At-Home Wedding Checklist

Are you wired adequately?
You’d be surprised how much juice a portable kitchen or a band uses. Do you need generators?

Have you warned the neighbors?
If you don’t want complaints, either warn the neighbors and thank them with a little gift, or invite them to the wedding.

Where will you put stuff?
If you need to move furniture out of your house for dancing or dining room, where will you put it? If you need to rent a tent or a portable kitchen, chairs or a dance floor — where will you store them before and after the event?

Have you checked the calendar?
Make sure you know what other big events are going on in town the weekend of your wedding. The season’s big ball game or prom can affect traffic and the number of hotel rooms available for your out-of-town guests (if you’re having the wedding at home, you certainly don’t want them staying with you!).

Sit or stand?
Do you want guests to sit during the ceremony or stand? Will you use the same chairs for the ceremony as for the sit-down dinner? If yes, who will move them from one spot to the other — and when? How many chairs total do you need to rent? Also: have you considered a lounge arrangement? Some couples prefer to rent couches for an informal reception.

Dance on grass?
If you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s not a great idea. How big of a dance floor do you want to rent?

Do you have enough potties?
Some wedding experts say you need one bathroom for every 20 people; others say one per 50 is fine. In any case, you don’t want people having to cross their legs or wait in a long line.

Give Fido a vacation?
We know your pet is like a child to you, but your guests may not have the same amount of affection. Not to mention that Fluffy may get seriously freaked out by all of the commotion. Board the babies.

Do you do windows?
Make it easy on yourself, hire cleaners for before and after the wedding.

Are you picture perfect?
Does the yard or home need a bit of sprucing up? Fine to do some painting and landscaping but make sure it’s done well in advance of the wedding weekend.

Going buggy?
Depending upon the time of year, you may need to arm your guests with insect repellent or plan to have lots of citronella candles around.

Who will pick up the trash?
Arrange for extra garbage pickup.