Pros and Cons of a Home Wedding

Is a Home Wedding a good option?

These days some brides are opting for a home wedding for many reasons: it is private, intimate, casual.  Brides can choose their own vendors and have creative freedom to decorate how they want.  The belief is that a home wedding will also be less work and less expensive.  Therein lies the fallacy.  Home weddings are definitely private and intimate.  However, they are not necessarily less work and less expensive.  We have planned a lot of home weddings and although they are beautiful, they end up being a lot of work and stress for the family involved.

The biggest set back is that because a home is not a wedding venue, there is no venue support staff.  There is no event coordinator, venue manager, setup team, A/V techs, maintenance crew, custodial crew, etc., so the family members end up assuming these roles.  When the house needs to be prepped, cleaned, and landscaped, it is up to the family.  When the home needs to have furniture moved, kitchen space cleared out for caterers, parking lots created, it is up to the family.  On wedding day when someone needs a broom, tape, or to locate a circuit breaker, the family members are the ones they turn to.  The family often comes in early on wedding day to clean, prep, and setup, and then stays late after the wedding celebration to clean up.  They also oversee the rental setups and pickups during the days before and after the event.

The second misconception is that a home wedding is less expensive.  True, there is no venue fee (although most people take this time to pay for remodeling and landscaping).  However, every piece of equipment and supply needs to be rented and brought in for wedding day.  This can include tables, chairs, linens, specialty cooking equipment, china, glassware, dance floor, trash receptacles, restrooms, generators, parking service, and the list goes on.  What initially seems like a less expensive option is just as expensive as a regular venue and much more work.

There are some positives to a home wedding.  It is private, which is an amenity more and more brides are seeking these days.  It is also intimate and personal with the loving touches only a home can exude.  There is room for creativity, less restrictions on decor rules, and easier access for all those wedding site visits.

We have witnessed some beautiful home weddings, but the family is usually exhausted by the time wedding day comes.  We don’t discourage home weddings, but we like the bride and the family to be educated on the load of work they are taking on in hosting a home wedding.  The last thing we desire is for the family to be exhausted on wedding day, unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  We advise weighing the pros and cons of a home wedding before taking the leap!