The COVID 19 pandemic has put a hamper on everyone’s plans including brides and grooms. Many couples are finding ways around the restrictions by having a wedding at home. Having a wedding at home can mean having your close friends and family members in attendance, it can also mean reducing the risk of getting or spreading COVID 19.
Of course, having a wedding at home can also mean tremendous savings. A DIY wedding can save you thousands of dollars. Having a wedding at home can be a wonderfully intimate affair that does not break the bank, and that does not break the rules.
Why Wait?
Before the pandemic, about 42,000 couples were getting married every weekend. Since the pandemic, many couples have postponed their nuptials by a year or longer just so they can have their dream wedding. Unfortunately, even the experts cannot guarantee where we will be a year from now. As a result, there’s still a risk as to whether it all pans out so you can have that wedding you planned.
While it is understood there is a lot that goes into event planning for a wedding, delaying the event at this point is no guarantee that the event will happen. Couples are stuck in this holding pattern waiting for the all-clear to move forward, and can’t get on with their plans.
Other couples are just biting the bullet and having micro weddings with two or three people present. Others are eloping and promising a gathering down the road when a gathering is possible again. There is a third option that should not be overlooked.
Having a wedding at home can be a great solution. You can invite as many people as you want into the home, have a great reception with a little bit of work, and get on with life. You do not have to settle for a virtual wedding, or a micro ceremony, or getting married by the justice of the peace. You can scale down your plans, roll up your sleeves and create a beautiful wedding right at home.
While it is lovely when you can find the unique wedding venues that can create your fairytale wedding, sometimes it is just not possible. Having a wedding at home can be the happy medium between your fantasy unique wedding venues, and putting off your wedding indefinitely.
Getting Ready for Having a Wedding At Home
Having a wedding at home does require some planning to pull off, but it can be pulled together rather quickly, and provide you and your guests with wonderful memories. So, where do you start? If you are one of the couples that were to be married in March, April, May, or June of 2020 it is very likely you already have two of the biggest things out of the way. You likely already have your wedding fashion choices made.
If you did not quite get to the point where you have bought what you are going to wear to get married in, there is no better time than right now to go do that. Most bridal shops are open for business by appointment. Of course, if you prefer not to shop in person, there are plenty of online options available.
Other personal non-party related items that you will also need is a visit to the jewelry store to pick out your wedding rings. Once you have your rings and your clothing for the wedding, you can get your house in order and plan on having a wedding at home.
Where To Start
If you do not have professional help for event planning, you will have to roll up your sleeves and get busy on your own. There are a few key elements that you want to have on board when having a wedding at home:
- You will need food and beverages. You can choose to make the food as elaborate or as simple as you want.
- You will need to decide on beverages. Will you be serving alcohol? What type of soft drinks will you offer?
- Floral arrangements, seating, tables, and more are all necessary considerations.
You can keep things as simple as you like or make them as elaborate as you like. Of course, some considerations will help you to determine how elaborate your food choices can be. For example, if you plan on doing the catering yourself, you have to ask yourself if you have the right kitchen equipment to handle the cooking.
While most catering venues are shuttered, you can find catering options that will deliver right to your door the day off. If you had already had wedding plans that had to be canceled consider contacting the caterer that was going to do the catering for the original wedding date and see what they have to offer.
Keep in mind that you will need plates, cups, flatware, napkins, and other items to support the number of guests that you plan on having. Just because you are having a wedding at home does not mean that you cannot have an elegant affair. You just need the right tools to pull it off.
You want to be able to transform the space you are going to use to make it look like a wedding is happening. There are plenty of DIY options that you can use to create a space that is on theme with your wedding vision.
Here are some tips for having a wedding at home that can help to reign in costs and create an amazing event:
- Tap into the power of the rental places around you. You can rent everything for your wedding from a gazebo and tent to a salad fork and goblet. Rent what you can. It is easier to rent items you are only going to use for the wedding. You won’t get stuck with a garage full of stuff that you will never use again.
- Choose one big thing to splurge on. Whether it is food or an air-conditioned tent for the yard, choose one big thing to splurge on. Keeping your wedding on budget even when having a wedding at home is important. You do not have to go top of the line with everything. Pick and choose the things that matter most to you.
