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To all past event home brides...

kimmers722kimmers722 member
First Anniversary First Comment
in North Carolina-Outer Banks
My fiance and I have decided to go the event home route, but like a previous poster mentioned, none of the event homes post pictures of the houses decorated for the wedding/reception... and I have A LOT of additional questions:

1.) Can anyone point me to pictures of your weddings held at your event house?
2.) If you were having your ceremony on the beach/outside - what were your backup plans, in case of rain/inclement weather?
3.) Who was responsible for the setup & break down of the decorations? (including linens, centerpieces, lights, lanterns etc.)
4.) Did you rent a tent for the reception? Was it necessary?
5.) If you had the reception on the beach, did you have to rent 2x the number of chairs (for the ceremony AND the reception)? Or were you able to use the same chairs for both?
5.) Looking back - is there anything you would have done differently?
6.) Any money saving / stress relieving / logistical / additional advice?

Thank you!! ~ Kim
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Re: To all past event home brides...

  • OBX2011OBX2011 member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    Hi there!  I started to go with an event home but later decided on 108 Budleigh.  I am sure the others will pop in shortly to help you out. 

    Which event home are you considering?  I may be able to scour up some pictures for you :)

     

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  • hibiscus118hibiscus118 member
    First Anniversary First Comment Combo Breaker
    Hi there, I'm not sure if I can answer all your questions but I will try.

    1.) Can anyone point me to pictures of your weddings held at your event house?
    There are pics in my married bio in my siggy.  It's not all of them, the rest are on FB if you want to add me let me know.

    2.) If you were having your ceremony on the beach/outside - what were your backup plans, in case of rain/inclement weather?
    We did have our ceremony outside.  The reception was inside in the great room of the house, overlooking the ocean.  If it had been raining that day we just would have moved the ceremony to inside there.

    3.) Who was responsible for the setup & break down of the decorations? (including linens, centerpieces, lights, lanterns etc.)
    I did it because I'm OCD like that and wanted everything perfect.  We didn't have a lot so it wasn't a big deal.  I sent centerpieces home with guests because I didn't want them back.

    4.) Did you rent a tent for the reception? Was it necessary?
    Nope, it wouldn't have fit at the house we rented and it wasn't an added expense I wanted.  We rented a house with a big enough great room and deck space to accomodate.

    5.) If you had the reception on the beach, did you have to rent 2x the number of chairs (for the ceremony AND the reception)? Or were you able to use the same chairs for both?
    We didn't rent chairs but instead made benches for a lot cheaper than renting would have been. 

    5.) Looking back - is there anything you would have done differently?
    Nope, it was perfect. Small and casual which is exactly what we wanted.

    6.) Any money saving / stress relieving / logistical / additional advice?
    Don't stress on all the little things.  There were so many things I wanted to do like make door hangers for rooms, make programs, etc.  In the end I got to busy and it just wasn't worth it anyways. I would also recommend not having the wedding on the night before you have to check out.  That's not something you want to deal with the next morning I'm sure. 

    Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any more questions and I'd be happy to try and answer them.
    Laura & Dusty - September 7th, 2010!
    Hatteras, North Carolina
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    UPDATED 11/05/10 Lots of Wedding PICS!
    UPDATED 07/28/10 My Planning Bio Anniversary
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  • mandafite821mandafite821 member
    First Anniversary First Comment Combo Breaker
    Hello! So I am not married yet, but I am going the event home route, so I will post pics in may. As far as your other questions, we are renting a tent. Our house is big enough to have the reception on the inside, but we still got it. My fiancé insisted that we have it plus we rented sides as well so if it is windy it will help keep wind out. If it rains we will have the ceremoney and the reception under the tent. I am renting 2 sets of chairs as well. I did not want my guests to have to carry their own chairs back to the back yard afterwards. I am also setting everything up as well. Some of my friends and wedding party are staying in the house with us and I told them when I offered them rooms we did not expect them to pay for their rooms but I did expect them to help set up and break down. Everyone seems more than happy to help. So far the only regret I have is that we only had time to make one planning trip down to the ObX which was during our vacation, so we didn't get a lot done. I wish we would have made one more trip down for planning. Other than that, no regrets so far. I also have had a hard time swallowing the expense of the tent. They are very pricey! But i know by the wedding day I will be glad it is there to keep the sun off of my guests during the first part of the reception, and to keep us a littl Warner as we party into the night! Hope this helps!
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  • kellytucker28kellytucker28 member
    First Comment
    We rented an event home in the Whalehead area of Corolla just for our rehearsal dinner and just a warning that you can't put up a tent in that area - or maybe all of Corolla because of shallow sewage or water lines. We're crossing our fingers for good weather so that we can eat outside but just in case, the house that we rented has a very open top floor layout (no bedrooms)  - so that we could move inside :) The no-tent rule might not be throughout Corolla or anywhere further South - just letting you know to ask if you can put a tent up or if there are tent permit fees/regulations before you put the deposit down :)
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  • keb2482keb2482
    First Comment
    There are places in Corolla that do allow tents.  We looked at Family Ties in Corolla and they do allow them.  You just have to check with the rental company.
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  • ChrissieK5ChrissieK5
    First Comment
    Hi Kim!  I hope I can help.  Although, my wedding was only for 22 people, including us and 2 toddlers, so it was very small.  So some of my answers might not help you.

