Backyard Wedding with DIY Decor

Plan a backyard wedding on a budget with homemade, DIY decorations, florals, and personalized details. Read on to learn how we did just that for my sister’s stunning small wedding!

My sister got married in September of 2020 and I had the pleasure of being her Maid-of-Honor and her floral designer. In a year of COVID and quarantine, her original wedding plans shifted from a 150-guest wedding in Denver, Colorado, to a 14-guest micro-wedding in Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania. And even though this wasn’t the original plan, I think it turned out even more special and more intimate. Just goes to show that a wedding can be anything you choose.

As a bride-to-be myself, I have found that it’s so easy to get swept up in the wedding industry, feeling pressure to create the picture-perfect day. But you know what makes the perfect wedding day? Getting to marry your person and celebrating with your family and friends. That’s it. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

One of the most beautiful reminders of the micro-weddings that have come out of 2020 is return to the true meaning of a wedding. And Kasey & Kyle’s wedding was the perfect example.

A hand-poured candle, made by Kasey, awaited each of us in our rooms. Thoughtful and personal touches like this were so impactful.

Handmade limoncello, made by Kasey, was delicious and gave a nod to the couple’s travels to Italy a few year prior.

The 14 of us included parents, siblings, significant others, and the officiant. We traveled to Pennsylvania, masks on and hand sanitizer galore, and met at a stunning Airbnb estate that Kasey and Kyle had found that was big enough to house all of us. The plan was to enjoy the full weekend holed up together, and all pitch in on the wedding day to transform the backyard patio into a ceremony/reception space. I was in charge of the decor and florals, and I was determined to make magic for my sister.

First up was the CEREMONY ARCH.

This was the first time I’d attempted a large scale floral installation, so I did a lot of research beforehand to make sure I had all the right materials ready to go for me on the day.

Materials:

• Copper Arch

• Work gloves (you don’t want to get poked by the wire!)

• Chicken wire

• Zip ties

• Wire snips + wire cutters

• Floral tubes, filled with water

• Spray bottle (to freshen up any flowers once installed)

Directions:

1. Wrap the chicken wire around the copper arch, securing with tip ties. Be sure to wear your work gloves.

2. Start with your greenery to build a base. Cover all the chicken wire, even in the back.

3. Add in white flowers.

4. Spritz with water closer to the ceremony for maximum freshness.

Here’s a video of the whole process, with commentary from me:

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We sourced the flowers from CostCo, which is a true DIY hack. You will save so much money (I’m talking thousands of dollars) by going this route. Ultimately we needed a bit more greenery, so my brother and Berto went on a mission to a nearby grocery store to pick up seeded eucalyptus. A few tricks to getting this look: make sure to fill the chicken wire from all angles - this will ensure the professional photographs of the ceremony won’t have any pesky wire standing out. Another tip is to follow the direction of the copper arch. Play around with it. There are no rules. Have fun and let your creativity flow.

Oh, a note - I started with the vision of including the white roses (which would have used the floral tubes) but once I started adding them I was getting ‘funeral-wreath‘ vibes… so I took them out and incorporated them elsewhere. Which brings me to the next DIY…

Classic White Bridal Bouquet.

What You’ll Need to Duplicate This Bouquet:

• White roses

• White calla lilies

• Seeded eucalyptus

• Green hypericum berries

• Twine

• Ivory ribbon

• Super glue (I like Gorilla glue)

• Antique broach (this was an heirloom from Kyle’s family, and acted as Kasey’s ‘something old’)

Directions:

1. Start with your star flower, which in this case were the white roses. Strip all of the leaves and thorns off and discard. Rather than grouping the roses in your hand in a bunch, build around in a diagonal fan.

2. Add in the secondary flowers - the calla lilies. These flowers have a very thick stem, so I only added a few on opposite sides of the bouquet.

3. Green hypericum berries are next. Think of these as little accents underneath the roses, cutting the stems shorter so they sit below the main flowers.

4. Add greenery around the edges. For a more whimsical look, let the eucalyptus fall asymmetrically.

5. Tie the bouquet tightly with the twine, wrapping it around a few times to feel secure.

6. Wrap the ivory ribbon to fully cover the twine, and cut to fit. Lightly singe the edges with a lighter to prevent fraying. Secure with a few dabs of super glue.

7. Pin the broach to the front. Snip off the excess ends of the flowers so that it can comfortably fit in your hands.

Presenting the finished bouquet to Kasey while she got her hair and makeup done. I was so proud with how it turned out. I think she liked it too :)

All the bride’s details. Tip: have a vase on hand to keep the bouquet fresh before the ceremony.

The beautiful couple and the completely ceremony arch.

We added extra greenery down the sides of the aisle, and incorporated more calla lilies in vases at the start. You can see the phone/microphone combo held by my sister-in-law - that was for the Facebook Live feed for friends and family watching at home!

Just married!! Cheers to Mr. & Mrs. Smith!

Has there ever been a more glamorous couple??

The marriage certificate, surrounded by more greenery, votives, wine corks, and white roses.

Next up… the Reception:

While the newlyweds were off taking photos on the property, we transformed the ceremony area into the reception, with all hands on deck. My dad hung up the string lights, the men moved a table from inside the Airbnb to the brick patio, and the catering team helped set the table.

For the decor, we utilized another CostCo hack with Fresh Wedding Garland as the main centerpiece. Then, I placed votives throughout the table. These had been collected and borrowed by Kasey. I love that they didn’t match - it gave a sense of whimsy and romance.

You’ll notice wine corks incorporated throughout the space. Here’s another area of the wedding that was so personalized to the couple. Kasey had collected every single wine cork her and Kyle had shared since they began dating. We’re talking FIVE years worth of wine corks - bags and bags full. And my instructions were to use every last one of them. So I found ways to scatter them throughout the space (but made sure nowhere that anyone would slip and fall!) I love the way they looked on the table, nestled among the greenery and candles. It was quite magical.

Outfit change for me - into my maid-of-honor emerald green dress from BHLDN. If you can decorate in heels and a full face of makeup, you can do anything.

My sister-in-law Fran handmade the acrylic place-cards and my Mom sewed the napkins. It was truly a family effort to create this space, which made it all the more special when we got to sit down for dinner together and enjoy the evening.

It was a magical evening, filled with good wine, great conversation, and a whole lot of love. After months of lockdown, it was the first time any of us had been together. When I saw my sister for the first time, we both started weeping. Like actually gulping for air as we cried and hugged. 2020 was such a shift for all of us as we stayed isolated and distanced. I look at this photograph of the whole wedding party and my heart feels filled to bursting.

I am beyond thrilled for my sister and her new husband. I love that they were able to get married and orchestrate a wedding weekend that was so personalized and thoughtful. There were so many benefits of it being a micro-wedding (beyond the simple fact that we were able to safely do so). I hope this gives inspiration and hope to any bride out there looking to make their day special - you are capable of creating a magical space with just a few DIYs.

Love you sissy. Mean it.

Photographers:

Suzanne Tylander | www.tylanderphoto.com

Patrick McDermott | www.patrickmcdermott.com