Since Covid has shaken up so many wedding plans for 2020, most couples are postponing and many are scaling down their big wedding and opting for a smaller intimate celebration and getting married at home.  Residential weddings are meaningful and often huge money savers.  When a couple suggests getting married at a residence, I have several suggestions  to ensure the wedding goes off without a hitch.

If the wedding is going to be a back-yard wedding the first question I have is “what is the rain plan”?  In other words, if it rains, do you have a space indoors that is large enough to accommodate all of the invited guests?

If the answer is no, then I would highly recommend renting a tent (with sides).

The next question I have is “is there enough space or a designated area for parking?”  I will also suggest making it very clear with signage and/or a parking attendant to direct drivers on where to park and make sure it is coordinated in a way that cars can leave easily without being boxed in.

Another thing to consider when hosting a residential wedding is power/electricity.  Where will the band or DJ plug in?  Where will the caterers plug in their catering hot-boxes?  Where will lighting be plugged in?  How about a microphone and speakers for the ceremony?   Think about all of the power/electricity you will need and determine if you will need to rent a generator to ensure everything needing electric is covered.

Will the residence you plan on getting married at have enough restrooms to accommodate the guest count?  I always recommend renting a mobile restroom.  There are so many upscale and beautiful mobile bathrooms that can come and park at the event.  This is a great option if you’d like to keep a lot of guests out of the house.

 If the residence has lots of trees, bushes or a pond nearby I highly recommend getting the area sprayed for mosquitos and flies before the event.  Nobody wants to spend the evening getting eaten alive from mosquitos and although your guests may not know this is something you did for them, they will certainly know if you do not plan for this.

Finally, and very importantly, you will not have the assistance of a venue coordinator at a private residence so I highly suggest hiring wedding day assistants and staff to assist with the even so that the couple, family and friends aren’t stuck working on the wedding day