This Is Exactly How To Personalize Your Backyard Wedding for 50k

Romantic wedding couple embrace with mountain backdrop in sunlight

Okay with the details ... enamel pins, an amazing display of balloons, sprinkle donuts and the sweetest escort cards we ever did see! This backyard wedding at the Groom's parents estate is filled with super personal details and we are honored to be able to share this special day with you.

Keep scrolling to see all of the beautiful photos by Simply Adri Photography and the gorg wedding dress by Asit Bridal. Carol Keiner planned every detail and Jacob Maarse Florist created all of the amazing florals. You can see all the images in the full gallery.

Elegant wedding dress hanging on a tree in a garden setting

Groom and groomsmen boutonnieres with wildflowers and greenery

Light wash denim jackets hanging on a wooden rack outdoors

Elegant bridal bouquet with roses and greenery on gray surface

White flowers floating in water with blue tile border design

Bride with bridesmaids, getting ready for a beautiful wedding

Men in suits showing off ice cream cone socks in the grass

Wedding invitation flat lay with floral arrangement and sandals

Diamond ring resting on a John Lennon stamp with daisies Ice cream pin with colorful sprinkles and the words J and J

Groom in suit juggles oranges under a vibrant green tree

Wedding groom accessories on a white surface, watch and shoes

Gift box with socks for Dave and a Lets Do This message

Bride and bridesmaids celebrate in stylish denim jackets, happy

A Word From Mr. & Mrs. Deacon

Wedding ceremony setup with rows of chairs and blue balloon arch

We set out to have a fun, personal, and somewhat casual atmosphere at our wedding. Once John suggested having it at his parents’ house where he grew up, it all seemed to fall into place. It gave us a lot of creative freedom and allowed us to add personal touches anywhere we could. Everything was outdoors, so we agonized over the weather, but we could not have asked for a more beautiful day. The high was in the mid-80’s and a perfect layer of cloud coverage rolled in right before the ceremony began, giving our photographer the perfect lighting for photos.

Outdoor wedding ceremony setup with giant balloons and chairs

Wedding arch decorated with pastel colored balloons on green grass Two white balloons decorate a garden for a wedding ceremony event

When it came to our wedding’s aesthetic, our color palette centered around Jenny Yoo’s Caspian Sea, which we had fallen in with love as soon as we saw it. We also loved the idea of copper accents. Our Wedding Planner, The Blushing Details helped us round out the palette with some lighter colors. We wanted flowers and loose greenery, but after we saw photos of some amazing balloon designs at weddings, we knew it would be a good way to capture the fun and casual atmosphere we were going for.

Bridesmaids in teal dresses holding floral bouquets at a wedding

Bride and groom share a kiss during an outdoor wedding ceremony

Joyful bride and groom celebrate after saying I do at wedding

Newly married couple shares a kiss on their wedding day

Balloons, heck yes

Bridesmaids in teal dresses holding bouquets outdoors under palm trees

We originally thought about having balloons floating in the pool and as part of the chuppah (canopy beneath which a Jewish wedding ceremony occurs), and our Wedding Planner, Carol Keiner helped bring them into other spaces to create a more cohesive design. Our amazing balloon artist, Stars Above Balloons and florist designer, Jacob Maarse Florist worked with our planner to bring everything together perfectly. When I saw the back yard for the first time, I remember thinking it was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

Wedding party posing in front of a lush green tree backdrop

Groomsmen wearing grey suits posing for a wedding photo outdoors

Bridesmaids smiling with bouquets, wearing teal dresses for the wedding

Bride and groom with their wedding party walking on green grass

Wedding Symbol

Elegant outdoor event with decorated tables and chairs

The symbol for our wedding became an ice cream cone. The photo we used for our save the dates was one of us eating ice cream from our favorite local spot, carmel ice cream, which we ended up serving at our wedding (keep reading for the best part!). My mom designed an image of an ice cream cone that we used to make pins for our family and wedding party, socks for the groomsmen, and to put on the insides of the jean jackets for the bridesmaids and the backs of the ties for the groomsmen. My mom was responsible for our invitation suite and signs.

