38 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com /CharlestonWomen person celebration. “With a bigger guest list comes more planning, higher costs and additional accommodations,” she added. Davis recommends hiring a full-service caterer with a mobile kitchen but warns against elaborate displays like carving stations. Instead, she favors more outdoorfriendly food options like tacos, mac-andcheese bars and flatbread stations. She also thinks high-end disposable dishware and cutlery are perfectly appropriate for a backyard wedding, adding that an adequate number of trash cans should be readily available for guest use. When planning a backyard wedding, Davis encourages couples to work with established rental companies and do a walk-through before committing to the space. Once the rental company, caterer and wedding planner have seen the yard, it’s easier to fashion beautiful outdoor ceremonies, intimate seating areas, cozy café lighting and amenities such as restroom trailers. Davis also encourages couples to consider tenting, flooring and, most importantly, a backup plan for inclement weather. She encourages brides to invest in a second dress to wear after the ceremony or later into the evening and also thinks hosts of backyard events should prepare for an influx of partygoers. Davis encourages couples to schedule first looks and bridal party photos before guests arrive. She also recommends having an airtight plan for guest parking or transportation. THE TESTIMONIAL Charleston native Amber Hoover Bennett had a lovely backyard wedding. As an avid bargain hunter and collector, Bennett had spectacular ideas for her wedding day theme and decór, with the vision resting on a borrowed backyard. Thankfully, the homeowners obliged. Bennett and her fiancé put together an enchanting event in only three months. Bennet created a focal point in one tree, lit with strands of Christmas twinkle lights and useing faux birds to showcase the landscape. Dinner was eaten on mismatched but curated China, and much of the table décor was thrifted and borrowed. This is why Bennett believes that the sky’s the limit on what a couple can do when celebrating their nuptials with a backyard wedding. Davis believes the flexibility of a backyard wedding allows couples to use local, seasonal and gifted materials like wildflowers, feathers and greenery for decór. “The best aesthetic comes from mixing materials,” said Bennett. “Pick out your linens, ask your mom, aunt, great-aunt or cousin for something borrowed, and create new traditions on your wedding day. It starts somewhere, why not with you?” she quipped. Bennett echoes Currie’s sentiment that a backyard wedding can come together beautifully with the help of a dedicated bridal party and supportive family. She encourages brides and grooms to ask for help and use their loved ones’ talents to make their backyard wedding dreams come true. “If a hiccup arises, because it will, just roll with it,” advised Bennett. On her own wedding day, rain unexpectedly poured down after the linens were out, candles were in candelabras and flower arrangements graced the tables. “Everything had to be stripped down and dried,” she said. The couple had a large Charleston Women in Style A Lowcountry backyard wedding.
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