Last year, we threw a couple of bridal showers in the summer and in the fall and they turned out really great. Much to my surprise, I ended up hosting a backyard wedding open house this past weekend for a friend. I’m not super creative, but we do have lots of parties, so we joined forces with some great little shops and we were able to put together a fun soiree.
Mason jars and floating candles with a little bit of twine or raffia created great lighting for very little cost!
Having to do an evening reception, I was worried about the lighting. Our deck can get pretty dark, so we wanted to find a creative and inexpensive way to lend some light. After some Pinterest inspiration, my friend created this awesome solution. A hula hoop wrapped in ribbon and icicle lights made for a very unique chandelier. It was an amazing solution that illuminated the whole deck and created a very cool ambiance.
I love getting my napkins from Robin at PaperEvent, the greatest little shop on Etsy! She is a pleasure to work with and creates beautiful designs that add a very special touch to a necessity. She can emboss all sizes of napkins for any occasion. I loved the way these turned out and tied in our colors for the reception.
My table top fireplace made a great centerpiece and helped to add a soft light to the dessert table. Speaking of dessert, don’t you just love these personalized favor bags from Etsy shop Cotton and Grain? They were absolutely perfect to send some sweet treats home with our guests and a lovely touch! They were able to be personalized with some details of our guests of honor. I loved them! I will definitely be returning to this shop for future events!
For the tables, I loved using wooden confetti and fairy lights from Etsy shop ChurchHouseWoodWorks. The lights were bendable, six feet long, and battery operated. It was great to have them to light up tables or other surfaces above the tables to add a soft glow. The confetti was awesome, printed with things like “Forever,” “Love,” “Mr. and Mrs.,” and more. Their products are super affordable and useful for so many occasions! Definitely will be making them my go-to for future party needs! You would be amazed at all the great items you can find on their website, too! You can visit them at www.ChurchHouseWoodworks.com.
Many thanks to these wonderful Etsy retailers who are creative and offer great products to those of us (like myself) that are creatively challenged! You made the night a success!
*product was received to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own.
themommyavenger.com 
You found so many cute things on Etsy. My brother is having a backyard wedding on the 24th and it’s last minute so I am scrambling to find some cute decos for them.
These are great ideas. My niece had a wedding a winery, but the reception was at their home. She used some of these same ideas.
This is beautiful! I love party planning and doing something on a good budget. You can make it just as unique and special as you want!
You have such a great eye for making beautiful decorations. Love the hula hoop lights. It is fun to have big events at your own house.
How stunning! I’d love to do something so beautiful in my own backyard. We need to TLC the back porch though!
I love the little Love is Sweet bags. Too cute. And anything with candles is amazing. It is amazing how you can be creative and turn an ordinary backyard into something magical!
That looks amazing. I love the lighting and the placement of everything. It’s really nice.
I’m such a fan of DIY weddings and events, it’s awesome how people are able to put together decor and everything else without the need of a planner. I love the rustic feel of this wedding, it’s really lovely.
I love DIY weddings. I don’t know why everyone needs to spend 8 million dollars and bankrupt themselves to start their lives together! I thought about doing that same lighting hula hoop for ours, but we wound up not needing it.
I really like how cozy and nice this looks. I am sure it was a wonderful event. I prefer the backyard feel.
Wow, that is just so sweet. Everything is so gorgeous and adorable. You should do this all the time!
Everything looks so beautiful. We had my daughter’s wedding reception in our backyard many years ago. It was so much work, but totally worth it, and made for such lovely memories.
Intimate and romantic! It’s what I love about receptions like this. I think you did an amazing job setting this up!
Just curious, did the lights get the hula hoop plastic too hot? I like that idea!
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
No, not at all! They were completely cool. So not at all a fire hazard.
Wow, what a stunning reception. I absolutely love the embossed napkins and the favors. Everything is so charming.
Oh everything is just beautiful! I love the color scheme of the flowers!
aww this is so sweet and I love the intimate setting! I think a backyard reception would have been our choice (had we had a backyard at the time :p )
Wow, you did such an amazing job decorating! I’m not so crafty but you’ve definitely given me some good ideas.
What a wonderful looking reception. I really love the Mason jars and floating candles.
I think you did an amazing job on a budget. Very classy and inviting! I love the mason jar lights and the warm ambiance it gives to the area.
Wow – that turned out beautiful! I love the decor you used for the reception!
I love using Etsy to make my parties special. You used some shops I wasn’t familiar with, so off I go to look!
It turned out so pretty! I love the lighting.
Great job on the decorations and the lighting. This looked really pretty! The wooden confetti was a nice touch.
Everything turned out lovely! I love the wooden confetti and the fairy lights. Very romantic!
That’s such a lovely thing to do for a friend! And I love how it turned out as well. The decor is perfect!
My friend just had a wedding and they had some gorgeous decor for cheap. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to look beautiful!
Everything looks amazing! You wouldn’t think that this was all DIY! I really like how it turned out and I’m sure your friend is delighted!
I love the hula hoop chandelier. It turned out so cute. I would have never guessed it was made from a hula hoop.
What a beautiful tablescape! This looks absolutely darling!
You made the backyard romantic, i also loved the chandelier.
What a neat table. Love the lighting!
so so so pretty! i love this and the lighting outdoors.
This turned out so beautifully! I love the things you can find on etsy. They are affordable and unique! So many great pieces that really brought the whole look together. I will have to remember this for the next shower I throw.
Etsy is one of the best place in the world to shop for all things unique and special for your big day. A back yard reception isnt bad and these are some cute find that made the wedding look great!
It turned out so lovely! I love throwing parties, but don’t have as much time as I used to to prep. You found amazing products to make for a lovely reception.
awe! everything here is so cute and perfect for a summer backyard reception. love the mood you created.
That looks like an awesome way to spend the time with your family or friends especially when the result is just breathtaking. I love the major jars and with a little bit of twine and raffia.
I absolutely love ETSY. I am pretty creative, and sometimes simply going on the site gives me a little jolt of creativeness. This backyard reception is so me! Beautiful.
Thrifting Diva
Love Etsy for finding cute things for ANY occasion. Seriously even things you didn’t know you needed!
Wow you did a great job–very pretty and the atmosphere is amazing!
So many great details and beautiful touches. Those floral pieces are amazing too.
You did a great job! Everything is beautiful and I’m sure your friend appreciated using your space.
Very nice decor ideas. I love the fairy lights. It just makes everything prettier. The bouquets are pretty too! What a special wedding reception!
Wow it’s so beautiful! I love how beautiful a simple backyard reception can be! I would love to do this myself!
A great eye for amazing decorations. It is very nice to have big events at your own house. Nice and inspiring post 🙂