Bride's Guide: The Complete Home Wedding Checklist

By Oscar Collins

Hosting an at-home wedding is an intimate way to celebrate one of life’s most significant milestones. You’ll make memories in your favorite place and even save a big portion of your budget by skipping expensive venues.

Before you start hanging flower garlands, read through the complete home wedding checklist to ensure everything’s on track for your big day.

1. Review Seating for Guests

After creating your guest list, reflect on how many seats you’ll need. Will they all fit inside, or should you host your ceremony in your backyard?

The time of year will also affect how to arrange your ceremony seating and where it will take place on your property. You wouldn’t want to usher everyone outside in the winter or have people sitting on your living room stairwell to watch you say your vows.

2. Consider Interior Decorating Projects

Every wedding requires decor, but that might become too costly. You can always save money and time by combining your home’s interior design with your wedding decorations. It’s an excellent way to merge your preferences with your partner’s and avoid excess supplies sitting in your home after your big day.

Play with ideas like new curtains, faux flower arrangements, and dishware so you can continue using your wedding supplies after the reception ends.

3. Finish Any Home Improvements

You wouldn’t want a professional wedding venue with an unfinished kitchenette area for your caterers, so your home shouldn’t feel unfinished either.

Complete any home improvement projects that will make the space usable or comfortable. Patch cracks in your driveway to prevent deterioration and lack of parking, or fix broken door hinges.

4. Get Reception Supplies

Will your existing kitchen supplies be enough for your reception? You may need to rent dishware or pans sizable enough to feed everyone on your guest list.

Don’t forget about other things that will make your reception an enjoyable experience, too, like a cocktail shaker for your mixology needs and napkins. This part of your home wedding checklist is even more crucial if you don’t opt for catering and prefer to make everything at home.

5. Remember to Arrange Parking

Some houses won’t have a big enough property or driveway to accommodate a bride’s guest list. Families could also bring separate cars, along with their plus-one invites.

Don’t worry if you won’t have room for everyone’s vehicles. Even brides at traditional venues often arrange collective wedding transportation with rental cars. You could also ask your neighbors to borrow their driveways for the night if you consider them close friends.

Use the Ultimate Home Wedding Checklist

Anyone can use this complete home wedding checklist to get ready for their big day. When you’ve thought about what your guests will need, which projects you should finish and how everything will work with your budget, you’ll host a romantic and memorable at-home ceremony.