Creative Lighting Ideas for a Backyard Wedding

Is there anything sweeter than a backyard wedding? It’s homey. It’s endearing. It’s sentimental. It also requires a lot of pre-planning so that everything about it can go just right.

There many events that we attend without giving much thought into all of the detailing that’s involved. For instance, when’s the last time you went to a romantic restaurant or jazz concert venue and thought, “Wow, I wonder what kind of lighting they used?” Yet, the truth of the matter is that lighting is one of the greatest ambiance mood setters that there is. So, if you’re planning a backyard wedding, this means that you have to get the lighting just right, right?
If you’re looking for some creative lighting ideas for your backyard wedding, these are sure to “enlighten” you.

Creative Lighting Ideas for a Backyard Wedding

Inspiring ideas for a wonderful backyard wedding

Image via: Pinterest

Paper Lanterns.

Something that’s super sweet and extra cheap is handmade paper lanterns. If you’re having an evening wedding, this is an option that you can go with to either light up your aisle or lead people to the tent for your reception. All you need is some paper, scissors, a stapler and some battery-operated lights to put inside them. Or you can get some festive paper bags and place some lights inside of them to make the bags glow. You can go to basically any search engine and put “How to make a paper lantern” in it for instructions.

Sparklers.

Growing up, who didn’t look forward to the Fourth of July when we could hold a sparkler in our hands? For a wedding, they’re a wonderful way to celebrate a couple either after they’re formally introduced as man and wife or towards then end of their wedding reception. You can go to any fireworks supply store to pick up a box or 20 at a very cost-effective price.

Rustic doorway to a dinner party

Image via: Wedding Bliss

Candles.

It’s amazing how after all these centuries, people never seem to tire of candles. They just seem to have such a soft and calming effect. And, if you get some that are scented with fragrances like vanilla or lavender, it’s almost like you can smell the presence of love within the air. If you’re having a small wedding and a relatively short ceremony, candles may serve as the lighting for the event. You can have people hold them while they stand in a circle around you. Or, they can be centerpieces for the tables at your reception. A fishbowl filled with water, a tea light and a little flower provides an understated elegance that doesn’t cost a lot to make.

Lighting can set the perfect setting

Twinkle lights.

White lights aren’t just for Christmas trees. They are also a beautiful way to light up gazebos, trees and backyard decks. If this is an option that you’re considering, twinkle lights are a term that is oftentimes interchangeable with party string lights. You can find them for about $20 a box at virtually any party supply store.

Hang up some lampshades.

Have you been looking at some garden wedding venues to get some inspiration for your own backyard wedding? If so, what flowers can do for the wedding, lampshades can do for the reception. It may sound odd, but a really creative idea that brings about a wonderful end result is to string up some mini-lampshades on an extension cord from your tent’s ceiling and place some incandescent light bulbs in each one. A low-wattage one will set a romantic mood and the lampshade itself will serve as a wonderful conversation piece; therefore, providing people with just one more reason why they will be glad that you came to your backyard wedding extravaganza.

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