Sometimes, your guest list is so big that only a large venue will do. However, if the size of your guest list is not a factor, there are some excellent reasons to have your wedding at home. Before you make the decision to turn your home into a wedding venue, be sure that you are okay with a lot of people going through your personal space. It can be a little jarring at first.
There will be strangers and kids and maybe even pets if you are holding a pet-friendly event. This is probably the toughest aspect of holding a wedding at your home. However, if you can manage all that, there are some excellent reasons to make your home the event location. Here are 5:
Pro 1: Include Any Element You Like
If you want to have sparklers for wedding send off festivities, you don’t have to check with the owner of the venue before making it happen. You can just go ahead and do it without having to get 12 documents signed in triplicate. The same holds true for any kind of gender reveal ideas you have that happen to involve pyrotechnics. You know your community and safety regulations. You don’t have to go to anyone, hat in hand, and beg for permission to put on the kind of celebration that you want. Have the celebration at home and skip the middleman altogether.
Pro 2: Save a Lot of Money
When you turn your spacious backyard into a beautiful venue, one of the main perks is that you will save thousands on the entire affair. You can rent tables and chairs for a reasonable amount of moneyYou can have an indoor/outdoor receptions so that people can spread out, dance, or just relax in comfort. You can even rent portable restrooms so that the three inside your home are not overwhelmed.
If you don’t have space inside your home for a full daycare, you can rent a bounce house and set up almost any type of children’s activities you can think of. You will save so much on the venue that you will have money left over for lots of extras that you would not have been able to afford otherwise. Now, you don’t have to choose between going big and going home.
Pro 3: Make Everyone Feel at Home
A wedding doesn’t have to be an over-the-top formal affair. Not all weddings are formal occasions. Some are done on a beach in swimsuits. Some are done in parks and other casual settings. You can still have a touch of class. But you don’t have to overdo it.
If you really want to make your guests feel at home, consider a theme wedding. The theme could be anything from freight trains to wagon trains. It is limited only by your imagination. Your home is the perfect place to showcase your passions and to put your guests at ease.
Con 1: Cleanup
One of the biggest downsides to holding any kind of event at your house is cleanup. The more guests you have and the more people who take advantage of the open bar, the bigger the mess. You can always hire it out. It is a one-time expense. But even a professional service will have a hard time making it feel like home again. For that, you are going to have to put in some real elbow grease.
Con 2: Noisy Neighbors and Traffic
If your home isn’t big enough or your HOA isn’t open enough, parks are a great alternative and have most of the benefits as your home. You can rent space in a park for private affairs for a lot less than you think.
Not all homes are suitable for something like a wedding. If you are in a row house or semi-detached, your neighbors and their properties might be a little too close for comfort. You might be on a street with noisy traffic. That’s something you can’t control. A large park will not be subject to close neighbors or loud traffic. It is the rare house that can accommodate large group events.
Many people get married in the comfort of their own home. If you don’t want your wedding to cost $30,000, it is definitely something to consider. Just know that there are a few downsides as well. But on balance, there are more pros. And it is the right solution for a lot of people — perhaps even you.