As we’ve been diving into all month long, there is no doubt in our minds, that an at-home wedding? It’s already super special, just by the very act of saying your wedding vows in a place that means so much.

But sometimes, you don’t want low key, or you just want some extra ways to make your at the home wedding feel festive, feel like a glorious celebration, feel like an utter treat. Well, today we have the goods for you! From champagne to favourite tunes, we’ve got all the best ways to make your at-home wedding super special. The ways to add a little extra to your celebration, and to make you utterly bask in the fact you’re marrying the love of your life.

Don’t eliminate tradition

Our thoughts on tradition? Pick what you want. This means, just because you’re having an at-home wedding, doesn’t mean that if you dream of a first dance, you shouldn’t do it. That doesn’t mean you can’t cut the cake, have a dance with your dad. In fact, keeping those rituals in? If you want them, they’ll be all the more special. The best part about an at-home wedding is the flexibility, and ways you have to make those traditions even more special (dancing under the tree of your first home together? Cutting the cake on the deck where you share your Sunday coffee?)

Plan a special breakfast

Is your favourite thing to do together to cook pancakes on a  Sunday? Do you love going for brunch together? Do you enjoy breakfast together out in the sunshine in your garden? Why not start your day with a special, quiet meal on your own, and take a moment to contemplate the day ahead together.

Spend your morning doing something super special

Have a champagne brunch together, go for a walk with your favourite four-legged friends to your special place.  Get a coffee from your local cafe. The rituals you share every day, are all the more exciting when it’s also your wedding day. Spend your morning doing what you love to do, but elevated with little special touches (smoked salmon and cheese platter instead of bacon and eggs, special occasion champagne instead of a cheaper sparkling wine).

Get ready together

This idea is particularly a favourite if the home you are marrying at is your own. If you’re up for ditching the ‘no seeing each other before the ceremony’ tradition, there’s something comforting and significant about preparing for your wedding day with your beloved (your favourite tipple in hand!).

Curate an epic getting ready playlist

We give this advice for any wedding day. But make sure your favourite songs are on set on a playlist to give you all the good feels while you get ready. Make sure you’ve added your favourite songs, your feel-good picks, and blast it. Find some of our own playlist inspiration here. And make sure that you include a few special songs that mean something to you as a couple – your signature tune that you dance in the kitchen to, the song you heard playing when you became engaged.

Make the most of your drinks

Buy a bottle of your favourite champagne for the toast (or just to drink while getting ready) or serve up your very favourite cocktails. (If you’re into cocktails why not have some fun experimenting, and create your own signature cocktail to serve on the wedding day!). Hire a bartender (and better yet a waiter) to make sure everyone’s glasses are full. Create a whiskey, gin, beer or rum bar with all the trimmings and mixers to make them a stand out. What about an old fashioned lemonade stand or a fresh juice stand for the non drinkers?

Cater a feast

From food trucks rolling in for mains and then dessert, to a degustation menu, if you have a dream meal, now is the time to make it happen. Surprise your guests with decadent, delicious eats that won’t leave them hungry. And we don’t mean it has to be silver service (though what a time to make that happen!) just make it plentiful, delicious and your favourite foods, and it’s going to be amazing. You could even set up food stations on the lawn – each with a favourite food that allows guests to wander around, mingle and try a bit of everything. Don’t forget a decadent dessert station or a gelato cart!

Use fancy crockery & glassware

You know that crockery you’ve saved for a rainy day? Those beautiful wine glasses you use for special occasions? Now is the special occasion! We love the idea of bringing out every special piece from your life together and using them throughout your day. It’ll make them all the more special for you in the years to come. Buy pretty crockery and glassware from op shops (or borrow them from relatives) – if you don’t have enough – so that you have plenty to use on the night.

Go all out on decor

Backyard weddings are by definition relaxed, but if you have been dreaming of a stunning floral backdrop for your wedding, or hiring a stylist then we say – go for it! Backyards are made for decoration, and there is no reason at all that just because you’re keeping your day low key, that you can’t go all out on decor. Hanging garlands, beautiful backdrops, floral arrangements, even a disco ball over the dance floor- it can all be done! And what about garlands of fairy lights or strings of lights strung across the garden, wrapped around trees, or groups of candles in the garden, to add that sense of magic.

Add sentimental touches

Marrying at home means your wedding is already deep in sentimental factor, but think about what else you can add to really make the most of it. Bring out your living room furniture for seating, use your favourite cake stand for your wedding cake, get ready in your bedroom. Add photos of you together in the bathroom mirror. Add yourselves to your day. Acknowledge your families in ways that are meaningful to you – serve favourite food always served at family occasions, prized cakes made by a dear relative, the restored car which is your dad’s pride and joy on display, a nod in your attire to a treasured family member.

Choose live music

We’re always fans of a good playlist, but live music, a good DJ? They just know how to add ambience and atmosphere that our favourite streaming services just can’t. A live musician to play during your cocktail hour, to kick off your dance floor – these are the things that will make your wedding have a total vibe and add elements of surprise that only a human ‘reading’ the dance floor atmosphere can add.

Think about the lighting

We said this before in our feature on at home wedding styling ideas, but lighting is so important to consider. Think about the vibe of your day – is it fun and laid back? (think festoons!) Is it modern? (hanging lamps?) Is it whimsical? (all the fairy lights!) Candles lit for dinner? Adding lighting can really make your wedding feel super special, and completely transform your space.

Bring your furry friends

Home weddings mean no restrictions on animals, so if you have a favourite four-legged friend (or two, or more) bring them along and make them a part of your day! We do recommend a pet-sitter or designated caretaker if they’re prone to getting stressed out by all the fun!

Get help

We know, we know! A backyard wedding should be easy, it should be relaxed! And for some of us, it is. But for some of us, we lie awake for months beforehand panicking about how we are going to make sure we remember to turn the lights on at 6 pm, or that the hot sauce needs to be out with the tacos, and uncle Alfred might need a helping hand up the stairs.

If you’re the latter, can we encourage you to find a wedding planner, the day of coordinator, or if nothing else, an amazing, supportive friend to take the mental load from you? If you really want to be relaxed, giving the worry and details to a pro who knows how this works) is going to be one of the easiest ways to make it happen.

Hire a cleaning company

Getting married at home should be easy in all facets of your day – including clean up! Treat yourself by hiring a cleaning company to come the next day and make sure you’re into heading into newlywed bliss by washing up and tidying. Want even extra relaxation points? Hire the cleaner to clean before your event too – doing all those extra things like cleaning windows (because the last thing you want to worry about two days before your wedding is the dusting!)

Photos by Sophie Baker via Kirsty & Anthony’s Romantic Winter Wedding In The Country