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Are you considering a backyard garden wedding? If so, you probably have some concerns regarding the technicalities that might stand between you and the garden wedding of your dreams. If that’s the case – I’m here to help. Today, we’re going to address 4 of the most common concerns about backyard garden weddings. 4 of the most common concerns about backyard weddings are: Is a backyard wedding allowed?What legal issues apply to a backyard wedding?Is a backyard wedding safe?How do I reduce noise for a background garden wedding? Let’s start with the first question. Is A Backyard Wedding Allowed? Yes. Backyard weddings are allowed. However, you must speak with your local authorities to determine all regulations, permits, and liabilities that may apply to your special event. What Legal Issues Apply To A Backyard Wedding? The most significant legal issues to consider when planning a backyard wedding are: The Safety Of Your Property Grounds & Injury PreventionDisclaiming Liability With Vendors & Anyone Else Helping YouProtecting Your Guests & Community From Dangers Related To Alcohol Consumption & Intoxication Following Permit Regulations & Ordinances Let’s elaborate on the aforementioned legal issues. The Safety Of Your Property Grounds & Injury Prevention Definitely do yourself a favor and inspect the outdoor premises in its entirety — especially, but not limited to — the common areas. The concern here is the potential for injury as it applies to premises liability. You’re liable if a guest trips over a rock or a protruding tree root. So move the rock and block off passage to the tree root. Fishing hooks or other sharp objects? Remove them. Those holes your dogs were digging next to the patio? Fill them in. If your dog digs a hole, fill it in to protect your guests. Your skittish, unfriendly cat? Keep him in an indoor area far from where guests might wander (better yet, leave him with a trusted pet sitter whom he is comfortable with.) The gate to your inground pool? Keep it locked. If a pool celebration is part of your outdoor affair — consider hiring a lifeguard or choosing a designated pool spotter who will make sure children (and adults) are safe. If you’re having a large number of guests and your pool deck is slippery, you may want to consider skipping the pool party altogether. Whether created by humans or by nature, if hazards are present, you will need to remove them, fix them, rope them off, or add impossible-to-miss cautionary signage. Disclaiming Liability With Vendors & Anyone Else Helping You Whether using professional vendors or enlisting help from Aunt Betty, you need disclaimers of liability for anyone and everyone handling food, beverages, and equipment. Specifically, anyone climbing ladders, handling heavy objects and machinery, and/or coming into contact with food for guest consumption — whether they’re the decorators, the string quartet, or the designated cooks at the grill...you Must set up disclaimers of liability with them. Protecting Your Guests & Community From Dangers Related To Alcohol Consumption & Intoxication This one is relatively self-explanatory, but it’s worth emphasizing — have a protocol in place to prevent heavy drinking, drunken accidents, and drunk driving. When planning a wedding in a space as intimate and sacred as your own backyard, you should be extremely weary of the heavy drinkers. If you need to hire a TIPS trained bartender who is capable of cutting off heavy drinkers, so be it. At the very least, though, you should have someone monitoring the alcohol consumption of your guests and taking action to keep your guests and your community safe. Make sure your guests enjoy alcoholic beverages responsibly and in moderation. Appropriate action that can be taken to keep wedding guests safe from dangers related to intoxication include: Cutting alcohol off from anyone who would otherwise drink in excessSetting up a trusted ride service or designated driver for anyone who is not in safe and suitable shape to drive.Providing a safe space for monitoring buzzed guests (especially if they’re drowsy) This is probably a less popular option, but if possible/practical, a sure-fire way to keep your guests and community safe is to have an intimate guest list free of anyone you know to get dangerously out of hand with their drinking. At the end of the day, if anyone is injured or put in harm’s way due to excessive drinking that happens on your property, you’re likely to be sued (even if the accident happens outside of your property lines). Following Permit Regulations & Ordinances Most people are familiar with their town’s noise ordinance, but did you know that your town may also have additional property restrictions in place that you need to take into account? From lighting — to parking — to maximum capacity limits — to burning permits, there’s a lot to take into account. When in doubt, call local authorities in your town to make sure you’re aware of any necessary permits or rules that might affect your big day. This standing lamp will light up the night to avoid accidents. To sum it up briefly... Keep the rules in mind to avoid getting fined. Alright, let’s move on to the next commonly expressed concern about backyard garden weddings. Is A Backyard Wedding Safe? Yes, as long as necessary precautionary measures are taken to ensure safety, backyard weddings are generally safe. While it is possible for accidents to happen just about anywhere, risks can be mitigated by speaking with local town authorities and following safety protocols both while preparing for and while celebrating your special day. We went over much of this above, particularly in these two sections: The Safety Of Your Property Grounds & Injury PreventionProtecting Your Guests & Community From Dangers Related To Alcohol Consumption & Intoxication If you already have a good understanding of these safety precautions, it’s still a good idea to use common sense and err on the side of caution. Arguably more important than the legality part is the simple and obvious fact that it’s important to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. How Do I Reduce Noise For A Backyard Garden Wedding? The best way to reduce noise for a backyard garden wedding is to add a water feature or fountain to your yard prior to the event. You can learn more about garden wedding venues with water features (and many others) in this article. Though it’s important not to totally blast your neighbor’s eardrums with blaring music, you can probably get away with a volume reasonable for dancing and celebrating without burning bridges with Mr. & Mrs. Ellis next door. These bubblers add the effect of having subtle natural water geysers! You can add pouring streams of water to your pool or pond to create a natural and relaxing sound ambience. The tranquil resonance of jets hitting the surface will make the sound of your DJ’s speakers a lot easier for your neighbors to make peace with. This pool scupper creates a calming, waterfall-like sound that drowns out some of the chit-chat and chatter between guests! If you already have a pool or pond with white noise-emitting bubblers, sconces, scuppers, or even a waterfall — you already have a good chance of avoiding noise complaints or unexpected visitors (AKA the police) on your wedding day. This fish sconce not only adds a classy look, but a classy sound, to boot! If you have a pool or pond without these added features, it may be worth shopping around to find a white noise-making product that fits into your budget! Splash pads aren’t just for playful kids! They’re great for weddings, too! No pool or pond? No problem. There are still plenty of gorgeous options for you. You really don’t need a pre-existing body of water in order to add a waterfall to your garden or backyard space! Standalone waterfalls provide not only peace and healing — but also an ear-pleasing, elegant touch! Check out this attractive standalone waterfall! Last —but certainly not least — is the good old fashioned water fountain. This stunning backyard feature will surely wow your guests. Best of all, though, it’ll resonate a sweet sound and minimize the risk of disturbing your neighbors! I encourage you to consider these various water feature options for your backyard garden wedding and choose what’s right for your budget, personality, and vision! Regardless of what feature you decide on, I’m confident that your backyard water feature will truly elevate your overall ambience! You might also be interested in reading this article about how to reduce traffic noise in your backyard. Conclusion Now you know the answers to four of the most common concerns couples have when planning a backyard garden wedding. As long as you follow the tips we went over above, I know you’ll be in great shape to make your garden wedding dreams a reality! If you want to make sure you have enough lovely places for your guests to lounge and sit, check out this article on unique and unusual garden furniture ideas. You can find answers to 6 Commonly Asked Questions About Backyard Garden Weddings here. You can also learn How To Plan A Garden Wedding On A Budget here. I wish you and yours a lifetime of love and bountiful harvests! Happy planning! If you’re looking to rent garden space for a wedding, you can learn about how to rent garden space here. If you like the idea of a greenhouse for your home garden wedding, check out pricing for modular greenhouses on NW Greenhouses. I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information. If you want to read some of GreenUpSide’s popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy! I hope you enjoyed this guest post by LMadGz!