Seven Tips for a Great Home Wedding
Are you considering hosting a wedding at your home? (Or considering holding YOUR wedding in someone else’s home?) An at-home wedding can be a fantastic choice, as it often costs substantially less than renting a facility, and it gives the wedding planners a great deal of flexibility with regards to décor, layout, and scheduling.
However, planning a successful at-home wedding is no easy task. We’ve helped many of our clients hold memorable ceremonies and/or receptions at their home—and our experience has taught us plenty of valuable lessons. If you are planning a home wedding, here are seven tips to keep in mind:
1) Start by creating a plan and coordinating activities with all involved. Most weddings feature a number of individuals helping out during the planning and setup process. In many cases, this dynamic turns chaotic—the “too many cooks in the kitchen” syndrome. To avoid this, hold a meeting at the beginning of the planning process and divide up duties and responsibilities. Clearly communicate your vision for the event so that everyone is on the same page.]
2) Don’t feel that you have to go overboard with flowers and other decorations. If the home has a lovely backyard garden or a pool, you may not need much in the way of additional decorations. Work with what you have—take advantage of the natural beauty of your location. You may decide that flowers and additional decorations are necessary, and that’s fine… just don’t jump to that conclusion without thinking it through!
3) If a portion of the wedding will be outside, rent a tent. Nothing ruins a great event as quickly as rain if you aren’t prepared. Tents today often have a number of great features, like a clear ceiling (so that you can see the stars at night0, breezeways, and beautiful fabric linings.
4) Hire a professional cleaning service immediately before the event. Spending hours cleaning the home the day before the event will stress you out—and odds are, you’ll end up missing things. Hire a professional service and spend your day doing more important things!
5) To ease traffic back and forth in the home, put out pitchers of refreshments and snacks throughout the yard. Give your guests plenty of options when they want snacks or something to drink so that your kitchen doesn’t turn in to a mob scene.
6) Turn the A/C on early if it’s going to be hot that day. Even the best air conditioning system will struggle to cool a house that is packed with guests. Crank up the A/C hours before guests are scheduled to arrive!
7) Designate a “kid’s room”. If there are going to be kids at the wedding, give them a safe place to play. It could be your basement or another room, or it could be a section of the yard. Consider hiring a friend to keep an eye on the kids and to make sure they are entertained.
Are you considering an at-home wedding? We’d love to help—please get in touch with us today!