Pros & Cons

Thinking of having your wedding at home? We’ve made a list so you can make an educated decision on what saying ‘I do’ at home actually entails…

PROS ✤ It’s special, intimate, and no one else will be able to replicate your exact location. You can really bring your own vision to life – if you can imagine it, you can create it. You often still have the marquee or tent the next morning before it's taken down, so utilise the space by hosting a breakfast or a brunch for your guests, or even just your extended family. Having more or fewer guests can be accommodated more easily than at a traditional venue. When the venue is a family home you can often rent homes nearby for the bridal party, which means you’re close to where all the action is. You can have the ceremony and reception at the same place, making it a seamless affair for everyone involved. ✤ If the place is special to you, it may calm any pre-wedding jitters and make you more relaxed and comfortable on the day. CONS ✤ The pack down will be extensive and exhausting. Make sure you calculate enough time for this job before you go on your honeymoon. ✤ Budgets can often be blown with hidden costs like delivery fees. Read all the fine print and have a delivery column in your budget. Guests often assume they can bring children to home weddings. If you’re not keen on this, address the issue early on with invites saying something like, ‘ We want parents to have a night off…’ It can be a logistical nightmare. Set up may need to start at least four days before the big event, so you’re bound to overwhelm the owners of the property. Be upfront early with a timeline of what they can expect to be happening, and when. It can be tough to get the numbers of glasses and bottles of wine right, so speak to a professional about how much you need. Then always cater for more. You will have to be in charge of many more aspects of the wedding than if you were at a hotel, restaurant or traditional venue. If you don’t feel up to the job, find someone (or pay someone) to direct the day to make sure it runs smoothly.