Planning a wedding at a private estate provides a beautiful backdrop for an intimate, romantic wedding. However, just like everything else, there are positives and negatives to tying the knot at an unconventional venue, and knowing what to expect is essential to make sure your special day doesn’t have inconvenient surprises. Here are five things to know about planning a wedding at a private estate.
Know When to Wrap It Up
Many private estates close earlier than typical wedding venues for various reasons, including HOA rules, the owners’ requirements or local noise ordinances. Before you book your venue, ask about the music curfew and understand that the rules will be strictly enforced.
Hire the Right Photographer
One of the biggest perks of an unconventional wedding venue is all the unique photo opportunities. However, if you hire the wrong photographer, you could end up missing out on some fantastic shots. Find a photographer who has experience in capturing the look you want in unique venues. For more tips on finding the right wedding photographer, check out our post here.
Make Sure the Basics Are Covered
With a traditional venue, you probably don’t have to consider basics like restrooms and electricity. However, if your wedding is at a private estate, you can’t take those for granted. Find out if your guests will have access to indoor restrooms, and if not, plan to bring in portable bathrooms. You may also need to have some long heavy-duty extension cords on hand for lights and sound equipment.
Have a Plan for Parking
When you get married at a church, hotel or country club, then chances are, parking usually doesn’t need to be a big consideration as on-site parking is generally plentiful. However, most private estates can’t accommodate on-site parking for wedding guests. When you scope out your venue, figure out the best place for guests to park and how they’re going to get to the wedding. In some cases, this may mean arranging to have your guests meet at a specific time and place and having a shuttle company to provide transportation to and from the venue.
Budget for Rentals
Similarly, your venue may be lacking in things that would be readily available at other venues, meaning that you’ll have to provide them on your own. Plan to include rental costs for tables and chairs, linens, a catering kitchen, a sound system and possibly even a dance floor in your wedding budget.
Memorializing the Day
There are numerous ways to remember your special day, but one of our favorites is commemorating the date and place with Star Map Art. Select your product, size, choose between a black or blue background and pick your perfect font and color, then enter the date and location of your wedding. You can even choose our augmented reality option to link a meaningful audio or video file that will play right on your mobile device when your art is scanned.
Unique wedding venues like private estates provide a lot of one-of-a-kind photo opportunities and the chance to incorporate wedding décor that would look out-of-place in a more traditional setting. Being able to tackle unexpected challenges head-on long before your guests start showing up goes a long way in creating a wedding day that’s memorable for all the right reasons.
