Planning A Wedding At Home? Consider These 10 Things!

Planning & Advice

For many people, saying ‘I do’ at home is a dream come true! Lots of couples adore the idea of hosting a wedding in their childhood home, but there are lots of things to consider. If you are planning a wedding at home, keep on reading. There are 10 things to think about!

Featured image credit: Susan Jefferies Photography

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David McNeill Photography

 

1. Hire a marquee

A marquee is a great option, no matter the weather. If you’ve got specific ideas of what you’d like to do with (and in) your marquee, communicate these with the marquee hire company as soon as you can. Find out what’s included in your contract (such as furniture, lighting, bars, loos, generators and so on) and make sure you understand what you’re paying for. The more you can get from one company, the better!

Related: Click here to check out Marquee companies in Ireland

 

2. Consider the space

When you’re planning a wedding at home, it’s important to think about the space you need and the space you have. It’s not only the space for your marquee and guests, but also space for loos as well as where your caterers will prepare food and store drinks. Don’t forget to hire a generator (trust us: you don’t want the power to cut halfway through your First Dance).

Then consider where all these extra items will sit alongside your marquee. Do you mind if they’re visible or do you want them to be hidden?

 

John Channing Photography

 

3. Have a Plan B

What will you do if it rains? Will your marquee be big enough to host everyone for your reception? Ask your marquee hire company if there’s a hard floor option under the marquee carpet so your guests aren’t sloshing around.

 

4. Wedding photos

Since your marquee will be taking up lots of space in the garden, think about where you’ll have wedding photos taken. Are there good spots at home or nearby? Have these mapped out ahead of time!

 

5. Who’s going to run the day?

I highly recommend having a day-of coordinator to run things for you on the day! Usually your wedding venue will come with a planner or coordinator to do this for you, but if you’re planning a wedding at home, you’ll want to hire someone in. When you’re planning a wedding at home, there will be a number of suppliers that need to be organised and it can start to feel like a military operation. Having someone else manage everything and everyone means you, your wedding party and your family can all relax and enjoy the day.

Related: Click here to look at planners and coordinators

 

Bokeh Photography & Film

 

6. Toilets

Pretty boring, but pretty important. Consider the toilet situation. Even if your family is happy to have all your guests wandering through the house to use the loo, you will want to consider hiring some in! Having a couple of bathrooms won’t be enough for your wedding guests.

 

7. The costs

Here’s a common misconception: planning a wedding at home will be cheaper. Sure, looking at wedding venue costs can be alarming, but they usually take everything into consideration (furniture, linens, cutlery, electricity, food, bar, staff, etc). When you do it yourself, you’ll have to hire in all these extras and the costs can rack up quickly.

 

Alex Zarodov Photography

 

8. The order of the day

It’s a pretty important thing to consider: do you want your whole wedding to be at home or do you want to have your ceremony at a local church and then go home to celebrate? If you’d like to do it all at home, then designate a separate area for each party of the day. This way you won’t have to rearrange furniture and decor halfway through.

 

9. Guests

When you’re planning a wedding at home, you can invite as many guests as you want, as long as there’s space for them. Just be realistic about the capacity of your indoor and outdoor space. Remember that each guest will need a meal, a chair, a parking space… and the list goes on.

 

10. The legal bit

This is a pretty important part of your planning! Make sure that you’re able to get legally married (whether that is at your home on your wedding day or at a registry office beforehand). Speak with your celebrant or solemniser to get all the information you need!

Related: How To Get Married Legally in Ireland

 

Ian Hennessy Photography

 

BONUS:

  • Transport and parking: Let your guests know ahead of time where they can park and what public transport is available.
  • Your neighbours: Let them know what you’re planning and apologise ahead of time for the noise. Leave your note alongside a bottle of wine, as a kind gesture.
  • Cleaners: Whether you plan to jet off on honeymoon right away, or you’re going to stick around and help with the cleaning, just hire some professionals to do it for you!