There are many reasons to host your wedding at home (or perhaps at the house that belongs to your parents, relatives, or a close friend). For one thing, you will save quite a bit if you don’t have to pay extra for the ceremony and/or reception locations. Another reason may be you want a rather small and intimate reception at home. Whatever the reason for your at-home wedding, there are some basic things to know that will help make planning this special day easier.
1- Make Sure Your House Is Ready
Other than the obvious like cleaning, make sure that there will be enough space for all your guests to move around and have a good time. If you know children will be attending, make sure that your home is child-friendly and take extra precautions for their safety. As always, make sure that there are at least several clean bathrooms and make sure that the guests know about them. If you don’t, see if you can rent a few extra portable bathrooms.
2- Enlist A Wedding Planner
If you’re planning to hold your nupitals at home, it would not hurt to hire a wedding planner to help assist you and to guide you through this process.
3- Check The Laws
Depending on where you live, it would be a smart idea to check with local ordinances to see if your house or yard need safety or fire inspections. Don’t forget to find out about your local laws on noise regulations. You might need to apply for a permit at least 6 to 9 months in advance.
4- Plan For The Inevitable
It happens. You finalize all the fine details and then something goes wrong either the day before or on the day of. While you cannot predict the future, it’s a good idea to come up with backup plans should such occasions arrive. Discuss various scenarios (like a rainstorm on the day of your backyard wedding) and come up with alternative plans. In the end, it is best to be prepared no matter what situations arrive.
