Wedding Blog
Have I mentioned any of the plans we have for our wedding? No? Shame on me! Mr. Cheese and I bought a house together in April of this year, and we discovered that it came with almost two acres of land. Yowza. So, in addition to the lot that you’d expect—front yard, side yard, and a narrow slit of a backyard—we also have a trail that leads down the side of a big hill to a clearing about 50 yards across. It’s amazing, and we are so lucky to live in a home that was well loved by our predecessors.
(Excuse the crazy filters on these pics. I got a new camera and was playing with the settings.)
{Incidentally, the couple who lived here before us moved in in 1961 and lived the remainder of their years here. She died in 1997, and he died in March, just a few months after he moved out. He was a Master Gardener—and apparent handyman, judging by the DIY light fixtures, cedar-lined closets, and basement decor. More on that later.}
Mr. Cheese suggested early on in our marriage discussions that we should get married in the clearing. How romantic! Except that I’m not only romantic, I’m pragmatic, and all I could think was, “Oh, crap, we have a lot of work to do. And how will we power a sound system without blowing the fuses?” You read that right. Fuses. While we got original oak hardwood floors, the aforementioned cedar-lined closets, and five-foot wide hallways, we are also the proud owners of a 1700 square foot creepy basement apartment that was last updated in the ’70s, an overgrown trail and clearing, and an electrical system based on fuses.
I’m very excited to be married to my favorite guy ever on the grounds of our first home together, and can’t wait to show our kids the pictures. On the other hand, we have a lot of work to do before spring, not least of which involves learning enough about gardening to clear and augment the great piece of property we live on.
Are there any gardeners in the hive? What would YOU do with this trail and clearing? Clean it up, leave it wild, or try to tame it with new plantings?
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Glass fuses? Because that’s what I’ve got and let me tell you, I just looooooooooove having to check the drier half way through a cycle to make sure it hasnt’ blown a fuse and my clothes aren’t sitting wet… Maybe my handyman previous home owner and your handyman previous owner’s were buddies 
It’s going to be such fun following your journey. Maybe you can do a monthly countdown to the wedding backyard post so we can see its transformation.
I agree with Miss Hot Cocoa!
I looove that you are having the wedding at your home. I always swoon at the decorating possibilities for outdoor/garden weddings, and am a bit bummed that we are having ours indoors. I can’t wait to see what you are leaning toward! 
I don’t know anything about landscaping, eeep.
How amazing! I was just picturing how cool it would be to line the pathway with large stepping stones that could have special moments you’ve shared on them (I think you can get the DIY kits for this online). Or even just to use regular stones and have little painted wooded signs down the trail with little special things written on them.
And lanterns from the trees - maybe using LED lights that are battery operated somehow so you don’t have to worry about those fuses!
There are a couple of things you can do with the path (Although I suggest you recommend peopel wear sensible shoes regardless).
One of my favorite path concepts is to break up small (no bigger than the width of your thumb) into smaller pieces by hand and spreading them along the path. It is very organic and environmentally and pocketbook friendly. It kills three birds with one stone by cleaning up the property of sticks, getting rid of the sticks and giving the path a nice base. In the steeper areas you can put blocks of tree trunkl slices in the ground as stepping stones. If you dig the ground out so that they are level it makes it easier to walk down the hill.
Chipped stone works well too. This is easier to walk on then pea stone or other rounded stones because of it’s flat nature. If there is access to the top of the path you can have them deliver it right to the top and then use wheel barrows to bring it farther down. If you order it by the truck load it is surprisingly inexpensive when a supplier is close by.
As for plantings…You could plant some flowering trees now that will flower in May (I’m not sure what is in bloom down there at that time.) at the edges of the clearing, maybe as you come off the path and on either side of where the alter will be. also check and see what perrenials you can find on clearance right now at garden centers. You may find some roses or other items that will be infull bloom at that time next spring. I would also consider looking for large urns and you can plant them up in the beginning of April when it is warming up and they should fill in a bit by the wedding. (plant densly - always add at least an extra plant or two when you think it is full and don’t worry about using all the soil that was in the pot it came in the roots ususally don’t fill the whole pot.)
