafing dishes (extras to replenish food)
• Serving spoons, forks, tongs
• Serving dishes
• Bread baskets
• Coffee makers (generally 3 for Regular Coffee, Decaf Coffee, and Hot Water for Tea or Hot Chocolate)

*Side note: You will want to confirm with the caterer or bartender who will be bringing in (or if you are providing the following) drinking water, ice, coffee creamer, sugar, stirring sticks, garnishes, gloves, towels, trash bags, etc.

Other rentals or items you will need

This is just a list of rentals or items commonly needed, but again, each wedding is different, and each property is different, so you may not need everything listed.

Ceremony Rentals

• Ceremony Arch
• Chairs/benches
• Wine barrels/pillars
• Sound system for music (often the DJ/Musician will bring what they need)
• Power for music
• Umbrellas
• Fans
• Signage
• Programs
• Welcome beverages dispensers, ice, water/lemonade/tea, table, glassware, and linen
• Cards and gifts table and linen
• Guestbook, pens, guestbook table, and linen
• Flowers

Cocktail hour

• Bar and back bar table/shelf
• Glassware
• Ice and ice chests
• Beverages
• Umbrellas
• Cocktail tables and linens
• Flowers
• Lounge furniture
• Music
• Appetizer table and linen
• Seating chart
• Signage
• Sweetheart photos and/or memory photos

Dinner

• Tables
• Chairs
• Linens
• Napkins
• Centerpieces and floral
• Candle votives
• China
• Glassware
• Flatware
• Menus and name cards
• Décor for the newlywed chairs/loveseat

All Bars

• Bar/Table and linen
• Back bar table and linen/shelf
• Signage
• Ice
• Ice chest
• Beverages
• Garnishes
• Stir sticks
• Bottle openers
• Trash cans and recycling cans
• Trash bags
• Glassware
  • Wine glasses
  • Water glasses
  • Pint glasses for beer
  • Specialty drink glassware
  • Non-alcoholic glassware
• Beverage Dispensers
• Coffee makers
• Creamer
• Sugar
• Signage to identify self-serve beverages

Cake/Desserts

• Cake server and knife
• Plate and forks
• Napkin
• Cake/Dessert stands
• Table and linen or wine barrel to display

Dancing

• Dance Floor
• Lighting

Ultimately, getting married at home can be extremely personal and emotional venue option, but it does take quite a bit more planning than booking a professional venue. It will likely cost more as well, depending on what you already have onsite. Use this list to evaluate your personal space to see if getting married at home is right for you!

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