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Are you thinking about getting married at home? Big or small, hosting your wedding at home can bring so many benefits. You'll love today's wedding advice post full of tips for how to get married at home and, of course, our favorite home wedding decor ideas and inspirations.
Whether you're hosting a more intimate affair in your backyard or have a home big enough for a large wedding, having your wedding at home can mean more personal touches throughout the day and the decor. You can choose areas throughout your home, inside and out, that have a deep meaning to you for different aspects of your wedding. The guest book table, the bar, the welcome sign, they can all live in a special part of your home.
Tip #1 - Hire As Many Professionals As Possible
Many couples think that they are getting married at home, how hard can it be? Or they think that they've planned parties or hosted holidays at their house before, a wedding can't be that much more work. Oh, but it is! If you're thinking about getting married at home, you're going to need as much professional support as possible from planning, to rentals to catering.
Hire the best professionals as your budget will allow for everything from planning, design, music and entertainment, food, cocktails and so much more. Hire out for as much as possible! When you aren't running around stressing over last minute details and you're able to actually enjoy your wedding, you'll be thankful that you relied on the pros to help you get married at home.
Tip #2- Be Realistic With Your Guest Count
Be honest with yourself about how many guests your home can fit comfortably and then cut that number in half! I'm only half kidding here! But, many couples get overly excited and think that a wedding at home means an unlimited guest limit. While that's true to a certain extent, your home can only so many when it comes to parking spaces, bathrooms and seating. Be honest with yourself about the true number of guests you can comfortably fit into your house at one time. Your guests will thank you!
Tip #3 - Know The Costs
Getting married at home doesn't always save money and, in fact, can sometimes cost more. While you'll be avoiding the cost of a wedding venue itself, know that you'll have other costs when you get married at home that you wouldn't otherwise have if you were getting married at a traditional wedding venue. You might have to bring in extra bathrooms or hire parking attendants or put up a tent and get rentals like tables and chairs.
These extra items, like rentals and staff, are all entirely possible for any wedding, but you need to know the full picture of what you're dealing with before you decide to have your wedding at home. This is where working with professionals, such as a planner, will really save you confusing and headaches. See my tip above about hiring professionals if you're getting married at home.
Tip #4 - Know The Rain Plan
When you get married at home, you'll have to consider the rain plan and more importantly, you'll need to be completely OK with the plan B option for bad weather. If you're planning to have the wedding outside and will be inviting guests based on the number that your outside can hold, make sure that you also seriously consider what happens with it rains. If it rains at your wedding, you might have to move everyone inside. Will there be enough room? Where will everyone sit or stand? Will you put a tent on hold instead? A plan B for inclement weather is always a must at any wedding, but it becomes even more important if you're getting married at home.
Tip #5 - Know The Rules & Invite Your Neighbors
Your house is not a commercial location like a traditional wedding venue, so you will be subject to your local rules and regulations, especially when it comes to noice, traffic and parking. Know the rules in your area before you decide to have a party with lots of people at your house, your neighbors and the local police might not like it very much if you don't follow the rules. Speaking of neighbors, one way to avoid any drama with your neighbors, consider inviting them! It's the nice thing to do, plus they can't report your party if they are there too!
Hosting your wedding at home allows your creative juices to flow! You can pre-plan and execute some exquisite decor ideas. Try combining things that already exist in your home like a beautiful console table with extra wedding decor like a stunning fabric garland backdrop or a beautiful balloon arch.
Don't forget the guests too! Choose details that make your wedding guests feel extra welcome to your at home wedding like coffee wedding favors for them to enjoy back at their own home. Personalized touches go a long way for weddings at home. Your guests will enjoy the beautiful views your home and yard have to offer to make sure that your wedding decor adds and compliments your home's existing designs.
Speaking of backyards, if you need more help, be sure to check out our backyard wedding tips and ideas.
In today's Garter Girl Loves, we're sharing some of our favorite ideas for wedding decor and details to incorporate into your own wedding at your house. These at home wedding decor ideas are sourced from Etsy to help you get your planning started!
From oversized letters that make the cutest pictures, to personalized favors to creative table tops and unique escort card displays, we are all about weddings at home and think you'll love these ideas too...
With love,
The Garter Girl
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