Can I risk this?

[Tiredprobably]

I really want a low key BBQ party after the wedding as I want to avoid too much fuss and cost. My mums got a biggish back garden there's about 70 guests plus children. Wedding is very end of July. Any ideas to make this work but not have family rushing round all day, would you trust the weather? We've planned absolutely nothing!

We are having a picnic party on 3rd august this year in a big shared back garden for 70-100 people. We are going to have a rexaled fun garden party. It was going to be a bbq but due to our tiny budget of £100 ish for a party we just cant feed lots of people so our plan is this: keep every thing crossed for good weather but our bad weather back up is a big old scout tent plus 2 small marques borrowed from our motor cycle club if needed. We are going for a boho look so lots of little fairy lights, pillows and blankets, plus home growen flowers in old bottles, tins and jam jars. So it should work well with the outside picnic party plans. There is another reason for picnic over bbq, if it does rain we wont have lots of meat and food left over if its a rainny day. We looked into halls it all made it to formal and well wedding like, we wanted a informal fun party, like you do by the sounds of it.
I am a little scarried of the weather turning but I hope it wont. I cant wait to have our party as I hope poeple will remeber it because it wasnt just another formal wedding party, so I would say go for it :-) but make some wet weather plans if you can.

My cousin did this and it was amazing but they did get caterers in. A local company that specialises in BBQ, they bring the food, cook it then clear it all away. Even supplied paper plates if I remember. They also brought their own little gazebo that they cooked and food was under. It worked out at the same cost as if they had bought the food themselves so don't rule it out.
If you have a dj or band they might bring along a dance floor you can use if not use an iPod and a patio area.
I would consider the weather, a marquee tent to hire is not that expensive and could potentially save the day either to protect from rain or the sun! Get families to help out with table and chairs, the week before this wedding loads of aunts and uncles took garden table and chairs round, if you didn't have marquee you could also borrow parasols, and just cover with table cloths. The table not the parasol! Can't remember if cousin borrowed table clothes or if the went to charity shops etc but it looked great

Our local butcher hires out one of his lads to do a bbq for a very reasonable sum so if you can stretch to that it would take the pressure of family members. Also, the meat is then on a sale or return basis as they bring it with them and keep it in special fridge/freezer type containers so they know it's been maintained under the correct conditions hence being able to return what isn't used.
And could you ask close friends and family to make one salad dish or dessert each perhaps, buy the bread/rolls that morning and you're away. i love byanymeans ideas of fairy lights, flowers in jam jars and pillows/throws etc. A mish mash of deck chairs, rugs on the floor. I want to come

Oh ment to say if we do a big bbq as a family we get a supermarket devilery that morning so we dont have to sort salads and rolls over night. Oh and if you have kidss come maybe think about doing a kids craft table to get kids playing so the parents can relaxs nothing messy, pipe cleaner flowers and colouring to save them diging up the garden or starting a water fight, lol.

Ooo so many good ideas! I was thinking having people into cook would save a lot of the stress, already getting everyone to do pots and hanging baskets but just having a wobble about the chance of rain! I was hoping for exactly that look, jam jars of flowers and rugs on the grass! Paper plates are such an obvious idea now you say it too I guess that can go for everything. Hmm might just work out!

We're doing something similar in Aug ! Maybe we should start a support thread ;) our numbers are a bit bigger but hoping to pull it off in the same way.

Watching as same dilemma here!!

We're definitely getting caterers though as everyone would stress way too much otherwise. I think that really where there is food, booze and someplace to sit (cushion, grass, wherever) and some music and fairy lights, the party atmosphere will take care of itself!
One thing to consider is the toilet situation though. Do you have neighbours who might be willing to make their loo available as back-up to avoid queues?

Hire a marquee tent with floor. The small sizes aren't to expensive. Been to several weddings like this and BBQ caterers and they are a blast!

My friend had this type of wedding, it was fab. She had a marquee and afternoon tea reception by caterers, a cheese buffet in the evening and garden games. She had a hired portakabin with toilets (a posh one!)

Our local butchers do BBQs and hog roasts using the local traditional pigs. Very tasty.

If you want a dance floor you'll need to hire a marque.

Otherwise you may well find friends, school or the scouts have a small marque, big party tent you can borrow.

It may even be cheaper to buy your own

However, also buy some gaffer tape, strong thin rope and some large pegs.
Light weight cheap tents are way less flimsy for taping loose poles joints together and giving them decent guy ropes.

(We have no shade and an exposed windy garden, gazebos have to stay up for 5 months and last at least two season. Then the UV wins. Wrapping themselves around the climbing frame is not.)

Hi, can I sneak in? All your ideas so far are fab. We are getting married at the end of April in registrars office then back home for a do in the house/garden.
We had the hotel function thing booked but when I was stressing about chair covers and the cost of a band etc, I thought screw this!
So far we have 2 gazebos. It isn't the biggest garden so it will be one at the back and one at the side of the house. Pal of a pal owns a chippy van so awaiting a quote for chips, buns, all the food you fancy when drinking!
We have bought some battery power orchid fairy lights and lanterns from eBay and borrowing our friends outdoor heater. Music will be from iPod doc in the kitchen. Back to basics for our wedding! Keep the ideas coming!

Hello everyone, I have booked a marquee with a floor, it's about £700 with rubber backed carpet and ivory lining with an accent colour of my choice it was too stressful worrying about the weather otherwise. I got a company in to quote and was surprised at how reasonable they were.

My sis did a similar kind of wedding she did an honesty bar, bought loads of beer ( in kegs from a local brewery) wine (from tesco sale or return) etc in advance and then suggested prices (way cheaper than a normal wedding bar or pub). Family and friends didn't want to see her out of pocket she had enough money to cover the cost of the alcohol and some of the food.

DP and I held our CP in June 2012; it PERSISTENTLY Pissed Down all day, except for the magical hour!
As we said our vows the sun streamed in through the windows and it stayed dry for photographs.

I don't want to rain on your parade but make sure you have dry access to the loos and a dry smoking area and somewhere for the kids to run riot.

I loved our Big Gay Day, all the people I love together, poetry, food, drinks, music dancing and a feral tribe of children.

Oh and the nicest, bestest woman you could meet agreed to spend her life with me!!

I commented on this