Ready for more details about our DIY backyard wedding? Here’s another installment of wedding stories, full of simple ideas that made our day feel both personal and polished.
If you’ve planned a wedding or any large gathering, you know how much guests appreciate thoughtful little touches. For our garden celebration we offered complimentary flip-flops for anyone whose footwear wasn’t ideal for the grass. To keep them charming and accessible, Sherry tied pairs together with rustic twine and arranged them in a burlap basket so guests could grab a pair and keep dancing comfortably.
We also reinvented the traditional wedding slideshow on a shoestring budget. Rather than renting a projector, we strung twine between two 5-foot garden hooks and clipped printed photos with wooden clothespins to create a charming clothesline display. It told our story—growing up, meeting, and falling in love—in a way that felt intimate and nostalgic. The whole display cost under $20 and kept people entertained while waiting for the photo booth. Guests still mention it today, which is the best compliment.
For the ceremony reading, we couldn’t find anything that matched who we are, so we wrote our own and blended it with notes and messages from our high school yearbooks. Those snippets—from friends teasing Sherry about her art to gentle jabs about my band geek days—captured our personalities far more honestly than any traditional passage. We asked family members to share the excerpts during the ceremony, and that personal touch became one of the most memorable moments of the day.
Lighting was critical to turning our backyard from a casual barbecue into an elegant evening event. We used votives on tables for soft, intimate light, and added tiki torches around the perimeter to create ambiance. For the driveway, we repurposed jam and sauce jars as candle holders—filled with a little sand to steady the candles—and lined the path. The jars were an inexpensive, eco-friendly option that looked warm and inviting.
We hung battery-operated paper lanterns from two yard trees near the ceremony site to create a gentle glow and a lovely backdrop for family photos. Because they were battery powered, we didn’t need to worry about running wires, which simplified setup and let us concentrate on enjoying the moment.
We were also fortunate to have a talented photographer in the family who captured most of the images you see here. His professional experience made a huge difference in the quality of our wedding album and allowed us to relax and be present while he worked his magic behind the camera.
Our dress code leaned casual to match the relaxed atmosphere and July heat. I wore khakis, a white shirt, and flip-flops—comfort over formality—and my friends followed a similar, laid-back look we jokingly called the “Khaki Brigade.” To add some whimsy, Sherry surprised us with tuxedo t-shirts, so we kept the mood light and playful.
Sherry’s wedding dress was a last-minute find purchased just two days before the ceremony. It was an affordable choice that felt right, and she looked absolutely radiant walking down the aisle. Sometimes the best decisions come from the heart and a little bit of luck.
Her bouquet was another simple DIY success. On the morning of the wedding she bought three large hydrangea blooms from a grocery store floral department, bound them with green floral tape, wrapped the stems in satin ribbon, and secured everything with pearl-headed pins. She tucked a tiny sentimental necklace around the handle for a private family detail, carefully pinned so it would stay in place throughout the day.
Perhaps the most dramatic decor element was the string lighting over the reception area. We bought six sets of large-bulb string lights and combined them into three long strands, reinforcing them with clear fishing line so the thin cords wouldn’t snap under tension. We attached carabiners to the ends, anchored one side to the sunroom and the other at the peak of the garage, where they wrapped around a weathervane and plugged into a hidden extension cord. The overhead glow transformed the space into a magical, cozy dining and dancing area—and everything stayed safely in place.
I briefly considered leaving those lights up year-round because they made coming home feel cinematic, but Sherry reminded me that storms can be unpredictable. In the end, we packed most things away, but the memory of that glow stays with us.
Check out our wedding album tab to see more photos and details from the entire day and get ideas for your own backyard celebration.