Nothing is more sentimental or comforting than a wedding reception that occurs in your very own home. But while you may be eager to celebrate your vows in your cosy abode, prepping for these upcoming festivities may seem daunting. Fortunately, you can easily pull off an at-home wedding celebration with these 5 secrets in mind:
- Secret #1 — Don’t Do All the Work Alone
Just because you’ve decided to host your reception at your home doesn’t mean you have to do all of the planning and prepping solo. With all of the cleaning, organising and executing involved, even Wonder Woman would struggle to put a whole wedding together alone.
Don’t be afraid to hire a wedding coordinator – They’re not just for those who having a reception in a dining hall or church, after all! If you have a crew of eager family members and friends who are ready to offer you their support, take advantage of their willingness to pitch in. When you divvy up tasks, you’ll find that the process of planning a wedding reception at home doesn’t need to involve any stress at all.
- Secret #2 — You’ll Need a Plan
When planning for a wedding reception at home, making the actual plan may seem like a given. But far too often, brides get caught up in prepping and making arrangements that they forget to create a step-by-step plan that ensures their wedding day will go by smoothly.
Create a wedding day checklist that clearly defines your goals, events and the details that you intend to manifest during your reception. Do you have enough seating available for the amount of guests you invited? Will you cook your food, or cater? Do you have a back-up plan in case the weather interferes with your arrangements?
Make sure you touch on key aspects of your wedding, such as decorations, food and drink and entertainment. When you have an actual plan mapped out for your reception, everything will be much more correlated and in order for your special day.
- Secret #3 — Make Cleaning Your Home Easy
Inviting guests over for any occasion often comes with the panic of quickly cleaning your home. But after prepping and planning for your wedding day ceremony, the last thing you want to do is spend the weekend scrubbing the toilet before you walk down the aisle.
Sometimes, the best solution is to have someone else who can take the burden off your shoulders. Professionals know just what areas to clean and will leave your home spotless so that you can focus on getting pampered before you tie the knot instead.
- Secret #4 — Be Mindful of What You Have (And What You Need)
Your home may be perfectly suited for a small, cosy get-together. But, few people can say that their house is ready-to-go for a wedding reception. But fear not! Although your house may not seem prepped for a wedding, being mindful of your space can help you quickly prepare.
It’s likely that you won’t have enough seats, plates or other crucial materials on hand prior to the event. If so, do a head count beforehand and make sure that you have enough supplies for every guest. Think about the dimensions of your space — both indoors and outdoors — too. Do you have a large backyard that would be perfect for hosting an event? Or, do you have a spacious dining room that’s more fit for your festivities instead? Since every house is different, it’s important to form a unique strategy for your reception that’s best suited for your home.
- Secret #5 — Pick a Theme to Tie It All Together
Just because you’re throwing your wedding reception at home doesn’t mean you have to forgo a theme or direction that ties your affair together.
Choosing a direction for your reception can create a memorable experience that also happens to make your event even more photo-worthy. Brainstorm several wedding theme ideas that are best suited for your home. Do you have an older-style framework that would be perfect for a vintage wedding? If you have a country home, a rustic theme may be more well-suited instead. Play around with themes and think about the style, decor, and accessories that you envision for your big day.
Now that you know where to begin when preparing for an at-home wedding reception, you can successfully create a plan! With these secrets in mind, you’ll take the burden off of this big day so that you can relax, dance, mingle with friends and family and create a lifetime of memories instead.
