Hosting your Wedding at Home- What you need to know
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Every year we help many couples plan their Private Home Wedding. There are a lot of benefits to hosting your wedding at a private home or estate such as flexibility, personal history, multiple-day celebrations, no venue regulations, accommodations, and more. It is a laid-back and sentimental experience, but it requires a lot of preparation, logistics, and planning compared to a venue. Depending on the size of your home and the size of you weddings there are important things to consider such as bathrooms, power, rain plans, lawn care, catering equipment, parking and tenting. If you are planning a private home wedding, this is the blog for you! We have put together a list of tips and considerations for couples looking to host their wedding at home!
Lauren Dobish Photography
Lauren Dobish Photography
Natalia Provencher Photography
Natalia Provencher Photography
Elizabeth Laduca
Preparing:
Even ground for under the dance floor
Measuring areas for tenting (Tenting in New England is a must!)
Call your homeowners insurance and discuss adding additional coverage for the event if needed.
Trees trimmed for shuttles
Gate wide enough for shuttles
Fresh mulch and gardens trimmed
Permits and ordinances (sound, alcohol, tent, etc.- this varies by location)
Pest control: Mosquitos, ants, snakes, varmints
NOTE: you must be okay with your lawn/grass potentially being damaged. The dance floor especially will kill your grass and if it rains, things naturally will get muddy with people walking back and forth. Please consider this when selecting your tent location and confirm these details with the Homeowner.
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Some Important Logistics to Consider for your Private Home Wedding:
Power/generators- You will need plenty of outlets and power cords that blend with décor but do not create safety hazards. Ask your band, DJ, Lighting company and catering about how much power they require and how many outlets. If your celebration requires multiple sources of power, we always recommend renting a generator. Having a generator will ensure power no matter what and powering a full event on a house may not be possible. If you are using the house, know where are the circuit breakers are.
Underground Lines- Tent stakes go roughly 3 feet into the ground. You must contact Digsafe to get clearance for a tent. However, Digsafe only sources public lines so most clients need to hire a private utility locator to find water, power, gas, electric, and sewer lines. If you don’t know exactly where your lines are, it’s better to be safe.
Transportation- If you are transporting guest, make sure to designate a safe and legal pickup and drop of spot for the shuttle. Also, have clear parking signage and a parking attendant if possible.
Trash and recycling plan- typically your catering company can handle trash removal, but if they don’t, have a plan for this. You can rent a dumpster for the weekend to make things easier, but make sure you have a spot to hide it away from the event.
Rentals/Staging locations- You will need to bring in everything— this is going to be a full rental package. Designate areas for rentals and decor, typically a garage works and will keep things safe and dry. Most larger rental items that won’t be damaged by rain will be stored under the tent.
Water- Determine a water source for drinking water. If you don’t have a location close to the tent, we recommend purchasing large jugs of water for the catering company to use for drinking water. The catering company may also need a hose source for rinsing dishes.
Permits and Ordinances- Contact your local town hall to find out if you need any special permits for tenting and events or if there are any noise ordinances you need to be aware of. If you have close by neighbors, we suggest giving them plenty of notice and providing them with your plans.
Lighting:
Ensure there is ample lighting. We suggest lighting all pathways with lanterns or another light source and bringing in additional bistro lighting for other areas outside the tent where guest can hang late into the night.
Know where all the lighting is on the house outside and what areas will be lit by this
Purchase ferry lights to wrap around trees throughout the property if desired
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Laurent Dobish Photography
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Natalia Provencher Photography
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Elizabeth Laduca Photography
Tenting and Back up Plans:
Asd mentioned above Surveying land for tent installation is IMPORTANT- ask the tenting company if they handle contacting Dig Safe for public utilities or if you are responsible for this. If you do not know where your private utilities are, please contact Center Line Utility Services or another local company in your area.
Plan for bad weather and make sure your tent is large enough to comfortably host your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception if the weather is bad. We also suggest going the next size up for your guest count or adding a separate bar tent for more space.
You can also reserve a rain plan tent through many companies. However, you will need to put a deposit down for this and if you don’t use it, you will lose the deposit but won’t owe the remaining rental fee. Pending your situation this may be worth it, especially if you don’t have the space in your reception tent to hold a ceremony or if your ceremony location is must rain or shine!
Tent location is important. Make sure to avoid areas that naturally collect water when it rains to avoid a soggy and flooded tent. If budget allows, having a company floor your tent is the safest option. Sperry Tents is a great go to for tenting and flooring!
Catering + vendors:
Caterers will need access to power, a catering tent or cooking/storage location such as a garage, and easy access to water and/or a hand washing station.
Rent cooking equipment. Catering companies typically won’t use a homes kitchen unless you are hosting a smaller event. Ask your catering company what you will need.
Provide a spot for vendors to eat and store their belongings especially if there is poor weather. It can be a room inside the home or an additional small tent.
Bathrooms:
We always suggest having a bathroom trailer when possible which will require a water source and electricity. Some companies will provide a small generator to run the bathroom and some companies can pre fill the water take for you as well.
Ask your company what side the doors are on to plan for proper placement and easy access for your guest
Provide bathroom baskets in each stall or on each side with items such as dry shampoo, hair spray, tums, advil, breath mints, spray deodorant, feminine hygiene products, floss pics, etc.
Make sure you know if you company provides the hose and extension cord for hookup
As you can see there is a lot that goes into making sure your private home wedding is set up for success. We highly recommend sourcing a planner who can assist with these logistics ahead of time and provide you with a professional team to execute everything on your wedding day. Contact us to get the process started!