diy wedding frustrations

Hi Anja,

If you're thinking something homey and rustic, have you considered an empty barn with string lights? I know a bunch of them allow outside catering as they and i've been to a couple. Some vineyards also allow outside catering. I also went to a wedding where the couple rented a large cottage with the a large backyard where they did their ceremony and then had a bunch of caterers serve food under a tent. I agree with Camille, definitely send out emails to places and wait for a response.

I agree with Stephanie. Places such as hotels or restaurants will want you to use their own caterers. Check into various community centers near your area. Especially the ones not as openly advertised. We are also doing a DIY wedding planning, and finding a place that didn't require us to use their caterers were frustrating. What I did was, I sent out emails to a number of community centers or places that we liked or we were not even familiar about and told them about our plans of a DIY wedding, and our requirements, etc. then waited for their responses. I even google searched "wedding reception locations" or "event locations", looked through google map and clicked on their site one by one. Then sent out emails to each and every one of them. Also, check out one of the "wedding buy and sell" groups on Facebook, specifically groups created for your location, as these groups will also give you an idea on where to look. Bonus part, there will be newlyweds selling their wedding items and you can get wedding items that you require at a fraction of what it normally costs bought brand new.

Good luck on your search!

Most places that are geared towards hosting events for the community but not specifically weddings will have packages like this. So basically all the places that Stephanie mentioned. Good luck!

Is there any local wedding swap sites in the area you want to rent in? I would post and ask for recommendations of a list of places who allow outside catering.