Elegant wedding table centerpiece with flowers and number five balloon

Elegant table setting with floral centerpiece and pastel balloons Elegant outdoor event setting with long tables and balloons

Elegant outdoor event venue with pool and tables setting

Decorated table with balloons for a party or event outdoors

Pastel balloons and flowers decorates a party table outdoors Outdoor wedding reception tables set up with nature background

Outdoor wedding reception with tables and white balloons

Elegant outdoor dining table setting in gazebo, ready for event

THE ESCORT CARDS are it!

Wedding polaroid photo display with greenery and warm tones

We were also really excited about our escort cards. We decided to have each escort card be a photo of us with the guest. We were missing more photos than we anticipated, so there was a decent amount of photoshopping. But we were thrilled at how they turned out and people seemed to love them. This was in part a take home as a Wedding favor for our guests. This was one of the most important things that we absolutely wanted at our wedding.

Wedding seating chart with polaroid style photos of guests

Wedding photo display with greenery and decorative balls

Wedding photos hanging as a seating chart, black and white polaroids

The venue

Couple dancing at outdoor wedding reception, romantic and joyful

Our ceremony took place in the front yard of John’s parents’ house. While guests gathered before the ceremony, they were served champagne and Arnold Palmers (John’s drink of choice) and hors d'oeuvres. We were incredibly lucky to have two of our closest friends co-officiate our ceremony, and they did a beautiful job. Because the balloon arch got a little unruly right before the ceremony began, we ended up standing just in front of the chuppah that my dad built using my great-grandfather’s tallis (a jewish prayer shawl) on top. After the ceremony, cocktail hour took place in the courtyard. Guests enjoyed drinks and snacked on the beautiful grazing table with lots of punny phrases about cheese.

Groomsman dances with joy at the wedding party on the dance floor

Excited bride twirls her wedding dress on outdoor ceremony

Groom celebrated by friends with flower arch at wedding Joyful bride celebrates marriage with a floral archway send off

Our reception took place in the back of the private home. After we made our grand entrance, our first dance was a surprise choreographed number to a medley of Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Will Smith, and Jennifer Lopez. We are not very skilled dancers, so this number relied heavily on the generosity of our dear friends who choreographed the dance and met with us weekly for practices. My dress had to be tied up with rubber bands right before our entrance to prevent me from falling. The nerves were intense, but we pulled it off. Finally, it was time to celebrate. Our amazing DJ Keelez, had the perfect song on deck all night long.

Newlyweds sharing a loving embrace on their wedding day

Food, baby

Bride and groom having fun with donuts on their wedding day

A big focus for us - and perhaps our favorite detail - was the food. When we started thinking what kind of food we would want to serve, we thought about our favorite places to take out-of-town visitors. We love BBQ. We love Mediterranean. We have a favorite local salad. And there was no way we could choose between ice cream or donuts for dessert. We then thought, why couldn’t we have it all? We wanted a buffet with stations of all of it. Our Wedding Planner, The Blushing Details was totally on board, and she helped us find a caterer who was eager to go along with our plan. Our caterers, Tastebuds Catering Inc. helped fill in gaps with the hors d'oeuvres and the grazing station and styled everything beautifully.

Guests gather at a lavishly arranged buffet table with appetizers

Wedding sign with Pasadena Favorites buffet on display

Donut tower with finally topper decorated with flowers for a celebration

Delicious donuts and treats displayed on a dessert table

Soaking it in

A decorated table stands under a lush tree for an outdoor event

We had decided to do a first look shoot in full wedding attire with our photographer a couple weeks before our wedding. We had such a blast with our incredible photographer during a beautiful afternoon in the national forest close to John’s parents’ house. It gave us the chance to soak everything in before the big day, and take some seriously awesome photos with all of the food we planned to have at our wedding buffet. We got to include photos of us enjoying each type of food at all of the stations.

Elegant wedding table with floating candles and flowers

Wedding decor with card box, gift sign and ice cream cone theme

Outdoor event setup with decorations and a white balloon

We are so grateful for all of our incredible vendors, family, and friends who made this amazing day possible. We got exactly the wedding we set out to have, and it was magical.

Happy couple enjoys ice cream on their wedding day