Our essential guide to hosting your wedding at home walks you through how to make sure your household property is prepared to be the perfect setting for a sentimental wedding ceremony and reception space.
parking
Why it’s important: The size and layout of your property will determine if your wedding guests can easily drive up and park their mode of transportation, or if guest transportation needs to be arranged to shuttle wedding attendees in.
If you’re aiming for street parking, consider informing your neighbors that there will be an influx of vehicles on your wedding date.
Getting ready areas
Why it’s important: Depending on how many people are getting ready with you, do you have ample room for all of you to get ready in your home? Are you getting ready with your fiancé or are you trying not to see each other before a certain time?
If getting ready at home doesn’t make sense for one or both of you, we recommend booking a hotel stay for the day/night or getting ready at a close friend’s place.
Create a contingency plan
Why it’s important: Though it’s not ideal to think about, create a contingency plan for inclement weather - and we’re not just referring to potential rain on your wedding day. Also consider providing ample heating for if temperatures drop during your outdoor wedding reception, as well as what your plan is for keeping your guests cool in unprecedented heat.
Provide ADDITIONAL RESTrooms
Why it’s important: Your three or four restrooms in your home might not be sufficient for a large wedding guest count. If you’re planning on hosting a decent amount of people at your home, consider renting luxury restrooms so your guests can spend less time waiting for a restroom to open up, and have more time to enjoy themselves!
Create outdoor lounge spaces
Why it’s important: Providing large comfortable seating and a few end tables can transform your outdoor space into a much more intimate and elevated setting. Creating “outdoor living rooms” organically attracts groups of guests, allowing them to mingle more easily. the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Hire event staffing
Why it’s important: The whole point of having a wedding event is to spend quality time with the most special people in your life, right?
Trust us on this - hire event staff to take care of set up, restocking appetizers, refilling drink dispensers, clearing dishes and glassware, and cleaning up at the end of the evening so that the morning-after, you can wake up and continue relaxing.
Lead the way with lighting
Why it’s important: Does your household exterior have sufficient lighting for when the sun goes down? If your landscaping doesn’t already have intentional lighting installed, create lit pathways using candles or ask your wedding DJ to install uplights for your nighttime reception. Lighting frequented walkways not only transforms your home at night, it will also keep your guests safe.
Base your decor off of the surrounding landscape
Why it’s important: Before planning your wedding decor any further, take a walk around your home and look for reoccurring colors. Are you getting married in the fall time and there are a lot of amber-colored leaves speckling your property? Incorporate that color into your wedding color palette as an accent color and find a linen napkin in that hue. Or, let your florist know that they are more than welcome to snip a few branches from your yard to insert into your table centerpieces.
Designate the dance floor
Why it’s important: Create a designated dance floor space for your wedding guests if you anticipate them dancing at some point. Hardwood floors in your home make for great dance floors. If you' prefer to have your dance reception outdoors, we highly recommend renting a dance floor so your guests have a smooth surface to occupy. Try to avoid grass or uneven stone surfaces, as those might be tripping hazards.
microphones and speaker systems
Why it’s important: Planning to play music during your wedding reception? Want your wedding ceremony attendees to hear what you, your fiancé, and your officiant are saying up at the front? Do you have close family or friends giving speeches at some point in the day? Plan ahead and figure out your microphone and speaker system needs for your wedding.
If you hired a wedding DJ, they will most likely have sound equipment included in their pricing. They will also ensure that there are no audio issues like echoing, microphone screeching, or a halt in the music.