Im getting married - and i want my reception at home

[BatCrapCrazy]

Dp and i are in the process of buying a house and we want our wedding reception in our new house. The new house is currently a mess so we will have to do a lot of work so we don't really want to fork out a fortune just for me to change my blooming last name. We want a small intimate wedding so think at home would be perfect. Our original idea was a 10x6m marquee in garden but due to the odd shape of the gardens (its a corner plot property) this isn't possible.
However, I have a plan B.
The garage on the property is 9m x 7m. It could be a wonderful blank canvas once it is plastered and painted and decent flooring is put down. It has 3 windows and a door off to the side garden and a door off to the back garden so lighting and accessibility wouldn't be an issue. We would have a small marquee off the side door into the garden for hog roast and bar and such like.
The church is a 5 min walk from our house. I was thinking maybe a 3pm ceremony then back to the house for drinks and hog roast. My dad would do a buffet as well and everyone could just help themselves. I was hoping iPod would suffice instead of DJ. I was thinking about buying loads of cheap picnic benches and putting them out in the garden for people to scatter if the weather is nice. I have priced up the cost of tables and chairs hire and the marquee and the hog roast which all comes to just under £1000. I know someone who has a mobile bar but perhaps a bring your own booze theme would be better? we would obviously provide champagne for toasts and mixers and wine for tables.
We were thinking about 65 guests (10 of these are under 10yo's). I want it to look amazing but don't want to spend a fortune.

Even my 4 year old DD asked this morning when talking about it "mummy, are you sure this is a good idea?".

help would be much appreciated.

[BreeVDKamp]

Sounds fab!! Could you fit enough tables for 65 people in the garage? (I have no concept of how big 9x7m is so sorry if silly question!)

Sounds really fun and personal.

[Cocolepew]

It sounds brilliant to me!
Any money you are putting into the garage walks/floor isnt going to be wasted.

[Cocolepew]

I would try to hire tables, and beg and borrow lots of chairs.

[meditrina]

It sounds great!

If you can, see if you can hire a couple of people to be waiters/washing uppers (or have you aleady factored that in?). You really won't want to be doing the heavier housekeeping parts of keeping a party flowing and clearing up as it goes along and afterwards.

[knittedslippersx2]

Sounds lovely. Very personal, fun and easy flowing.

[sleepyhead]

What's your plan for toilets?

[jellyandsoup]

Sounds fantastic, but stressful, when are you planning to get married. What about toilets would you hire a couple of portaloos or is everyone using the one in the house. Do licensing laws apply in your own home?

[BatCrapCrazy]

We already had a wedding reception booked at a local hotel (only paid £100 deposit), so we had also secured a lot of other things such as a fairly extravagant wedding cake (paid 75 deposit), chair covers and sweet cart (paid £50 deposit), VW camper as my wedding car (paid £75 deposit) and a magician as entertainment (paid 100 deposit). So i don't want all this to go to waste. I am planning on doing centrepieces and decorations myself. Ive spent hours upon hours on pinterest and i want the kind of burlap theme with lots of daisies.
My dads friend is doing the marquee and hog roast and is chucking in the chair hire for free.
Is there anything I'm not considering?

[Cocolepew]

Get disposal cutlery and crockery.
Sorry I missed that you were hiring the tables and chairs.

Can I come?

[BatCrapCrazy]

My DP is a builder so has tons of contacts for the practical things and his friend at the builders merchants has promised to provide us with 2 portals for free as a wedding present. The wedding would be august next year.

[Cocolepew]

Im thinking of divorcing DH just so I can have a Pinterest wedding

[BikeRunSki]

Sounds lovely

What about loos, parking, wet weather?

[chipsandpeas]

Licensing laws won't apply unless you are charging for drinks least that's how it it's in Scotland..

I think it's a great idea would just would think about the toilet situation

[BatCrapCrazy]

porta-loos not portals

[BatCrapCrazy]

if we had the mobile bar, they obtain all the relevant licences for you

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Sounds fab.

[BatCrapCrazy]

A friends 16 year old sisters have offered their services for waitressing etc so thats sorted.

[sleepyhead]

Are you inviting the neighbours? If not then it would be nice to think about the impact on them and how it can be minimised (parking, noise, potential drunken stumbling into their garden).

It sounds great btw.

[ExCinnamon]

Bat, it sounds a great idea!

I would not get porta-loos though, they are vile unless you don't want anyone in the house full stop.

We went to a wedding party like you are planning years ago, it was fab! There were lots of tiny lanterns in trees and games for the children, think Swedish midsummer party.

IPod dj is fine, if you have an adequate docking station.

I wouldn't get a mobile bar, if you provide champers and wind for tables and people bring stuff as well, that's plenty. One person should be allocated to keep an eye on drinks.

[ExCinnamon]

wine

[BatCrapCrazy]

We haven't actually met the neighbours yet but the vendor has said that they are lovely. We were thinking about giving them the heads up a month or so before and inviting them round for some hog roast and drinks perhaps after the speeches when everyone starts to scatter?

[BatCrapCrazy]

we were thinking about bribing my 13 and 14 yo brothers with cold hard cash to help provide drinks top ups and possibly to pop round in the morning to help MIL with the clear up (we shall be having a well deserved lie-in in our favourite hotel :)

[sleepyhead]

That's what my friend did (invited neighbours to the sort of equivalent of the "evening" reception and it worked really well. She got to know them all much better and they were touched to have been invited. It was one of the best receptions I've ever been to.