Looks like DD is getting married at home! Anyone do this, have suggestions?

[luvavacation]

Ok, you all have me convinced, so I am meeting with wedding planners next week. I definitely want to enjoy the actual day of the wedding and not stress over who is arriving at which time to do whatever. No need to bring on those grey hairs any faster than they are already appearing!

Looked into the portable toilets, and probably will be renting a trailer with 4 toilets. I figure the elderly members of both sides will be able to use the main floor bathroom, with no steps, and the able bodied people will use the trailer with steps.

While the home-made potties may work in some areas of this country, and be perfectly acceptable, I am afraid I will not be able to go that route here in my area. But I do envy the emphasis of just being with people and celebrating a happy moment, and not being hung up on this perfect little detail or that perfect little detail. It won't work here, but it it works for someone else, enjoy!

I will talk to the wedding planner about security. I am still not convinced it is needed in our situation, no one is a stranger that is coming, but we will take precautions anyway and have things locked up and put away. If someone makes off with the wedding gifts, well, I have to suppose they just needed them more than my DD and he husband did. But I am really not worried, beyond regular precautions for any party. Still, I will see what the wedding planners feel is the norm for our area.

Will be going to the village tomorrow to ask about permits and such. Unless the village is closed, for we are expecting brutal cold tomorrow and they closed a couple weeks ago when we had record cold. I love my town; it is a small town mentality sandwiched in an area of larger towns. If the one secretary can't get her car started, the village hall is closed. Hate the taxes, but love my town! Let's hope I still love it after I ask about the policies on having a wedding at my home!

Also on the plus side of doing this at home, my DD can incorporate our heritage and her love of Disney into the wedding much easier! The original venue was just not very accommodating, as they had an "image" they were going for. It is to be expected. At my home though, it will be exactly how she wants it (fingers crossed!). And if she decides have some Eastern European Gypsy violinists providing the music for her grand entrance, I will be too happy to cry when I see her walk down the aisle! That's the plan, anyway.

Thanks again for all your help! I really enjoy hearing the experiences others have had, and hope to learn from the good and bad as I try to pull this off!

 

[mustgonow]

Maybe if you have a bridesmaid who doesn't want to dance with her assigned partner, she could empty the buckets while the first dance is going on.

Yes, if it's a bridesmaid you hate! I can see the conversation now: "Brittany, could you please empty the bucket filled with feces and urine? You know, because you don't want to dance."

I stand by my original assessment: as soon as I saw the bathroom conditions, I would have left in a hurry.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

maybe if you have a bridesmaid who doesn't want to dance with her assigned partner, she could empty the buckets while the first dance is going on.

rotfl!!

 

[Allison]

Yes, if it's a bridesmaid you hate! I can see the conversation now: "Brittany, could you please empty the bucket filled with feces and urine? You know, because you don't want to dance."

I stand by my original assessment: as soon as I saw the bathroom conditions, I would have left in a hurry.

And then help yourself to some finger foods.

 

[Imhere]

And then help yourself to some finger foods.

Aren't finger foods tacky?

 

[mustgonow]

And then help yourself to some finger foods.

I just can't believe that 300+ people were at an event for hours and hours, and not one was horrified at the sight of someone walking around with a bucket filled with human waste. Did they carry it into the house? Dump it in the woods?

It would have had to have been emptied many, many times. It staggers the mind.

 

[Allison]

Good luck, OP and have fun with it.

 

[focusondisney]

Maybe if you have a bridesmaid who doesn't want to dance with her assigned partner, she could empty the buckets while the first dance is going on.

 

[kwelch10377]

My brother an his bride married on the back of my parents 5 acres. Seems it was early June weddin (doesn't matter 1 can never depend on the weather.) Beautiful day. NO Tents, no catering a true pot luck.

No port a pots....daddy had made potty frames out of PVC mom made walls with cheap canvas an demin and Velcro the potty it's self was a bucket for the men an women had a port a pot for camping. The frames for the potties was set in the bushes out of the way of mowing an could be pulled out set up in about 10 mins.

