Mansion/Estate Rentals

MeatAuditor

I've been searching vacation rental websites to find private mansions and/or estates as a possible wedding venue.  Has anyone else done this, attempted, and/or been to such a wedding?

I figure I'll have to rent chairs, tables, etc. but at least I don't have to pay crazy fees.  I should be able to keep the price down with some DIY decor and such. 

Depending on the property, some have a 3-4 night minimum, so out of town family and wedding party members could stay there.  If they offer to chip in towards the rental, I might take them up on it.  Most of these places have pools and hot tubs, so maybe the reception will turn into a pool party

Anyway, to the point...

Any tips on what I should consider?  Do I need a professional wedding planner for something like this?  I figure I'll likely forget something important if I go at it on my own. 

I found a flexible caterer that will cook onsite and bring dishes, so at least I won't forget forks!

Vegas2012

I tossed around this idea, but Vegas being a destination wedding for me, it just seemed like I would be taking too many risks.

Check VRBO.com, which is Vacation Rentals By Owner. Make sure you rent one that has been reviewed by other people. I used this to rent an apartment in NYC for a vacation in the summer and it was fabulous. 

Be aware of extra costs and cleaning deposits. 

It seems like it would be more work to coordinate this type of wedding, but a wedding at a big mansion will be so bad ass. 

vegasgroom

Someone mentioned doing such a thing on this site recently but unfortunately it was not a good situation, I think she had booked a mansion but it was through a third party leasing company whose agreement with whomever owned the house had lapsed, effectively canceling her contract on the house since that was between her and the leasing company.

I'm guessing that type of thing would be a realistic concern because it's not like  people who own mansions go about finding and dealing with short-term renters themselves, so you'd be running the same risk booking through whatever company leases it...

MeatAuditor

Smaller budget = more work, right?  Not saying it'll be easy.  I'm all over the DIY board these days.

MeatAuditor

@vegasgroom I've actually found many that the owners rent themselves.  One in particular is rented out by owners who live elsewhere in town.  It had great reviews from others who got married there.  Now we'll see if it's in my price range or not. 

smokeybailey

I'm guessing that you must be local so you aren't looking for a Las Vegas vibe at your wedding.  I am not sure how much you will save going this way.  You still have all the rental costs and such.

I rented my place in Paris through VRBO and loved it.

Sin715

Hey everybody!!! Soooo I am the lucky one that VegasGroom was referring to about having problems with this same exact thing!! I will start off by saying that I have used VRBO countless times and I have NEVER had a problem so when I decided to have a Vegas wedding that was the first place I looked! After many months of searching FI and I finally decided on a place and I booked it, now two months later I find out this owner is having a problem with this property and while "renegotiating the lease" has to take it off the website. Now I do not think that there will be a problem as she has many other properties that are AMAZING but I am not happy with how the whole thing has went down or if I will like her alternatives which she has assured me will be an "upgrade". I am giving her one more week to give me an exact answer on what property I will be getting before I ask for my deposit back. And looking for a new property.

Other than that the planning has gone very similar to what the planning for an in-suite ceremony and reception would be, I am having Masterpiece do the catering and they are providing tables, chairs, linens etc. I am buying my own booze to keep the cost down and using BellTrans for transportation on and off the strip. Francesca Lombardo is doing our makeup and Todd for photos!

Happy Planning

aegrish

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_mansionestate-rentals?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:9ae2b36d-0847-41f3-9a87-631acd659f78Post:c6cfe850-002b-4a93-92d6-7dd6b632298b">Re: Mansion/Estate Rentals</a>:
[QUOTE]Hey everybody!!! Soooo I am the lucky one that VegasGroom was referring to about having problems with this same exact thing!! I will start off by saying that I have used VRBO countless times and I have NEVER had a problem so when I decided to have a Vegas wedding that was the first place I looked! After many months of searching FI and I finally decided on a place and I booked it, now two months later<strong> I find out this owner is having a problem with this property and while "renegotiating the lease" has to take it off the website. Now I do not think that there will be a problem as she has many other properties that are AMAZING but I am not happy with how the whole thing has went down or if I will like her alternatives which she has assured me will be an "upgrade".</strong> I am giving her one more week to give me an exact answer on what property I will be getting before I ask for my deposit back. And looking for a new property. Other than that the planning has gone very similar to what the planning for an in-suite ceremony and reception would be, I am having Masterpiece do the catering and they are providing tables, chairs, linens etc. I am buying my own booze to keep the cost down and using BellTrans for transportation on and off the strip. Francesca Lombardo is doing our makeup and Todd for photos! Happy Planning
Posted by Sin715[/QUOTE]


This would make me very, very nervous.  Sometimes trying to save a few bucks ends up costing you more, if anything in stress.  And IMO, my family/guests would not want to stay in the same home (mansion or not).  We need our separate spaces.

Sin715

In our case it is just the wedding party, our parents are staying elsewhere. And since I live in Scotland right now it's going to be great because it will have been about 8 months since I while have seen everyone so a few extra days to catch up and see everyone. And MORE IMPORTANTLY the night of the wedding FI and I will be staying on strip in a suite,lol!

Brooke2780

We are having our recption at a private estate in LV. It is a DW for us, and it is nice to be able to provide lodging for our bridal party.

When initially researching this, I had a hard time finding a rental home that would allow for larger parties, weddings and events. After so many no's, I finally just asked one of the owners if he knew of anyone who would allow a reception, and he did! The owner has been fantastic to work with, and his assistant is amazing in helping with the legwork of finding vendors and getting pricing (kind of like a wedding planner!) We will be getting married in the Juno Garden at Caesar's and then the reception will be at the estate. http://www.vrbo.com/311979

Charlie, the owner, has another home as well that actually has a chapel in it! It is very pretty as well. I was just floored by the front of this house, and can't get past how amazing our bridal party photos will be in front of it!

Best of luck! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Brooke

MeatAuditor

We have lots of out-of-town friends and relatives, so it will be good to spend a little time "under the same roof" and for our friends and family to get to know each other better.  It's hard when everyone is spread out across the country like my group is.  If they all lived near each other, I'd agree they might not want to be under the same roof.  I'm fortunate to have a well-behaved group. All my crazy party-types are Vegas locals, so they won't be sleeping there.  But I totally see how some groups of people won't work together properly.