Looking to plan your backyard wedding in Michigan and trying to find the best tips and things to consider? You’re in luck! As a Michigan wedding photographer, I’ve captured many backyard weddings. Keep scrolling, because I’m about to give you all of the tips you’ll need to plan an epic backyard wedding in Michigan, things you should consider, and also give you some inspiration from one of my favorite recent backyard weddings!

5 Reasons to plan a Backyard Wedding in Michigan

In my opinion, there are SO many positives to planning a backyard wedding in Michigan. You can be flexible with your date, save a ton of money on venue costs, your guest list can be as intimate (hello more money saving) or as big as you want, and having your wedding on you or your families property just feels more special and sentimental! Let’s dive into each benefit below.

1.) Flexibility When Choosing Your Wedding Date

The great thing about a backyard wedding in Michigan is that you can be more flexible with your date. Want your wedding on a specific date or weekend? No worries. You don’t have to check the availability of a wedding venue. Especially if this is your property, choosing a date will be easy peasy.

If you’re looking to get married during peak wedding season, you and your fiancé won’t have to stress about your date! This may seem like a small feat, but trust me, it’s one less thing you’ll have to stress about when wedding planning! Another awesome thing? Depending on the property, you could also turn this into a wedding weekend opportunity and have friends and family camp out on your property!

2.) Backyard Weddings Typically Save You Money!

A very popular reason in choosing to plan a backyard wedding is that is is very cost effective. Especially in this economy, am I right? Many couples don’t realize the amount of hidden fees that come along with renting a venue. From per guest fees, deposits, decor, etc.

Planning a backyard wedding in Michigan will allow you to save quite a bit on your wedding costs allowing you to either save or allocate that money towards things that matter more to you for your wedding day!

3.) An Intimate Guest List Or As Big Of a Party As You Want!

Just because you choose to have a backyard wedding in Michigan doesn’t necessarily mean you need to keep your guest list small, but it is a perk if that’s what you’re going for. If you have a lot of space and want to have a ton of people to come celebrate, you can also do this too!

If you do go the more intimate guest list route, you’ll also be saving money this way because you’re spending less on food costs and other things that come along with a larger guest list.

4.) Backyard Weddings Allow More Personalization

Another wonderful perk of planning a backyard wedding in Michigan is the ability for you to completely personalize your day. Whether that’s through decor, your vendors, what time you want things to get started or be over, etc.

You can truly design a space and atmosphere to that reflects you and your partner with no worries about wedding venue rules or timelines. You can get fun with your decorations and the party doesn’t have to end until you say so! Check out these “45 Backyard Wedding Ideas to Make Your Own” by Martha Stewart for some fun ideas. You can even check out Pinterest as backyard wedding ideas are always trending over there!

5.) The Most Sentimental Space to Host Your Wedding

And last but certainly not least is hosting your wedding on your own property or a property that you are familiar with has so much sentimental value. Maybe it’s you and your spouses current home. Or maybe it’s the property you or your spouse grew up on.

Either way, having your wedding day there won’t only feel very sentimental to you, but can also be calming because you’re in a familiar place for one of the biggest days of your life!

Things to Consider When Planning A Backyard Wedding in Michigan

Planning a backyard wedding in Michigan isn’t difficult, but it does come with a few things to consider such as electrical hookups, restrooms for your guests, and potential permits for backyard weddings in Michigan. Let’s dive into some of these things!

1.) Electrical Hook Ups For Your Backyard Wedding

One thing for certain is that you’re going to need some extra outdoor power for your backyard wedding! Things such as the DJ if you’re having one, catering, lighting, etc all will use power and it’s best to have generators because the last thing you want is to blow a fuse trying to run so much directly from your house!

2.) Outdoor Restrooms For Your Guests

The best way to go about restrooms for your backyard wedding in Michigan is to rent portable toilets. That last thing you want is people going in and out of your house constantly, and if you have more than just a few people attending, you’ll likely need more than one bathroom anyways.

There are also more “luxury” restroom rentals that have sinks and everything if porta potty’s don’t sound appealing to you! Listed below are a few companies you could consider for your backyard wedding in Michigan.

Lavish Restrooms Rentals – Serving Mid Michigan

Jay’s Portables – All of Michigan for Restroom Trailers & Large Orders

Superior Portables – Serving All of Michigan

Kerkstra Services – Serving West Michigan

3.) Permits

Whether or not you will need to have a permit will depend entirely on where you are located. It’s best to check with the county that your wedding will be in and go from there. The biggest thing that you may have to worry about regarding a backyard wedding in Michigan would be noise, parking, and fire ordinances! If you live on a more remote piece of property, you likely won’t have to worry, but should always check anyway!

Check out this “Checklist For a Backyard Wedding” by A Planned Affair to see more on what you should be thinking about when planning your backyard wedding in Michigan!

What Vendors Will You Need For Your Backyard Wedding in Michigan?

The vendors you’ll need for your backyard wedding will truly depend on what you envision for your day and what’s important to you! A few vendors that you will likely need and may want are listed below!

• Wedding Planner
• Photographer/Videographer
• Florist
• Officiant
• DJ
• Food Catering
• Furniture Rentals
• Bathroom Rentals
• Baker

When you work with me as your Michigan wedding photographer, I’ll also help and recommend some trusted wedding vendors that I’ve worked with in the past!

the best months for your backyard wedding in michigan?

As a Michigan wedding photographer, the most popular times for weddings is June through September. This is especially so if you’re planning a backyard wedding in Michigan because once October hits, snow and cold temps are likely from October to as late as mid-April depending on what region you live in!

June – The weather is typically mild enough to enjoy a nice sunny backyard wedding in Michigan with temps ranging from the mid 60’s-80’s. Flowers are starting to bloom, though there is chance of rain showers!

July – Weather is warm and averages mid-70’s to low 80’s. Weather is more consistently warm and sunnier! The downside is that it can get very hot and humid in July.

August – Weather is similar to July with average temps from mid-high 70’s to mid-80’s. It’s typically warm, sunny, and can still be hot and humid.

September – Weather is more mild as it starts to cool down with average temps to the mid-60’s-70’s. Fall weddings are always popular because you get that beautiful fall foliage and the weather is more tolerable, evenings can get a bit chilly though.

Overall, any of these months would be great for your backyard wedding in Michigan. As we all know, Michigan weather can be unpredictable, so it’s always best to have backup plans for inclement weather. I highly recommend renting a tent or two in the event that it does rain.

Will You Be Planning Your Backyard Wedding in Michigan?

If you’re planning your own backyard wedding in Michigan, I hope that this guide was helpful in your planning! In my opinion, there are so many pros to having a backyard wedding. From the flexibility, cost savings, and the ability to completely personalize you day!

Meet MarRisa – Your Documentary Michigan Wedding Photographer

Hey, I’m Marissa, hopefully your soon to be Michigan wedding photographer! I love meeting new people, exploring new places, and dancing! The perfect combination for a wedding photographer, right? =]

When I’m not using my camera, you can find me jamming out to music in my car (love me some 2000s pop punk/emo), sipping on some coffee, reading, hanging with my boyfriend and cat Gibby, or having the best time at a concert!

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer who wants to hype you up, make you feel seen, and document your day in a way that is true to you and your love, then we might just me a perfect match! You can learn even more about me here. If I sound like the perfect Michigan wedding photographer for you, then inquire with me and let’s get to know each other better! In the meantime, check out more on the blog for inspiration and follow me over on Instagram so we can stay connected!