You may want to have a gorgeous home or backyard wedding that would be sweet, memorable and meaningful, but there are a ton of things to consider if you’re serious about it. To be frank, you’re essentially building a venue from the ground up and you have to bring everything in. There are a lot of things to figure out, but below are seven essential wedding items to consider to have a successful home or backyard wedding.
Permits
Check with your city officials to see if there are any permits needed to host a larger event at your home. There will likely be limitations or instructions regarding fire codes, health regulations, noise ordinances and zoning rules.
Neighbors
It’s important to keep your neighbors in the loop on your wedding plans at your home. They don’t need to know every detail, but you’ll want them on your side over the months of planning, so there aren’t any issues from décor setup to music noise on the day of. Sharing details, like the timeline of events on the wedding day, will help them be aware of when the ceremony is (so they hopefully keep it down at that time) and when dancing begins (so they can expect a lot of noise and not complain or maybe even plan to be out/away themselves). Clueing them in and alleviating any of their concerns will make for a smooth process.
Plan B
No one wants to think about inclement weather on their wedding day, but it’s always important to expect the best and prepare for the worst in case you’re having any part of your wedding outdoors. Whether that’s a standby tent for a reception or indoor location for a ceremony, have a backup plan of action in case mother nature does not cooperate on the wedding day.
Landscaping
It’s a good idea to invest in landscaping your home/backyard with new flowers or replanted ones, manicured trees or hedges, lawn maintenance and insect control a couple months before the wedding day
Power
There will be a ton of extra power running through your home than there normally would be between music, catering equipment, lighting, additional AC or heater units depending on the time of year and more. It’s important to find out in advance how much power your vendors need and be ready to rent one or more generators to avoid power outages.
Bathrooms
Whether you’re having a 50-guest wedding or 250-guest wedding at your residence, rent bathroom trailers for your event is a must. That may not sound appealing, but there are a range of options available out there from average to high-end. You don’t want to rely on your home’s bathrooms to accommodate a larger guest count. The last thing your home needs is dirty bathrooms or long lines at the least and plumbing issues at the worst.
Clean Up
From setup to food and drinks, there will certainly be a lot of trash. The pile up may be so much that the garbage needs to be taken out a few times throughout the night. Getting large trash cans and recycling bins is key, but so is a team of people to collect and store all the garbage in one place. Ask your caterer if they will take care of clean up and trash. If they don’t or the cleanup is limited, consider hiring a professional cleanup crew to take that on so your designated friends/family don’t have to take on that burden. It will make for an easier breakdown at the end of the event.
Tuesday, November 30, 2022
