Jennifer and Ashley were married at the family home outside Stirling.
I’m a big fan of a home wedding. Always a unique vibe to these and always fun. One of the best things about getting married in Scotland is that you can do it anywhere! You can get married in the middle of a field or glen if you want to. They do pack in a few of their own unique little challenges though.
Planning a wedding at home means that you're responsible for everything - from arranging catering, styling and planning the timeline, to figuring out the toilets and parking.
Here’s a few bit and pieces to consider if you decide to go down this route.
Organising the Timeline for Your Day
It might sound a bit obvious but you’ll need to figure out the running time of your day. If you’ve never done it before though, where do you start?
Without a venue telling you when things usually happen, setting up a timeline can be a bit challenging and there’s definitely a few things to think about. From my point of view, light is super important in capturing great images. Consider the time of year for example. If it’s in summer then it not’s much of an issue but earlier or later in the year and the sun will pop off earlier in the day. So it’s always good to plan a ceremony time around this I think. 2 or 2.30pm might be great in July but not so much in the winter or autumn.
If you are going for a later ceremony, make sure you have enough time afterwards before you sit down to your meal. Great for the video and photo’s to have plenty of time but just as importantly it gives you time to chill with your guests without rushing to the next part of proceedings.
Your other suppliers can definitely help with this. They should be able to guide you along and give you advice. For example, if you want to eat at 5 then your caterer will know when they need to arrive and how long they need to prepare. If you having a band they will need a certain amount of time to set up. Are you putting in a dance floor after the meal and do tables need moved to accommodate this? The key is not to fret about these things. Everyone will still have a great time if things are running a bit late. It happens. All. The. Time. Haha.
Have a think about speech times as well. If you think you need 30 minutes for them allow a bit more. Likely that your caterer will be ready to serve a little early but if it’s too late it can start to affect the food quality. Same with your ceremony. If you having that at home as well, then your celebrant will be able to give you a pretty good idea of how long it will take but it’s always a good idea to give yourself another 5-10 minutes on top. If you’re not having the ceremony at home what will be the travel time to and from the ceremony venue?
Nicola and Craig rent a farmhouse and their landlord and friend gave them the thumbs up to wedding on the farm.
Who will be in charge on the day?
DIY is cool but you need someone you can rely on. Or it could be several people so that everyone has a chance to enjoy the day. Got a bossy bridesmaid, then deploy her haha. Your wedding party will rally around you on the day so that’s all good. Try to delegate someone to grab folk for photo’s so your photographer can get on with the their job without having to chase people. I tend to find everyone has a little job at a wedding anyway and it’s a great way to go. Not enough to cause stress but enough so everyone gets a sense of helping out.
Or you could also consider hiring a planner to liase with all your suppliers and put together a timeline for you. And if something does go wrong? You'll likely not even hear about it because they'll be on it.
Dull stuff
Think about your guests. Will there be parking available. Is there anywhere for them to stay over or will they need to drive home afterwards. Would it make sense to arrange transport for them en masse.
Will your house be open to guests, or will everything be outside? Lock your doors is my best advice :)
Following that….toilets. In the house or portaloos? Best advice….see above and lock your doors.
Do you have pets that need to be looked after or taken off-site?
How are you going to power everything. If you’re having a band etc, make sure the source can cope with the power demands.
Safety is another thing to think about and, if it’s a location you feel at home in, you might not necessarily consider any aspects causing an issue because you live in the day to day there. Are there any water features a wee one could stumble into? Have you got outdoor lighting when the sun goes down? Those sort of things.
The Weather…….
So, let's say your wedding is 100% outside. What if it rains? Do you have a decent amount of indoor space for people to retreat to. A gazebo or two is a good idea and just as good an idea if it’s full on sunny so people can take a break from the sun. Umbrellas and sunscreen are both good things to have on hand for guests. Plenty of water on hand as well.
I recommend loading up on umbrellas. And making sure there is a bar/lounge area that isn't full of tables for guests to gather in, or setting up some shelter outside. A couple of gazebos would work well for this.
Gemma got ready at home then the ceremony was at Cluny Castle. Then it was all back to Gemma and Bruce’s place where the barn had been transformed wonderfully.
How to get Great Video and Photography at a Home Wedding
Venues will most always have various areas to take pics so it’s time to think about where you would like yours. I always find people have special areas or spots that mean something to them so go for those even if you don’t feel it’s super picturesque as memories are just as important. Or if there is a spot away from the wedding then absolutely factor in some time for travel to and from there. Could be an area of woodland, a loch anything really.
ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED AT HOME?
If you are, I want to hear about it! Send me a message and let’s chat!