- Hire some help. You do not have to go it alone. Hire someone to take some of the load off your shoulders so you can enjoy having a wedding at home.
Making having a wedding at home more affordable is a lot easier than you think. You are given a lot more leeway when you have your wedding at home to cut corners and save. Look to rental options to help cut costs, make food selections wisely, and of course, determine the parts of the wedding you want to splurge on.
Where do you want to invest your wedding budget? Are great photographs of the day really important to you? Then make your big expense a highly rated photographer. If pictures of the day are less important than your guest’s experience than pay for top dollar catering. You get the idea, it’s your wedding spend on the things that are meaningful to you.
How Much DIY Is Too Much DIY?
Is there too much DIY? A lot of couples DIY it all, but there is a risk in a completely DIY wedding. You get burnt out and get to the point where you just want it to be over. Balance your DIY projects by deciding which ones make both financial sense and commitment sense to you.
For example, DIY wedding flowers can be a fun project that you can have your wedding party help with. You can order DIY arrangements from a bulk florist online and have them delivered to your front door in time for the wedding day. Most of these bulk suppliers have DIY arrangements that you can choose from, all you do is open the package when it arrives, put the flowers in a vase, add some water, and you are done. You can usually get all the supplies you need from the same distributor to create table arrangements, bouquets, boutineers, and corsages.
However, DIYing the flowers, doing all your own cooking, baking the wedding cake, and other activities that you plan on doing yourself will burn you out and will likely negatively impact your wedding experience. Find the balance between what you can do, and what you should do.
You do not have to be an experienced accountant to figure out what the cost of DIY’ing everything on your own will be. Do the math and in many cases when you account for the time and the stress that is involved in doing some of the wedding stuff on your own, some professional help can be a lot more affordable.
Indoors or Out?
Pick your location where the ceremony will be held and the reception. Don’t let that backyard swimming pool keep you from having an outdoor ceremony and event. Large sheets of plywood masterfully crafted can become a great dance floor and cover the swimming pool.
If you plan on having it indoors, will you have enough space for your guests to sit comfortably? Will you need to move some furniture around? How much effort will it take to have your wedding indoors, compared to how much effort will it take to have it outdoors?
Many couples choose to have their wedding outdoors. A tent or canopy can provide shelter, port a john rentals can provide bathroom space, and with a little luck, the weather will be just perfect. A sunset wedding in the backyard may not be exactly what you dreamed of, but it can be a great experience nonetheless.
Deciding whether you want an indoor wedding or an outdoor wedding when having a wedding at home comes down to personal preference and:
- The amount of space each area has to offer.
- How much work it will take to get the space into “wedding-ready” mode.
- What your vision is.
Sometimes the choice is made for you. If your backyard is small and cannot support your guests comfortably but your indoor space is sweeping, then indoor it should be. If your backyard is a comfortable oasis with a great area to pitch a tent but your indoors could use some paint, then outdoor you go.
Remember, having a wedding at home is not so much about putting on the ritz as it is about being able to gather with the people that you love and celebrate your union. Things do not have to be perfect but you should make your best effort to make things comfortable for your guests.
Take Time for Yourself
If you are part of a couple that has gone on the COVID 19 roller coaster ride of emotions and have decided that having a wedding at home is your best solution, take time for yourself during the process. You want to look your best on your wedding day and rest and relaxation is vital.
Treat yourself to a massage (if these services are up and running in your state). Get some CBD infused skin care products and pamper yourself. Take a break from the planning and DIY activities to regroup. It is important that you are enjoying the process and that it is not all about feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
Spend some time alone with your partner during the process to stay connected. Remember your relationship comes first and has to be prioritized. If you ask any family law attorney why they think divorce is an epidemic you will likely hear because couples do not work at staying connected. Start on the right foot by staying connected throughout the process.
Enlist Some Help
It can be difficult if not impossible to plan and execute a wedding on your own even when having a wedding at home. Ask for help. If you do not have a bridal party, ask friends if they can pitch in with the planning. Ask family members to step up. Rely on your partner, it is after all their wedding day too.
Having your wedding at home is a great option. With a little work on everyone’s part, you can still get married and have the people that are most important to you right there to witness it.
