Legally have an outdoor wedding?

[Deleted User]

So I am planning on getting married on someone's yard, it is a mansion but they have never had a wedding there before. I do not plan for them to do anything but to keep the property in decent shape. What do we have to do legally to make sure that we will be able to hold a wedding on their yard? Since they do not have anything set up for past brides, do we some how get a lawyer to right up a contract?

Jenni8412

You would probably do best to consult a lawyer to draw up a contract, but you may be able to find something on legalzoom. I'd especially be inquiring about insurance to cover their property and the possibility of guest injury.

JacklovesSarah

You might also want to look into getting a permit. I live in a college-town and you have to have a permit in order to keep your party from being shut down due to noise. And even then, if they get quite a bit of complaints, they'll shut you down. They'd have to get a lot of complaints though.

Sometimes you need a permit to park on the streets too.

Here's the Knot's take on at-home weddings: http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-reception-planning/articles/home-wedding-reception-secrets.aspx

They have a few nifty ideas.

NOLAbridealmost

Write a contract to protect your rights against the property owners. You don't necessarily need a lawyer.  Write down the key points you want to include.   Something as simple as "I, _______, agree to pay 300 dollars for the use of _______'s yard on 1/1/2012.   _______ agrees to keep the yard trimmed and free of debris on that date."  You can include things about what happens if either party wants to cancel, etc.   A contract doesn't have to be complicated.  It's just a way to explain what each side expects to get out of the deal and make sure everyone's on the same page. 

To be legally enforceable both people making a contract have to give up something of value (money, services, etc.) in exchange for the other person's performance.  So if you're not giving the property owners anything for the use of their property, then you won't be able to have a valid contract because they'd be offering you a gift.  Keep that in mind.  If you are just accepting these people's generosity it leaves you with very few (if any) rights if they decide to back out. 

Get an insurance policy to protect yourself from guests getting injured or other emergencies.  They sell wedding insurance for that reason, but you can also usually add it as a rider to your home insurance policy.  

Get a noise or occupancy permit (if necessary) to protect yourself from getting shut down by the local cops.