Prepare a Wedding Garden in your home, Contributed by: Jennifer Dawson

Food, favors, attire, and entertainment matter when planning a wedding, but the venue is the center of it all. According to wedding cost estimates on Canadabuzz.com, the average cost of a venue ranges between $2,500 to $10,000. Since weddings are about making perfect memories, many couples will spend half of their budget on venues that contribute to making their big day mesmerizing. 

However, it’s not mandatory for couples to rent classic wedding venues to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for their guests. You can still create a unique, intimate, and memorable marriage ceremony in your backyard. By transforming your backyard into a perfect outdoor wedding location, you can have a romantic and whimsical fairy garden wedding that holds special meaning for you and your guests. Below are a few tips to prepare a wedding garden in your home. 

Plan Early 

Turning your backyard into a wedding venue where you can host your dream wedding will help reduce expenses. After all, you’ll have plenty of florals to cut and arrange for centerpieces, bouquets, and ceremony altars. Those left in the flower beds can pose as stunning backdrops. To achieve the best outcomes, however, you must prepare your garden months before the wedding. Landscaping experts suggest preparing your wedding garden a year in advance. You should also grow plants that thrive in your climate. Ideally, don't grow plants native to the southern region if you live in a coastal location or in the northern region.

Think Seasonally

Another important factor to consider is seasons. For example, let's say you wish to exchange vows with your partner in the middle of a field, full of colorful tulips and daffodils. Don’t set a wedding date in October. Instead, plan for a spring wedding when tulips, daffodils, and other colorful flowers are mature. If you wish to get married in summer and don’t have time to establish a perennial garden, consider planting annual summer blooms. 

The best summer flowers to grow in your garden are narrow-leaf zinnia, caladiums, annual grasses, cosmos, or begonias. Annuals come in different colors, meaning you can have fun experimenting with different color combinations for your bouquet and centerpieces. If you’re planning a spring wedding, plant bulbs of daffodils and tulips in large clusters. 

Alternatively, grow these spring bulbs to your existing landscape design to add a pop of color. You could also plant quick-growing perennials, like limelight hydrangeas. To create a stunning backdrop, plant your perennials in rows, slightly close together. Planting perennials one or two years in advance is key to ensure they bloom early in summer and survive through fall. 

Keep Up With Garden Maintenance

Keeping up with landscape maintenance is essential to ensure your wedding garden maintains appealing aesthetics. There are many budget-friendly ways to maintain beautiful outdoor aesthetics, so you don’t have to worry about spending too much on landscape maintenance. As a general rule of thumb, fertilize the plants in your garden in spring to give them a boost of nutrition. 

Also, ensure you’re irrigating your plants so they don’t look stressed or dry out. Mulching is also ideal for retaining water and preventing weeds. It’s also an ideal practice for any homeowner interested in creating a sustainable garden for hosting a wedding or other special event. Other sustainable considerations include xeriscaping and adding hardscaping features, like fountains, firepits, patios, and walkways.

Prepare for All Weather

It’s impossible to predict the weather, but you can ensure your guests are comfortable even in extreme weather by having a backup plan. Setting up marquee tents or sturdy umbrellas, for example, can provide some shade from the scorching sun, rain, or strong winds. If you already have a patio, consider adding stylish and comfortable outdoor furniture where your guests can sit. Installing stylish sails can provide shade from the sun, while a retractable patio roof can create shelter from rain and hot sun and can be retracted when not in use. Don’t forget to add romantic light fixtures like string lights, lanterns, chandeliers, and candles to illuminate the space for late-night partying. 

Hosting a garden wedding is an ideal way to create an intimate and unforgettable ceremony that holds special meaning for everyone present. Not to mention, you don’t need to book a venue to have a romantic or fairy-like garden wedding. You can exchange your vows with your significant other at home, in your beautifully designed garden. All you need to do is plan early and think seasonally. Then grow plants that are likely to mature and bloom throughout the season you plan to get married. Also, stay up-to-date with garden maintenance and prepare for all weather.

Find more wedding expert tips here.