Hosting a Wedding in Your Home

Articles on Weddings | Topics: weddings, wedding

by Zachary Zamora

Large venues such as catering halls make an elegant wedding location but for a more intimate gathering you might want to consider hosting your wedding either at your own home or the home of a close friend or relative. A wedding hosted at a private home can be a lovely and memorable affair that is sure to be enjoyed by all of the guests. There are plenty of advantages to hosting your wedding in a private home including having increased freedom in making choices and providing your guests with a warm casual atmosphere. The downside of hosting a wedding in a private home include the inconvenience and strain placed on the owner of the home and limitations on the number of guest that you can accommodate as well as whether or not it is feasible to hire a caterer.

One of the distinct advantages to hosting a wedding in your home is that there is more freedom in decorating and food choices. Many catering halls have a few options for linens, china and decorations and a limited menu but you are limited by their pre-existing constraints. While sometimes it is easy to simply go along with the template offered by the catering hall, it just doesn't give the couple much creativity in planning their wedding. In a private home you are free to buy or rent any decorations, linens and china that you choose and use these to set the atmosphere for your wedding. You are also free to hire your own caterer or even take care of food preparations yourself. This freedom gives the couple the opportunity to allow the wedding to truly reflect their personalities. They can opt to have the wedding be as formal or casual as they wish and they may choose to incorporate any imaginable theme in their wedding.

The other advantage to hosting a wedding in your home is the warm casual atmosphere that it provides for your guests. The formality of catering halls makes some people very uncomfortable. Furthermore they often feel obligated to dress formally for an event that is held at a catering hall. While the couple may still opt for a certain degree of formality, many of the guests will feel more relaxed at a wedding hosted in a private home. While they may still dress formally, the absence of a doting wait staff and other stuffy personnel allows the guests to relax more and enjoy the wedding. Informal seating such as couches and loveseats in a living room lend even further to the idea that guests are meant to relax.

Bit of History

Women born at the turn of the century have been conditioned not to speak openly of their wedding nights. Of other nights in bed with other men they speak not at all. Today a woman having bedded with a great general feels free to tell us that in bed the general could not present arms. Women of my generation would have spared the great general the revelation of this failure.

—Jessamyn West (1907–1984)

One distinct disadvantage to hosting a wedding in a private home is that although the homeowner originally agreed to host the wedding, they may feel increased pressure as the wedding approaches. The homeowner may begin to feel a great deal of stress related to preparing the home for the wedding. The homeowner may feel obligated to partake in rigorous cleaning efforts or purchase additional decoration items in preparation for the wedding. One way to reduce this stress is to enlist the assistance of a cleaning service so that the homeowner does not continue to worry about the cleanliness of the home. You also may want to speak to the homeowner to let them know that you appreciate their efforts but that you are perfectly happy with the home just the way it is and you don't wish them to go to anymore trouble to prepare for the wedding.

Another disadvantage to hosting a wedding in a private home is that the size of the home may restrict the number of guest. While it is true that most catering halls have maximum occupancy restrictions as well, most of these commercial venues are capable of seating far more guests than even the most extravagant home. If you have a large family or many friends and plan to have many guests then hosting your wedding in a private home may not be a feasible option. However, if you plan on having only a small number of guests then a wedding in a private home may be a wonderful option. The size of the home also factors into your decision to hire a caterer. A home with a small kitchen could be problematic if the caterers intend to prepare all of the food onsite.

Hosting a wedding in a private home can be a wonderful idea. This type of wedding works best if you have a relatively small number of guests and are looking for a casual atmosphere that provides endless decoration possibilities. On the other hand hosting your wedding in a private home may not be feasible if the homeowner is neurotic about cleaning or if you are planning to have a large number of guests in attendance.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Hosting a Wedding in Your Home" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by FamilyBabyKids.com.

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