Image by: Sarah Browning via flickr
A wedding at home can be an intimate experience, far removed from convention and custom. A backyard wedding can give wedding planners more control and potentially cut costs -- but there are many risks involved, too.
If you’re considering having a wedding on your own property instead of selecting one of many potential wedding reception venues that may be in the vicinity, here are some key factors to consider. We’ve organized them into pros and cons to make them easily digestible.
Pros of Hosting a Wedding at Home
- While home weddings have just as many moving parts as a traditional venue-based wedding, they have the potential to be planned and executed much faster. Without the restriction of having to book your venue well in advance, a home wedding can be executed in a fraction of the time a venue-based wedding would be.
- Cutting costs on a venue mean that you can spend your hard earned money on more of the bells and whistles – you know, the fun stuff, like entertainment, food, wardrobe, and of course, your honeymoon.
- Weddings at home are much more intimate and comfortable. A backyard wedding has a certain charm to it, and provides a warmer atmosphere for your wedding guests.
- The sheer customizability of an at-home wedding is often the draw for many who opt for one. And with no other events coming through your “venue”, you can begin working on your setting as far in advance as you wish – and leave decorations up well after, if you wish.
- The last big pro of having a wedding at home is that everything transpires in one place, generally speaking. That means additional safety in terms of driving from place to place when alcohol has been served. It also means that if people stay later than expected, there won't be additional costs accrued from your venue rental.
Not bad so far, eh? Now for the cons!
Cons of Hosting a Wedding at Home
On the flip side, many of the pros can easily be turned into cons. It could take longer to convert your home into an ideal space for wedding reception venues. It could cost more not less, your property could get damaged, and people not leaving on time could be a bad thing. At least an added cost for shutting down late still means your home is free of drunken wedding party goers.
However there are still more factors to consider:
- Your home isn't a wedding venue right out of the box. It isn't “plug and play” like a wedding venue, which means you may have many, many more rental costs than a venue would have. Chairs, additional cooking appliances, and more could all expand your wedding bills.
- A lack of space could lead to disasters; no one likes to be cramped in a small space or trip over one another. While they may be grinning and bearing it, your guests may not be satisfied and the party may be forced to wrap early.
- Other potential risks can arise, such as unruly neighbours crashing the party or breaking it up early, calling the police, etc.
- A little more of a perceived value consideration than the other pros or cons, however, some may not take your wedding as seriously as they would a conventional (expensive) wedding. It all depends on the crowd, though. I personally had my wedding at home and everyone loved it but I've heard from others that some viewed it as a shotgun wedding situation, or older folks viewed it as less than classy. In either case, if you've got a gossipy family and you're sensitive to gossip, it may be ill advised to have a home wedding.
- Insurance! I bet you didn't think of that one.
All in all, it may be more or less the same cost as an off-site venue, that's up for debate as every homestead is different. There is no accounting for taste, and the key is to do what makes you happy – it’s your day!
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