    1.) Can anyone point me to pictures of your weddings held at your event house?

    -If you would like to send me your email, I can email you some pictures from our reception.  My email is ChrissieK5@hotmail.com.  Although, we hardly did any decorating inside.  The house of beautiful enough.

    2.) If you were having your ceremony on the beach/outside - what were your backup plans, in case of rain/inclement weather?

    -I didn't think too much of a back up plan because "I just knew" I'd have good weather.  Except, I didn't.  The only day it rained that week was our wedding day.  Thankfully, it was only an intermittent light rain all day, and it didn't rain for that hour we were on the beach for our wedding and post wedding pictures.  I did however, come up with a quick back up plan while down there.  We had a private walkway from the house to the beach with a deck right in front of the beach.  So my dad bought 2 gazebo tent things, and set those up on the 2 decks- one for us to get married under, the other for the guests to stand under.  I can send you pics of this as well.  My original back up plan was a covered deck with the house, but I really wanted to be on the beach.

    3.) Who was responsible for the setup & break down of the decorations? (including linens, centerpieces, lights, lanterns etc.)
     
    My family and friends help set up the tables, linens, centerpieces, etc.  I had my friend light the candles before the reception.  We rented tables and chairs, and I bought the linens online and took them down with me.

    4.) Did you rent a tent for the reception? Was it necessary?

    -We did not, obviously, since we had it inside.

    5.) If you had the reception on the beach, did you have to rent 2x the number of chairs (for the ceremony AND the reception)? Or were you able to use the same chairs for both?

    -I originally just planned on setting up the same chairs for the reception as for the ceremony.  I was going to have someone set them up from the family, and have everyone carry theirs in.  We actually just had everyone stand around us for the ceremony.  Worked out well, no one complained.  It wasn't for very long.  Everything was kinda rushed on my day because we were trying to start a little early to beat the rain!  which we did! :)

    5.) Looking back - is there anything you would have done differently?
     
    -I was very happy with my wedding day.  Everything will be perfect, even if it's not, it will be!!!

    6.) Any money saving / stress relieving / logistical / additional advice?

    -It's really your preference, and what's important to you.  We did not have live music for the ceremony, we did not have a DJ.  We used our ipod.  I didn't do little things like menus, programs, etc.  I paid an officiant, cake maker, caterer, photographer, and rental company.  I did everything else on my own.


    Email with more questions or if you want pics!  Good luck!  When's your wedding?  And how big?
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  • LaughLinesLaughLines
    First Comment
    Thanks for this post... I have many of the same questions for our upcoming Sept wedding. Wish I had more answers for you! I'm pretty certain we're renting a tent (our house allows it). I think we'll have about 70 guests and our house isn't big enough if it rains. I hate the costs, but can't risk it... We've had rain our last two trips and I'm picturing going 3 for 3! :). I also was wondering about using the same chairs for ceremony and reception, but not sure. And I'm going to enlist family members and friends to help with set up.
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  • kimmers722kimmers722 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited February 2012
    Hi!
    Thanks to everyone for your resonses! I know I'm asking a lot of questions.

    We're heading to OBX next weekend to tour event homes and narrow down our choices. My top choice is Absolute Ambiance in Duck, but apparently, it's VERY difficult to reserve. I'll have a better idea mid-May. (We're looking at Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills or Duck. Not as far north as Corolla, or as far south as Hattaras.)

    Hibiscus - I love your homemade benches! What did you do with them after the wedding?

    Mandafite - Great idea about asking for help setting up and breaking down. I think we'll do the same.

    Chrissie - Thank you for your offer to send your pictures! I emailed you separately with the request. I also like the idea of having people stand during the ceremony; ours will probably be short and sweet.

    To everyone -- One last question: What time of the day did you have your ceremony and reception? Thanks again! Kim
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  • OBX2011OBX2011 member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_to-all-past-event-home-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:d3b16f1a-8f92-4da1-acd9-a6345ec09538Post:e7df39bf-e738-46bc-83a8-1da8794c6b36">Re: To all past event home brides...</a>:
    [QUOTE]Hi! Thanks to everyone for your resonses! I know I'm asking a lot of questions. We're heading to OBX next weekend to tour event homes and narrow down our choices. My top choice is Absolute Ambiance in Duck, but apparently, it's VERY difficult to reserve. I'll have a better idea mid-May. (We're looking at Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills or Duck. Not as far north as Corolla, or as far south as Hattaras.) Hibiscus - I love your homemade benches! What did you do with them after the wedding? Mandafite - Great idea about asking for help setting up and breaking down. I think we'll do the same. Chrissie - Thank you for your offer to send your pictures! I emailed you separately with the request. I also like the idea of having people stand during the ceremony; ours will probably be short and sweet. To everyone -- One last question: What time of the day did you have your ceremony and reception? Thanks again! Kim
    Posted by kimmers722[/QUOTE]

    Absolute Ambiance is an amazing home!