Parking was off to the side of the picnic site oh there was NO electric the music for the wedding ceremony was the birds. Many peeps brought their own chairs but parents had lots of seating.

Close to 300 came to the wedding many was still there after dark an the ceremony was at like 2 in the afternoon ....we must have done something right.

How exactly did people wash their hands when they were done peeing in the bucket?

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

And then help yourself to some finger foods.

Or some "pot" luck!!!

 

[Pumpkin meme]

No port a pots....daddy had made potty frames out of PVC mom made walls with cheap canvas an demin and Velcro the potty it's self was a bucket for the men an women had a port a pot for camping. The frames for the potties was set in the bushes out of the way of mowing an could be pulled out set up in about 10 mins.

No words...just NO....WORDS...

AND not AN

 

[lauradis]

I think that there's a huge difference between a casual 4th of July party and a wedding. If I show up wearing a dress I had to have dry cleaned, with nice heels, I am NOT going to be happy about having to use a homemade port-a-potty with a bucket. It's a lot easier to manage casual clothes than dressy clothes in that situation.

And just because guests don't complain doesn't mean they don't have an issue with something. I wouldn't complain to my host in that situation, but I would probably leave shortly after dinner to avoid needing to use the bucket.

wouldnt that be an out house?

 

[barkley]

DD and Future-Son-In-Law picked the venue last June (the wedding is this May), but it has been under renovation. Looked at it this past week, they are not pleased with many of the changes, changes that are different from the plans we were originally shown. Instead of elegant, the venue is going with "rustic barn". Also, many of their policies have changed.

DD and FSIL have spoken to the owners of the venue, and long story short, they have been told they can back out and receive back the deposit. They would now like to have the wedding here at my home. Did I mention the wedding is in MAY!

I truly don't mind, and though we never said it to my daughter, we did wish they would have the wedding here, and I believe we will have a beautiful wedding. But, we need to now get tents, flooring for under the tents, tables, chairs, port-a-potties, flowers in pots, caterers, generators, oh so many things.

DD lives 4 hours away, so much of this sudden, last minute stuff will fall on me, since I am here and can easily meet with people for quotes and such. Again, I don't mind, but I have never planned anything so big (for me, anyway - expecting about 125 people), nor have any of my friends. I was hoping someone here would have experience in a wedding at home, and tell me what to make sure I don't forget, perhaps what is commonly overlooked, or what isn't even important to spend time on.

And where to I have all the people park? We live in a subdivision, in the turn of the cul-de-sac. Do we have shuttles from a parking lot nearby?

And may God hear my fervent prayers over the next few months for no rain! Oh this is going to be fun!

on parking-we went to a wedding where parking wasn't available (private home) and the b/g arranged with a local shuttle company to transport guests. they made arrangements with a nearby business to permit the guests to park in their lot, and the invitations were very specifically worded to notify guests that they HAD to use the shuttles, and what time period they would be running (added bonus was the event ended right when b/g wanted b/c the guests had to start boarding the shuttles to return to their cars during a designated time period).

one thing you may want to consider doing-check w/ your homeowners insurance company to see if you need a 1 night rider on your policy for the event. all it takes is someone twisting their ankle (or worse-a car accident and a guest who claims you over served them alcohol) to make a wonderful day into a nightmarish memory

if you live in an area w/flying bugs-consider getting a few of the bug zappers and start running them a week or so before the event (to thin the herd). that was a big issue at one outdoor wedding we went to. people were leaving earlier than planned b/c of bug bites.

 

[Dancind]

We had an indoor home wedding with the reception at a nightclub. My Mom had designed the house, and the great room was 2 1/2 stories with huge arched windows, a big fireplace, and a curving staircase. Perfect. Of course, we had only about 60 guests and it did get a little warm.

The nightclub owed us some money for teaching dance classes there, so they let us use the venue for the afternoon and supplied a keg and some wine. It was a nice place with a dance floor, though there were some animal head decorations.

The only problem we had was all the food we made. Since it was an afternoon wedding at home and a bar, a lot of people assumed there would not be a meal. Tons and tons of leftovers.

Never been able to figure out the meal thing on wedding invitations.