Backyard Wedding
I have the professional shots from the backyard wedding I coordinated in the spring. Click on the photo below to go to the photo gallery for this wedding.
Photo courtesy of christytylerphotography.com.
Photos from a June wedding
Here are a few shots I took at a lovely, very small wedding in June at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston. I hope to have the professional photos later so you can see the rest of what it looked like.
The room at the Orrington was decked out for the reception.
Here's a close-up of one of the place settings.
MilleFiori did a lovely job with the flowers.
The sweetheart table for the newlyweds.
I thought their signs were cute.
Here's the cake with more flowers.
Words You Don’t Want to Hear Yourself Saying
The guests never know if something is awry. Photo by Hannah Elaine Photography (hannahelaine.com).
One of the things I like about wedding planning is that it is full of surprises. Unfortunately, not all of them are the pleasant kind. I coordinated a wedding recently where I found myself saying words that no one wants to hear coming out of their mouth. It went like this:
“Hello, gas company? I’d like to report a gas leak.” I gave the address. “I need you to send someone right away. Please send someone really discreet, because there are 150 guests here for a back yard wedding.”
It was about 15 minutes before the ceremony in the back yard of a beautiful North Shore home. The caterer was using the coach house kitchen, and we kept smelling gas in the garage below the kitchen. All the family members had gone a few blocks away for pre-ceremony photos, so I was the logical person to make the call. I figured that the disruption of a service man arriving would be less than the disruption of a gas explosion!
Fortunately, the people at the gas company understood the situation, and the man who came to turn off the gas came and went before the ceremony started without even making a ripple. When the family returned, I explained to the bride’s father what had gone on in their absence. And then we started the processional, without anyone else being the wiser.
Throwing Things at the Guests
This garter was not seen by the guests at the wedding at all. Photo by hannahelaine photography (hannahelaine.com).
I’ve noticed a trend at weddings lately, and it’s something that is not done, rather than any other kind of innovation. More and more of the couples I have worked with have done without the traditions of the bouquet toss and the garter toss. I’m not sure if this is just my clients, or if the phenomenon is more widespread.
There could be several reasons for this trend:
It could just be a fluke. That’s what I thought at first when it was only two or three couples in a row.
It could be that couples who want to work with me are already thinking about doing things non-traditionally. Maybe the bouquet toss is still popular outside of my little niche.
It may be that as wedding planning becomes more elastic, it becomes easier to dispense with things that have no resonance for individuals. Or as people marry later, they want more sophistication in their celebrations.
The bouquet toss becomes less attractive when more of the bride’s female friends are already married. I’ve seen DJs cajoling women onto the floor to catch the bouquet when there were very few single women present.
The garter ritual has gotten a bad reputation, not only because it can be done in a way that may be offensive to some sensibilities, but because its unsavory history is beginning to be known. (Apparently, in the Middle Ages, it was customary for the local men to rip clothing off a newly married bride to “loosen her up.” Brides began carrying extra garters to throw to them in hopes of escaping.)
None of this is to say that these traditions can’t be done any more. I’m sure there are many weddings every year where the bride tosses the bouquet and where the garter is tossed to all the single men present. But I have noticed that many people are rethinking these traditions and deciding for themselves whether or not they want them at their wedding.
Eco-Friendly Weddings Re-Run: Location
Try a beautiful outdoor location for your celebration.
I’m thinking about locations for eco-friendly weddings and events. There are many choices you can make to have a sustainable location for your event. The place you choose can have a large impact on how sustainable your celebration is.
For example, you can choose a LEED certified building, or rent from and support a location that has an environmental mission, such as a botanic garden or organic farm. You can also look at the Green Hotels Association to find a hotel with an environmental commitment. Or you can find an eco-friendly restaurant through the Green Restaurant Association. Celebrating outdoors, of course, reduces the power needed for lighting and air conditioning. If you’re having more than one event on the same day (such as a wedding and reception), you can have them in the same location to reduce the amount of transportation needed.
There are lots of easy things you can do to make your wedding or other celebration more eco-conscious. Every little bit helps!
Back Yard Wedding Photos
Here is a tiny taste of a wedding I did early in the summer. It was in the back yard of the bride’s parents’ home, and it was lovely. Professional photos are coming in a couple of weeks. This is just a teaser.
The guests entered from the side yard.
This is how the tent looked after it was set up for the reception.
The centerpieces were potted herbs.
The guests took home the individual plants from the centerpieces.
The back yard setting was a beautiful place for a wedding.
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