How to plan a backyard wedding (that doesn't feel DIY)

There's a moment in every backyard wedding — usually around 6pm, once the sun starts dipping — where you look around and think: this is going to work. Getting to that moment is 80% about the rental order you place three months earlier.

Start with the tent. Not the flowers, not the DJ, not the caterer. The tent decides everything else: how many chairs fit, where the bar goes, whether Aunt Susan will complain about the sun. For 80 guests seated for dinner, you want at minimum a 20x30. For 120, a 30x60. Always add 10% for buffer.

Next: chairs. Gold chiavari is the answer 90% of the time. They look premium, they don't need chair covers, and they photograph beautifully. Skip the folding chairs — the $2/chair savings will haunt every single wedding photo.

Then lighting. String lights across the tent ceiling are non-negotiable. LED uplights around the perimeter, matched to your palette. If you're on a budget, cut anything before you cut the uplights.

Finally: the dance floor. A 12x12 parquet floor is the sweet spot for 80-140 guests. Any smaller and it feels like a mosh pit. Any larger and it looks empty until 10pm.

That's the whole package. Book it 6-8 weeks out for prime dates. Then you can obsess over the flowers.