    We did a Friday wedding so that we could have time to relax on Sat before our check-out on Sun, so keep that in mind when planning your wedding.  No one wants to have a wedding one day and then turn around and check out the next day in a mad dash and by adding an extra day into your plans, it gives everyone a chance to re-group and relax a bit.  Our ceremony was at 4:30pm, cocktail hour started at 5:45-6:00ish an dinner was around 7:00pm

     

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  • llilleyllilley member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    FIrst about seeing event homes with tents and decorations, both of the main rental companies (Metro and Ocean Atlantic) have pictures of tents on their websites. We went in to Metro this weekend to ask a few questions and they had books of even more tents decorated. We were able to look through them and were even shown a tent of the exact same size we're using at our house.

    Our wedding is in May so I probably can't fully answer all of your questions. But we're having about 125 people. Ceremony at 5, cocktail hour 530-630, and dinner at 630.

    1.) Can anyone point me to pictures of your weddings held at your event house?
    I can't of my own wedding (but it's less than three months away!) but it's Gertrude's Breakaway at 506 Ocean Way. You can google "Gertrude's Breakaway wedding" and find some pictures. There are also definitely some pictures on the Metro website. And like I said, more pictures at the Metro shop--they were very helpful. We gave a brief description of what we were thinking and they were able to show us several different examples of it.
     
    2.) If you were having your ceremony on the beach/outside - what were your backup plans, in case of rain/inclement weather?
    Our ceremony will be on the beach and our back up plan is to just do it under the tent.

    3.) Who was responsible for the setup & break down of the decorations? (including linens, centerpieces, lights, lanterns etc.)
    I considered a Day of Coordinator, but it isn't in our budget. I was told my Metro that the tent might be delivered earlier in the week for our Friday wedding so I think that we could handle getting it done ourselves. I'm going to ask a few friends to help with the set up the day of for things that can't be put out the night before (mostly flowered centerpieces and lighting candles). Your caterer might do some of that for you.

    4.) Did you rent a tent for the reception? Was it necessary?
    Yes. We're doing a 30 X 70 from Metro. My parents think it's necessary. It's also going to have partial sides to block any wind.

    5.) If you had the reception on the beach, did you have to rent 2x the number of chairs (for the ceremony AND the reception)? Or were you able to use the same chairs for both?
    A lot of people don't provide enough seating for everyone at a beach ceremony because they're usually short, sweet, and to the point. I have always wanted the white benches though. We're renting enough to seat most of our guests and they will be brought back to the house and maybe put around the pool area or something.

    5.) Looking back - is there anything you would have done differently?
    Not much at this point, but having a 125 guest capacity is difficult when your dad is one of 10 kids and your stepmom is one of 5. And that's just your side of the family. If I had thought about the guest list a little more I might have not gone the event home route, but I've always wanted a ceremony on the beach and a white tent for my reception so I don't know that I would have changed. And the tented reception fits us much better than being indoors.

    6.) Any money saving / stress relieving / logistical / additional advice?
    Ha. If you find out any of these, let me know.
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  • summerstar23005summerstar23005 member
    First Comment
    I looked at Absolute Ambiance and while it was a beautiful house
    1) it didn't allow tents
    2) the rooms were broken up and choppy so if you did have to have the ceremony and reception inside there would be no place to do it
    3) The pool area was small too so there would be no room to do a reception out there either
    I guess it all depends on the size of your wedding. I am getting married at the Quack Shack-it has a big pool area and a big, open floor plan.  I am not having a tent because it is sooooo expensive!  But my backup plan is to have the reception inside :)
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  • ellie829ellie829 member
    First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_to-all-past-event-home-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:d3b16f1a-8f92-4da1-acd9-a6345ec09538Post:0b5bb21e-69f1-4307-82cd-360d8852b6d6">Re: To all past event home brides...</a>:
    [QUOTE]Hi there!  I started to go with an event home but later decided on 108 Budleigh.  I am sure the others will pop in shortly to help you out.  Which event home are you considering?  I may be able to scour up some pictures for you :)
    Posted by OBX2011[/QUOTE]

    I am considering using 108 Budleigh for my reception and possibly wedding as well.  Do you have any pictures you could send me of the site. <a href="mailto:a.milbourne@yahoo.com" rel="nofollow">a.milbourne@yahoo.com</a>.  Thanks!
    Report Reply
  • OBX2011OBX2011 member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina-outer-banks_to-all-past-event-home-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:598Discussion:d3b16f1a-8f92-4da1-acd9-a6345ec09538Post:c67a27c2-004b-4e4c-9bd5-649f9d863fa3">Re: To all past event home brides...</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: To all past event home brides... : I am considering using 108 Budleigh for my reception and possibly wedding as well.  Do you have any pictures you could send me of the site. a.milbourne@yahoo.com .  Thanks!
    Posted by ellie829[/QUOTE]

    Sure!  :)

     

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