3 Things We Consider When Planning a Private Home Wedding

Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling and it’s why so many of our clients are drawn to the idea of getting married at home. We wholeheartedly love the idea of exchanging vows on the grounds where you have already experienced so many significant  life milestones and moments. The undeniable sense of intimacy only amplifies why home can be the best environment for you - cue the nostalgia!  While an at-home wedding celebration can sound simple, in reality it’s quite complex. But we are sharing three steadfast tips to keep you prepared and informed during the first few months of planning. 

1. FOCUS ON A FRESH PERSPECTIVE 

Before diving in, it’s important to consider the landscape and home as if you’ve never visited before. You may naturally have some associations with parts of the property but in order to truly see it as a blank canvas, you must appreciate it with an open mind. Walk through with your planner and potentially your tent installation partner who will be able to identify opportunities (like hosting cocktail hour underneath your favorite oak tree) or problem areas such as parking, access to electricity and catering service paths, etc. We love to showcase the architecture and unique features of a private residence in our overall design. Once we have a strong sense of the footprint, we can start conceptualizing the experience and design elements that may enhance the flow of events. This allows for the element of originality to every single home wedding we produce.

When Amy and Pete elected to have a small intimate ceremony at her family’s home in Philadelphia, we quickly determined that the loveliest position for the ceremony would be just in front of the front door, surrounded by their garden beds, framed by the structure of the house and the surrounding trees. This enabled their family to be seated in the grass and for Amy to walk down the “aisle” with her father, utilizing the paved walkway.

Next we transitioned the guests around the home to the back of the property for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres around the pool, before eventually retreating to the living room for dinner. The flow worked beautifully and showcased multiple areas of their home, while allowing ample opportunity for Lance Nicoll to photograph their portraits in between the programmed moments of celebration. 

A few years ago, when Hannah and Tim chose to host their wedding at Hannah’s family home, we decided to utilize a similar flow and footprint that we created years earlier for her older sister’s wedding at their private estate.  When initially touring the grounds, we learned that the father of the bride was particularly smitten with a certain area outside that he often saw from his office window. He had long imagined his daughters being married in that spot, and once we learned that - we knew we had to bring that vision to life.

Photography by Rylee Hitchner

Upon determination of the ceremony location, we mapped out the rest of the flow to lead guests throughout the property in such a way that each subsequent space revealed a beautiful aesthetic and built up as a crescendo.

The reception tent was nestled into a beautiful open field surrounded by trees and situated in front of a private lake. In order to make that happen, we had to create an incredibly specific two-week long installation schedule that accounted for each production partner’s load-in and setup needs, truck weight/width, and much more, as there was only one access point to the tent area. Needless to say, that level of complexity of planning and implementation was well worth the attention to detail. 

2. CONSIDER SEASONALITY & THE FORCES OF NATURE

Getting married during sunset on the dock, or beneath the grandfather oak in your childhood backyard will be lovely, but it’s important to evaluate the unknown ‘elements’ and any additional infrastructure you might need if Mother Nature acts up. That’s why for most scenarios, we suggest a tent to double as a rain plan and a space for staying cool (or warm)! Using a portion of your interior space may be possible, but we always recommend utilizing indoor and outdoor areas so that guests don’t feel confined to just one room. You can have so much fun with how you reveal different parts of the property to your guests throughout the event. 

3. ALLOW EACH SPACE TO SHINE

Let your home make the best impression, even on guests who have visited many times before. Oftentimes, we get creative on how to freshen up different spaces based on how guests will interact with them. It takes a discerning eye, but this is one of our favorite parts of producing private estate celebrations because you can appreciate the authentic details signature to that place, and that place alone. Besides adding a tent for the reception space, we’ll explore the best nook for cocktail hour (that's separate from the ceremony space), perhaps spruce up the landscaping to create a late-night lounge, and more. With 40 years of combined experience, we know how to guarantee the best utilization of any property, and create a seamless flow from start to finish. 

We have a sincere appreciation for the emotion an at-home affair can conjure up. In fact when a client comes to us with the idea, we discuss the 3 P’s before anything else. If you're still interested in learning more about a private home bash, we’d love to connect!