Some of the most beautiful weddings happen at private homes. Planning a wedding in a private residence is more complex than utilizing an event venue and can be more expensive.
There are several factors to take into consideration;
Room Size & Layout
If holding the festivities indoors, you’ll need to maximize use of the available space. Plan to move out the existing furniture and rent theater-style seating for the ceremony and banquet rounds with chairs for the reception. Renting banquet furniture costs only a few hundred dollars and will help to increase the number of guests the room(s) can accommodate. Brainstorm an out-of-the-way place to store the existing furniture. A garage or extra bedroom often works well.
Cleanup
Holding an event in someone’s home is a lot of work and often causes the event host additional stress. The house will need to be deep cleaned both before and after the event. Consider hiring a maid service as a gift to your host.
In addition, all nick-knacks will need to be removed. This will make the rooms look more spacious and decrease the chance of damage or theft.
The yard needs to be in top condition, which often requires the added expense of routine maintenance that has been long overdue.
Inside the home, updates often include touch-up painting, finishing remodeling and interior design projects.
Restrooms
A general rule of thumb is to have one bathroom for every 50 guests. As most homes have only one restroom on the first floor, portable bathrooms may need to be rented and placed strategically around the property. An upscale restroom rental company is www.royalrestrooms.com
Parking
Many cities and neighborhoods have restrictions on street parking for events. Anticipate one vehicle for every two guests. If off-street parking is not available, research whether an event permit will be required to allow guests to parallel park along the road. If limited off-street parking is available, consider hiring or recruiting friends to act as valets. This will allow vehicles to maximize the space available.
Catering and Liability
If you opt to have relatives or friends do the cooking, consider liability issues. If your guests were to get food poisoning, you and your ‘chef’ would be liable for all damages. When a catering company provides the food, their insurance will cover damages. In addition, catering companies are knowledgeable about safe food handling practices.
Consider the kitchen facilities. Many private residences do not have the capacity to keep food for a large number of guests heated or cooled at the correct temperatures. It may be necessary to rent additional refrigerators or speed racks (which are portable ovens that keep food warm before serving).
Make sure there is enough staff to serve the food. For a buffet meal, plan on 1 catering staff for every 50 guests. For a plated event, schedule 1 staff member for every 30 guests. This is in addition to the kitchen staff preparing the food.
General Liability
If a guest has any type of medical issue while on the property, you or the event host will be liable for damages. Consider buying 1-day event insurance. Starting at only $200, it is definitely a smart investment. Single-event insurance may be purchased from http://www.kandkinsurance.com/EventsAttractions/Pages/EventsAttractions.aspx
Safety
Guests like to snoop and may go through closets or enter rooms of the home not being used for the event. Lock bedroom doors and any rooms that you would not want someone looking through unsupervised. Also, lock up all jewelry and valuables well in advance.
Setup/Breakdown
Parents of the bride and groom and members of the bridal party will be too busy taking photos and participating in the wedding itself to help in the event setup or breakdown. Any projects not completed within two weeks of the wedding day should be passed off too a Wedding Coordinator or trusted friend.
Logistics
Wedding Coordinators typically save events more money than it costs to hire them. As weddings at home are more complex than events held in commercial venues, hire a Wedding Coordinator to help manage logistics.
The ‘convenience’ of planning a wedding at home is typically outweighed by the logistics required to execute the event. Begin planning as early and enlist help wherever possible.
A wedding at home is sure to create happy memories for the whole family.
Posts
