How to Prepare Your Home for a Backyard Vow Renewal

Both intimate and elegant, a backyard vow renewal can provide a familial feel to your celebration. Hosting your vow renewal at home not only allows for a more relaxed atmosphere, but it is also a great way to maintain a conservative budget. However, outfitting your home for the occasion requires more than folding chairs and a blooming arbor to mark the end of the aisle. Here are eight tips on how to properly prepare your home for a beautiful backyard vow renewal.

Make Necessary Home Repairs

Fixing that piece of uneven flooring, the leaky faucet, or the faulty lighting fixture that have occupied your to-do list far too long are now a top priority. Make some calls and get those repairs schedules right away since they could impact your budget.

Make Sure Your Home Owner’s Insurance Covers Your Celebration

If you’re planning to have a large guest list, you will want to make sure your homeowner’s insurance coverage will cover the activities. You may need to purchase special event insurance to cover the activities and liquor liability. This is typically not required for a small guest list. Still, it’s always been to contact your insurance agent to verify you are covered.

Create a Complementary Landscape Design

You’ll want your landscaping to complement your vow renewal colors and style. At the very least, you’ll want the entry and backyard to have coordinating flowers and textures. Working with your landscaper or garden center to select the right type and size of plants to ensure they are in bloom and looking their best on your vow renewal day.  

Select a Level Location

You’ll want to make sure the areas you select for your ceremony and reception are level. If these areas aren’t level, you’ll need to level them. Tables and chairs must be set on reasonably even ground for stability and safety reasons. You’ll also need to make sure that in case of rain, the areas you select aren’t ones that the water naturally pools in. Even if the rain were to stop, you wouldn’t want guests dealing with soggy or muddy ground. 

Tent it

Wind, rain, and beating sun can be serious issues for a backyard vow renewal. Tenting the reception area will provide you and your guests with a delightful retreat in case of undesirable weather. Plus, a tent offers a level of tasteful ambiance to a backyard vow renewal.

Rent a Generator

Take a moment to think about the electrical components essential to your celebration. Be sure to talk with your vendors about their power requirements. If you are bringing in a caterer, lighting, band or DJ, etc., you want to rent a generator for the event to ensure all of their power needs are met, and you don’t end up in the dark.

Bring in Additional Restrooms

Depending on the size of your guest list, you may need to bring in additional restrooms. While your home may have several bathrooms, chances are only one or two of them are conveniently accessible to guests. You’ll want to ensure that you have one restroom available for every 50 guests.  

Keep Pests Away

Mosquitos, flies, gnats, ants, and other bugs can take your backyard vow renewal from delightfully romantic to an epic disaster quickly. The last thing you want is bite-ridden guests. Make arrangements with your pest control company to have the area sprayed with a pesticide a few days before the event.