Thinking of having a backyard microwedding? Here’s your inspo

Offbeat partner: Caroline & Price

Date and location of wedding: Our backyard, Austin, Texas — 11/26/2020

Our backyard microwedding at a glance:

Our original wedding was planned for September of 2020, up in Northern Michigan where my family spends their summers. Because we are all from Texas, it required travel, and it was just not feasible during covid. We made the decision to cancel the wedding in July, a couple of months out. We postponed until September 2021, which felt like so far away–we had already been engaged for two years!

We settled on Thanksgiving day because our families would already be together, and there would already be food plans! So with a month to plan, I called my mom and told her the news. We made sure everyone would be available and willing to get covid testing before attending. There were 9 people total (including us) plus our photographer and his assistant/wife.

The planning was fairly simple. We had a venue (our backyard), we had an officiant (Price's mom's partner). Flower arrangements would be picked up from our local grocery store, Central Market.

We ordered thanksgiving food from the local bbq place down the street. We also contacted our very good friend, who is a photographer, to come down to Austin for the weekend and take photos of our ceremony. We ordered a cake from a local baker called Cake Rocks. And we also had a local hair and makeup artist come to the house beforehand to do makeup and hair for my mom and I.

A HUGE wrench was thrown into our plans when Price's mom got covid, literally two weeks before the ceremony. She was ok, but we were all extremely stressed that her partner (who was marrying us) would test positive… but he never did. The DAY of our wedding was the first day they were in the clear from spreading it. Phew.

I love traditional decor, especially blue and white. I already had one of the tablecloths from Anthropologie, and I had my seamstress make a second one with some beautiful blue and white floral fabric I picked out. The blue willow plates are my set that I own, that I thrifted a few years ago. The fox hunting silver goblets and silver flatware were both my great-grandmother's. I picked up some candle holders from goodwill to set the mood, and that was it!

About my backyard microwedding ceremony

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?

A nine person wedding can be just as intimate and special as a 100 person wedding! We felt so much love that night, and because it was intimate I know every guest felt it too. It's okay to throw all of your expectations out the window. It's okay to scale back and focus on what's important instead — your marriage.

Vendors

• Central Market – Floral
• Anthropologie – Dress
• Goodwill – Decor
• Poke Joe's – Food

Backyard Microwedding Gallery

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