We had some interesting and unique spaces to work with, and the setting is gorgeous. Our first challenge was whittling down the guest list to a reasonable number of people. My in-laws' house is large, and has three full bathrooms, but it is on a busy street, so parking was going to be an issue. Then there was a concern about how many people could fit in the backyard for the ceremony and reception. Comfortably fit, that is. We ultimately settled on a guest list of about 54 people, plus Jason and me. In the end, 43 accepted, meaning we had to seat 45 people (and the photographer, so 46) for dinner. Since my mother-in-law nixed the idea of people sitting at their tables during the ceremony, we needed to create two distinct areas for the wedding: one for the ceremony, and one for the reception. To avoid having guests or family members turn into hired hands, I made the decision to rent 100 chairs, with the set up to take place in the days before the wedding.
The flat grassy area was perfect for the ceremony, although finding the right location for the exchange of our vows and the placement of the chairs was tricky. The ceremony was at 7:00 P.M. and that part of the property faces west. So the possibility of sun in someone's eyes was a concern.
The flat grassy area was perfect for the ceremony, although finding the right location for the exchange of our vows and the placement of the chairs was tricky. The ceremony was at 7:00 P.M. and that part of the property faces west. So the possibility of sun in someone's eyes was a concern.
So then we figured we could exchange our vows at the top of the hill leading to the pool, with the guests fanned out below us. But that posed problems with the acoustics - we wanted our guests to hear our vows.
At our rehearsal.
The day before the wedding, we decided to have the wedding on the flat part of the lawn, but changed the direction our guests would be facing. A friend pointed out that the view facing east was far more attractive than the view facing west. She was right. This meant that, if it was sunny, only the officiant would be affected.
Meanwhile the pavilion up by the pool became an ideal spot for the reception. The area between the posts measures 20' by 12'. The uncovered area is 16' by 12'. Not a lot of space for the six tables we were going to need, but a decision was made to have an overflow table in the grass. The buffet tables and bar would also be set up in the grass. A tight space, but workable. (Or so everyone told me. I had my doubts.)