Having a Home Wedding

You want to save money on your wedding, but all the venues around cost money. Your aunt offers to let you have the wedding at her house, which you think is a great idea. It will save money, the whole family knows where it is, she has enough room and she has thrown many parties so she knows what she is doing. While I had my wedding at a relative's house and think it is a great idea, there are some things to keep in mind before making a final decision.

1. Figure out any extra costs. A venue may seem expensive at first, especially compared to a free house, but compare what you will need to what the venue already offers. Most venues already have chairs, tables, tablecloths, utensils, a large kitchen and a music system. If these amenities are not available to you at your relative's house, look at the cost of renting or buying these items. In some cases, the cost of the venue with everything included is cheaper than a free venue where nothing is supplied. Of course, there are always ways around spending more money, but if you have a certain vision in your mind that makes you go out of budget without the venue, stick with the venue.

2. You think you have a hard time with too much input now? Well meaning relatives will always offer their opinion about every aspect in your life, with the top three times being your wedding, your first house and your first child. By having a wedding at a relative's house, you will be in closer and more constant contact than you would be otherwise. It is hard enough coordinating the views of the mothers, the bride and the groom, adding another relative into the mix can greatly increase stress. Know what you want for your wedding and stick to it. Always let the relatives know you are appreciative of them and listen to their advice, but remember you do not have to follow it.

Many fights occur over weddings when no one vocalizes how they feel. Things are assumed and someone always gets hurt. Be sure to be upfront and honest while still being respectful. Most of the time, the relative just wants to make sure you have the best wedding possible and has no idea he or she is just creating more stress.

3. Make sure there is enough room. Even if you have fit a similar amount of people in this space before, there probably were not chairs set up in rows, which take up space. Figure out how big the chairs are and measure to see how many will fit.

To allow room for guests to comfortably walk in and sit down, set up two rows and have a couple people sit in the chairs. Then have someone else walk by in between the two rows. The person may have to slightly turn to the side, but should be able to walk through with no problem.

4. Have bathrooms available. Even though most ceremonies last 30 minutes or less, someone will always have to use the bathroom. As a rule of thumb, make sure there is one bathroom for every 50 guests if it is the ceremony only. If there will be a reception at the house with drinking and dancing, try to have one bathroom for every 20 guests. Be sure to put up signs directing guests to the bathrooms.

5. Consider having the reception somewhere else. We added up the cost of buying everything we would need to host a reception at the same house we had our wedding. By the time you buy everything you need, it works out to be just more than going out to a restaurant. In some cases it can be cheaper, it all depends on what type of food you want, how many people there are and how many amenities you already have on hand. Just keep in mind, everyone will already be stressed about the wedding, if anyone has to cook for the reception on top of everything else it will be even more nerve-racking and hectic. We had our reception at a restaurant that worked around the menu we wanted and was big enough to hold everyone. If you decide to have your reception at a restaurant be sure to book it as soon as you are certain of the date and have your agreement typed up when you go in to meet with them signed by the manager.

Weddings are inherently stressful, but as long as you plan ahead and know what you want it will help to lessen the tension. Remember, the wedding only lasts a day, focus on making the marriage last a lifetime.