If you want the clearing to be more grassy, now is the time to prep the yard. Clear away and ground cover you don’t want and rack the soil so it’s a bit loose and soft and plant some grass now. Knoxville has mild enough winters that it is a great growing time for grasses and you can use a seed mix that will see you through the seasons.
Now is a great time to buy your plants, while the variety isn’t there there is some growing season left and the plants are on clearance. I jsut purchased $200+ worth of plants for our new house for less thatn $100 and they are larger after growing all summer.
Wow that was longwinded. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
I absolutely love this idea!! We’re getting married in my parents’ backyard, which is 14 wooded acres. We’re going to cut the grass in the clearing where we’ll be saying our vows so that it looks tidy, but otherwise we’re going for a really natural look. I was very inspired by this Real Wedding at The Knot, which looks exactly like our location.
Here’s the link: http://weddings.theknot.com/ODB/themes/realweddings/view.aspx?id=23575&type=1&location=186
It’s very woodsy, and they kept things simple as far as decorations go.
The way I see it, you may as well save yourself money and effort trying to beautify what’s already beautiful, especially because home weddings do often necessitate “extra” work elsewhere that might not be otherwise required. My advice would be to take advantage of the natural surroundings and save yourself some trouble in the meantime.
So excited to see how your wedding unfolds Cheese!
What an awesomely romantic venue. The pics instantly made me think of that forest in the Princess Bride. Maybe you can convince Mr Cheese to do most of the gardening? Aaaaas youuuuuu wiiiiiissshhhhhhhh…
@kpenn: The hilarious thing is that every house on the block is like this. Apparently our handyman predecessors were neighbors as close as we are now!
@tberry: Oh, honey, we are now bff’s. You have Vision! And Knowledge! I will definitely PM you once I get back home (I’m on a business trip). Thanks!
@Sara: “The way I see it, you may as well save yourself money and effort trying to beautify what’s already beautiful” — amen, sister. That s my hope, but I also don’t want it to look like we wandered into a messy place… like the Princess Bride! (Miss Sea Breeze called it!)
@Miss Sea Breeze: Riiiight. Men don’t really garden… they plant and cut grass, clear trees, and such. If it were up to him, we’d clear virtually everything away. I’m like, NO! I love that tree! And that one! And that one!
Ohh how romantic, and I love that fact that your “venue” will have more than one sentimental meaning to you.
The best thing about this is
1) No venue fee
2) all flower arrangements won’t die!! you will have them for a lifetime! Plant perennials now and by spring they will be beautiful and you can fill in any spots with some annuals!
3) I agree that led lights would be great to light the path if you are planning an evening affair. If not do a lovely daytime wedding and you don’t have to worry about lights!
4) You should have enough deadwood on your property to line a pathway to the clearing.
5) you will want to make sure the ground is level in the clearing. NOW is the time to work on that so that you can seed. FAll is a great time to put seed down as well as plant flowers.
6) All money spent on your home doesn’t count towards your wedding budget!! hahaha
[...] As mentioned previously, we live in a house once owned (for four decades!) by a Master Gardener in a perfect part of the country for growing things. We’re getting married in late May. [...]
[...] As mentioned previously, we live in a house once owned (for four decades!) by a Master Gardener in a perfect part of the country for growing things. We’re getting married in late May. [...]
you could do a little of all of your ideas. i think this will turn out to be fabulous. and totally unrelated note, will you post more house/yard pictures? i love looking at property porn and your place sounds incredbile!
[...] We’re having one reception in Knoxville, with our backyard and the trail to the clearing and all that. I have two dresses hanging in my closet, one of which I love more than the other… but of course [...]
[...] is reserved in my little heart for the garden and landscape suggestions you’ve offered. roseskier1, tberry, Sara, and Vicki posted detailed thoughts and suggestions that I’m in the midst of [...]
[...] reserved in my little heart for the garden and landscape suggestions you’ve offered. roseskier1, tberry, Sara, and Vicki posted detailed thoughts and suggestions that I’m in the midst of researching. [...]
[...] I mentioned before, my favorite man and I will be getting married on the property surrounding our house with a [...]
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Mrs. Cheese, Knoxville
Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD Designer
Engagement Date: July 31, 2008
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Blogging Since: October 16, 2008
Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits on
About Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
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