I would caution brides that unless you are having a small wedding, the bathrooms in your house are not going to be enough. You’ll need to rent at least a few port-a-potties. (Memories of a wedding should not include “I stood in line for the bathroom for 30 minutes.” ) Guidelines say have one toilet for every 25-30 guests.

Also, think about music and lighting. Where is the power for those going to come from? Do you need to rent a generator?

If the patio or deck has wooden slats, women in high heels aren’t going to be very happy dancing on it. So you may also need to rent a dance floor.

Lastly, just like being at fashion week made me notice every little scuff on my shoes or pulled thread on my dress, throwing a wedding often causes people to suddenly need to resod their lawns, plant more flowers, paint the house, etc. etc.

All these little details are reasons why it can be more expensive to have a wedding at home. That’s why on my website I tell couples, have a wedding at home for the sentiment and the beauty, but not necessarily to save money.