Reception in a garden, any advice?

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We’re old (late 50s) and planning a June wedding, local church if they will accept a heathen like me, then walk back to our house and a party in the garden. Planning to hire a stretch tent or similar. Wondering if anyone else did this and any advice!

We did this 11 years ago now. We did a registry office wedding and then a garden party. We hired a small marquee but just a basic one with none of the frills and decorations. We used garden chairs and school dinner tables (I'm a teacher)

We provided all the drinks like wine, soft drinks, some beer and spirits. Guests were happy to bring their own if there was anything specific they wanted . We had a BBQ as it was August and buffet in the evening. It was ap really lovely chilled out affair

What happens if the weather is against you? Can you move it all indoors? What about toilet facilities?

My sister did this, as did friends. The main thing I would recommend is to make sure you have a proper floor in the tent/ marquee! If it has been wet it will end up as mud otherwise, and uneven floors plus drunk people is also not great!
Also, what about toilets, will people need to go into your house to access them? Might be fine for a small party but not ideal for a big one. Finally lights. If the party goes on past sundown you'll need to make sure visibility is ok, including inside a portaloo if you end up with one of those. (yes these are lessons learnt from attending such dos!)

Yes, my first wedding (a long time ago) was fine. I did my own catering too. Needs must and all that. Just do get dietary needs in advance and if you want people to bring contributions of food or drink make sure you are clear. As long as you live in the parish you can marry in your local church

Some of the tents cost thousands to hire. As do portaloos. You might be cheaper and less bother in the church hall tbh!

We did this a few years ago and hired portaloos. They weren't too expensive and were well worth the money. The local pub did our catering and provided the drink (beer and wine only) with a bit of fizz for the toast. They also provided the glasses. We borrowed tables and chairs from the local church hall for a small fee. Everyone had a good time and it was very relaxed.

We did this for a family member. It was wonderful! It was very hot and I wish we’d had more umbrellas at the tables. Everybody brought their garden furniture from home and we didn’t consider the sun! We hired glasses. M&S sandwich platters and M&S iced sponge cake. Lidl Prosecco was our very cheerful fizz.

After attending a marquee wedding in pouring rain (in May) whatever else you do - have a wet weather plan, make sure there’s enough space and seating for everyone in the marquee! Don’t rely on some people being able to sit outside.

Definitely spend a good amount on decent loos.
Umbrellas for guests to borrow to walk between the marquee and loos/cars if it is raining. Also consider if you need any heating for the marquee. We got married in the summer, but it was a bit cold, I should have had a stack of blankets or pashminas for people to use.
We used a firm to do the catering for the meal, and didn't realise that they had to take all of the leftover food back with them, so there was nothing left for late night munching after the disco!
We provided our own beers/wine/spirits, and got all of the mixers/soft drinks from Costco which was really reasonable. However, we hired a couple of bar staff to help out who opened all the wine bottles before the guests arrived. We were left with a good couple of dozen bottles that had had the corks taken out but not drunk on the day, such a waste.

How many people and how big is your house? How many loos have you got?

I'd look into making sure the tent has flooring and hire some of those big black plastic holey mats (like they use for cars in overflow car parks) for the route into the house.

If it's wet and muddy will you want folk traipsing through the house for the loo?

we went to an outdoor wedding end of May, it got very later on. There was a bonfire that people shuffled round, but honestly quite a few people left early as it was so cold. Have blankets around.

We went to a registry office wedding a few years ago and the reception was back at their house/garden. The weather was lovely, but I echo others to have a wet weather plan. I've been to other weddings and events in gardens too.

My thoughts:
-Do any friends/family have connections to get a marquee for free/small fee? Members of a football club, scouts or similar?
-If people are using indoor toilets, and going from the garden to inside, do they have to walk on carpet to get there? Consider getting floor covers, especially if you have a cream carpet!
-Consider lighting outside for inside and outside the marquee and also inside portaloos if you get them.

-Consider local cafe's for catering also M&S or costco.
-How will people eat? Will it be finger food on a paper plate whilst standing? A sit down meal with knife and fork?
-Will you have enough chairs for everyone to sit? Nothing worse than standing around in heels and there aren't enough chairs for everyone!

Just to add, we did hire 2 porta loos as the garden belonged to my grandmother and she didn't want people traipsing inside late at night.

Toilets
Flooring in the marquee
Wet weather plan (including cold)
Parking
Catering and keeping things cold if it is a hot day
Clearing up afterwards
People who aren't very mobile (wheelchair on grass? Zimmer frame? crutches or sticks ? Is your garden flat?)