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In a difficult economy, brides are more often choosing to spend more of their wedding funds on their honeymoon and opt for a smaller, more cost-effective backyard wedding. These sorts of celebrations can be intimate and warm, and in a familiar environment which will provide memories of special moments at your own home, where the place of your wedding will become the place love and lovers dwell together. Any outdoor space can become the venue for a wedding, provided it allows for an audience, has a space for the bride and groom that is conducive to great photographs, and takes advantage of your home's idiosyncrasies.

Destination weddings can be beautiful events, but they are very expensive and oftentimes force your guests to spend a lot of money, too. Backyard weddings are becoming more popular, and with good reason, as they can be rustic, trendy, and speak to the couple's individual fashion sense. The backyard has been coined “the new ballroom,” and can be fun to plan, as long as you make a list of all the things you'll need.

First, you will want to get a large tent to guard your wedding and its guests from the elements, whether it be the extreme summer heat, or the unexpected drizzle. Rent a tent to accommodate the volume of people attending, and rent a dance floor to put underneath. You'll need a bar, a seating area, as well as a PA system. Obviously, these are the essentials and other the necessity of other amenities will be subject to the style of your wedding. Landscaping your home for your wedding should include floral arrangements, the grooming of your lawn and trimming or design of your shrubs.

Now onto the details. Make your wedding personal. You've already chosen your back yard, so why not serve your favorite food, wine and beer? Just because your wedding is outdoors, you don't have to eat like it’s a picnic. Rent nice china, silverware, and linen. Those details will ring through in photographs and the encompassing ambiance of your big day.  If you're eating outside, make sure that you have citronella candles burning so that your guests are not incessantly bitten by mosquitos, which can quickly turn a joyous occasion into an annoying one. Finally, let the neighbors know that you are holding an event at your house so that the police don't arrive as expected guests!