There are few places dreamier than saying your “I do’s” at a private estate, they provide the perfect setting for an intimate, romantic wedding. But, just like everything, there are pros and cons to getting married at a private estate that are super important to know before diving into your venue search. Below are a the top 10 things to know about planning a wedding at a private estate, straight from the pros! While you’re reading, take in the gorgeous images from Rebecca Theresa Photography of a heavenly shoot planned by Detailed Touch Events at Klentner Ranch – it sure is a beauty!
There’s something about a private estate wedding that just feels so… private. We love an intimate wedding at a private estate, but an unconventional wedding venue comes with unconventional challenges. Here are 10 things to know about planning a wedding at a private estate!
1. You might be responsible for some of the basics!
Electricity and restroom facilities are two things that you usually don’t even need to ask about when going with a more traditional venue. But with a private estate, depending on the age and usage of the venue, you might not have all of the bases covered that you would hope. The DJ might need a long rugged extension cord, and you might need to bring in portable bathrooms. Ask about these things in advance so you’re not blindsided before your big day! – Steve Robertson, CEO, Eventective.com
2. Closing time.
Many private estates close early for a host of different reasons, including the neighborhood, the owners, and other reasons. When you are planning your wedding, make sure to find out when you and your guests need to be gone, it might be earlier than you think! – Steve Robertson, CEO, Eventective.com
3. Find out where you’re going to get ready early.
Some estates allow the bridal party to get ready on site, and some don’t. Make sure to do a walk-through of the getting ready room to ensure there’s enough space for you, your bridal party and a team of hair and makeup artists to fit comfortably. If the room is tight, it might make more sense to rent a hotel suite close by and enjoy the getting-ready process with ease and comfort. – Tanya Bures, Page Beauty
4. Endless photo opportunities.
Estates have so many gorgeous nooks for photo opportunities, it’s a great idea to keep your hair and makeup artist for touch-ups during the photo session, especially if you’re doing first look photos. Your photographer will see when a curl looks out of place or if your lip color starts to fade after several “first” kisses, and having your artists touch-up on the spot is worth every penny. Photos last forever! – Tanya Bures, Page Beauty
5. Hire a planner.
Private Estate weddings can provide beautiful backdrops for your big day that feel more at home and personalized. We recommend hiring a planner from the start that is well versed in these types of weddings. There are many logistics to consider such as: Is parking allowed or do you need to arrange transportation? Do you need a generator or extra power? How will trash be disposed of? Can the kitchen accommodate a catering staff or do you need to build one out? What time is the city’s noise ordinance? Do you need to bring in restrooms? In addition to having a planner that can take care of these questions, you need someone that is available for multiple days of install and offers unlimited hours on your wedding weekend! – Jaime Kostechko, Wild Heart Events
6. Pick a venue before you choose a theme.
We find that the style of the private estate can really help dictate the vibe of the wedding. We recommend leaning in to the architecture and interior design of the location. For instance, we execute many mid-century modern designs in Palm Springs, Bohemian events at private estates in Joshua Tree or European styles at villa estates. We also find that many private estates offer a blank slate where we can conceptualize a fresh and modern take on the existing vibe of the property. We tend to utilize interior design inspired decor from many of our amazing rental partners and don’t just limit our designs to the inventory of one rental company. Lastly, whether the property is large or small, we try to create more intimate event spaces within the larger scope of the location. This is often accomplished with tenting or trussing, lighting installations, statement bars and stage and dance floor installs. We absolutely love personalizing private estates to fit our client’s aesthetic direction! – Jaime Kostechko, Wild Heart Events
7. Plan on doing a walkthrough with your photographer before the wedding.
Show your photographer the estate before the wedding day: Light is the most important factor for your photographer to capture amazing photos on your wedding day. Private estates can sometimes be tricky since we usually cannot google what the setting and light will look like, as we can with regular venues. Being prepared in knowing the features and layout of the estate is of utmost importance. Whether it be through photos or an in-person walkthrough, show your photographer the different rooms and locations throughout the property that you would like to use. This way, your photographer can provide their input as well as be prepared for all of the varying lighting situations they will encounter on the day. – Rebecca Theresa, Rebecca Theresa Photography
8. Know there will be added costs in the form of rentals.
You will most likely need to bring everything in that you typically wouldn’t have to if you were at a hotel or country club. Things you will have to outsource at an additional cost that a private estate would typically not supply include: tables, chairs, linens, lighting, ample power, restrooms, dance floor, sound system, catering kitchen… the list really can go on and on. Not only do private estates usually come with a high price tag to simply rent the property, you then have to include in your budget all of these extra rental costs, source additional vendors for these line items and coordinate logistics for delivery and pick-up times. – Hailey Lillard, Detailed Touch Events
9. Parking is a major concern at private estates.
Most private estates cannot accommodate on-site parking for wedding guests. In this case, you would have to hire an outside transportation company to shuttle your guests. This would involve informing your guests of a meeting spot, departure time, return time, etc. The logistics of this can be a little overwhelming to some. – Hailey Lillard, Detailed Touch Events
10. You’ll have more flexibility on the event day layout.
A great perk of getting married at a private is estate is having full creative freedom on the different aspects of the day. Unlike some venues that have a specific ceremony site, you are able to choose where exactly you want to have your ceremony within the estate and the direction it faces when saying your “I Do’s”. If having stunning ceremony photos is important to you, generally choosing a spot where the sun will be at 10 pm or 2 pm behind you will prove the dreamiest photos. So for example, if your ceremony is at 4 pm, go to the estate at that exact time and see the position of the sun so you can plan accordingly. – Rebecca Theresa, Rebecca Theresa Photography
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Photography: Rebecca Theresa Photography | Design: Detailed Touch Events | Floral Design: Coco Rose Design | Cake: Sweet & Saucy Shop | Stationery: Jen Simpson Design | Jewelry: Charme Silkiner | Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Hair & Makeup: Page Beauty | Groom's Suit: Generation Tux | Venue: Klentner Ranch | Bridal Gown: Tara Lauren | Desserts: The Wild Posy | Groom's Ring: Jordan Jack | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Perfume: Coulombe Perfume | Pressed Flower Cookies: Lori Stern | Production: Be Inspired PR | Rentals: Theoni Collection
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Paint Your Frames. Remove glass, mat and backing from each frame. Spray paint a very thin coat of gold paint onto each frame. Let dry for about 20 minutes. Spray paint another coat to ensure you have a nice even paint covering. Let dry again, then flip and repeat on the other side, taking care to get edges on both the interior and exterior of the frame. Let dry completely.
Map Out Your Grid. Each frame measures about 13.5″ (12×12 would be the dimension of the mat without the frame and 8×8 is the mat opening). We started with our center frame, adding 1.5 inches between each frame. We then used a level and a pencil to mark each of our other 8 frames before hanging.
Hang Your Photos. Rather than hammering 9 nails into our wall, we used 3M heavy duty picture hanger tape. This was SO simple to use, won’t leave a mark and allowed us to adjust a little bit if we needed to without messing up our wall.
