Top Tips for Great Photos at Your Backyard Wedding

Written by Curator, Lisa Kathan Photography

Backyard weddings are so charming and personal -- as a tiny wedding and elopement photographer, they’re some of my favorites for their intimacy and personality.

But summery backyard weddings can also pose some challenges when trying to get the best, beautifully lit photos. Here are some important things to keep in mind if you're planning on getting married in a backyard. Your photographer will thank you!

Plan your ceremony time for best light

In the summer, 1-2 hours before sunset tends to be the best light. This is especially important for May - September weddings, where the sun is high and bright, and creates lots of shadows.

But one additional issue that a backyard weddings poses, is the abundance of grass and trees, which have strong undertones of yellow. In harsh sunlight, they will cast an unflattering greenish/yellow tint on skin. Having your ceremony closer to golden hour will give your photographer the best chance of capturing beautiful photos of your ceremony and portraits.

Be careful of the trees

Some may think a good solution to crummy skin tones would be to standing under shady trees, but for the same reasons as the first tip — if it's a bright sunny day and you're standing under leafy trees, you'll get yellow/green reflecting onto your skin.

But if you’re getting married later in the day — no problem!

Grab some rugs

A great tip if you can’t avoid a sunny day is to try minimizing the yellow/green reflection from the grass by laying boho rugs down and standing on them during your ceremony. Or if you have a patio, pool surround, or other paved/boarded area, those are great solutions, too.

Consider the background

Stand back from where you plan to have your ceremony, and look at your everything in the background, from all angles. Your photographer will shoot from a variety of directions (not just down the aisle), so check and make sure whatever is in the background is what you want in your photos.

If the background of you ceremony is your neighbor's house, or the big white tent you’re setting up for your party, consider hiring someone to do an amazing backdrop, rent a beautiful screen, or move your position.

And it may sounds boring, but neutral-colored structures, or even a heavy line of evergreens (which have more appealing blue undertones) can serve well as non-distracting backgrounds.

Don’t forget the styling!

Of course, having a backyard wedding has its own décor and charm, built in! But styling it to coordinate with the theme or colors of your wedding — think flowers, candles, chairs and tables, and tablescapes for the party — your backyard wedding will go from basic to beautiful.

If you need help, consider hiring a party stylist or planner to make your job easier!