Bhavdeep and Nancy wanted their wedding to feel like the best kind of family gathering — warm, unhurried, and full of the people who love them. So we held it in the backyard: a garden ceremony under the stone Buddha, and a celebration that flowed straight on from it, with close friends and family close enough to reach out and hug them the moment it was done.
A backyard full of the people they love
Some couples want a grand ballroom. Bhavdeep and Nancy wanted their nearest and dearest on the grass, in the late afternoon light, with room for the kids to run around and the aunties to fuss. A backyard wedding gives you exactly that: no seating charts, no strangers, no clock counting down your venue hours — just your favourite people in a garden, celebrating you.
It's one of my favourite kinds of day to be part of. When the guest list is only the people who truly matter, the whole thing softens. Everyone's relaxed, everyone's involved, and the couple actually get to feel the love in the room rather than run a schedule.
A ceremony under the garden Buddha
We set the ceremony in front of the stone Buddha, with its calm face and the bamboo screen behind it — a backdrop that quiets everyone down and makes the vows feel like they matter. Nancy in her flowing mint lehenga and Bhavdeep in his cream suit stood close, said their words, and made their promises with their families watching on from just a few steps away.
Because it was home ground and not a hired venue, there was no rush to any of it. We could take our time over the vows, the ring exchange and the signing, and let the moments breathe. That unhurried feeling is the whole gift of marrying in a garden you don't have to give back at 4pm.
Then the celebration
The best thing about a backyard wedding is that the party is already there. The moment the paperwork was signed — witnessed by their loved ones — the ceremony rolled straight into the celebration. There was cake to cut, photos with the "Mr & Mrs" boards, and that happy chaos of everyone wanting a hug and a picture at once.
No packing up and driving to a reception. No gap where the energy drops. Just one continuous, joyful afternoon that started with two people making a promise and ended with a garden full of people celebrating it.
Thinking of a backyard wedding in Sydney?
A backyard or garden wedding is one of the most relaxed and affordable ways to marry — no venue hire, no time limit, and a setting that already feels like yours. All you legally need is the two of you, two witnesses over 18, and an authorised celebrant. If it's just you two and you'd like the day kept small, I can even arrange the witnesses.
Really, only one thing needs booking ahead: the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), which has to reach your celebrant at least a full calendar month before the day. After that, a backyard wedding can be whatever you want it to be — a quiet ceremony, a full celebration, or, like Bhavdeep and Nancy, both rolled into one afternoon. Tell me the day you're picturing and I'll handle everything around it.
Common questions about a backyard wedding in Sydney
Can you legally get married in your own backyard in Sydney?
Yes. In Australia you can marry almost anywhere — a backyard, a garden, a park or a home — as long as an authorised celebrant conducts the ceremony and two witnesses over 18 are present. There's no requirement to marry in a registry office or a licensed venue. Bhavdeep and Nancy married in a private backyard in Bella Vista, Sydney.
How many guests can you have at a backyard wedding?
As many or as few as your space and your heart allow — the law sets no minimum or maximum. Many couples keep a backyard wedding to close friends and family, which is part of its charm. The only legal requirement is two witnesses; everything above that is simply who you'd love to have there.
Do you need a licensed venue to have both the ceremony and the celebration at home?
No. One of the joys of a backyard wedding is that the ceremony and the celebration happen in the same place, with no travel in between. Once the vows are said and the certificate is signed, you move straight into cake, photos and celebrating — no reception venue or second location required.
Is a backyard wedding as legally valid as a big venue wedding?
Just as valid. Your back lawn and a five-star ballroom stand on exactly equal legal footing. What makes a marriage is the process, not the postcode: once the Notice of Intended Marriage is lodged, the vows are exchanged, and the certificate is signed by you, two witnesses and your celebrant, you're legally married — grass underfoot or marble, it changes nothing.
Dreaming of a wedding in your own garden?
If you're picturing a backyard full of your favourite people — a ceremony and a celebration in one warm afternoon — tell me the day you have in mind. I'll keep the paperwork calm and the ceremony genuinely yours.
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