Doing my wedding on the Family Farm. Pros? Cons?

View quoted message We rented from a local company in Cobourg, ON. I would look for any toilet rental companies in your area as there are different types you can rent.

View quoted message Where did you rent toilet trailers from?

Some things I found when researching farms as a venue was that if you are having it on a farm it is a lot more work to have it in an open field then a sheltered area. They said if having it in a field you have to consider portable washrooms, tents (as a rain plan and also if it is during the hot summer months), a flooring of some sort for people to walk on vs the field, bugs (especially during certain months), wind potential (no loose decorations/papers/anything), meals (will it attract bugs, will desserts melt, etc), smell (is it an animal farm?), all the rentals (tables, chairs, napkins, plates, silverware, etc).

For more information on cons you can look at this link:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-rothweiler/10-things-to-know-about-t_110-things-to-know-about-the-farmbarn-wedding-you-want_b_7040040.html

I was going to do this but the tent fee was way too expensive and I didn't want to have to worry about weather. Honestly though if you can pull it off I would totally recommend it! Super beautiful weddings I have been to but $**** for a tent plus everything in it, compared to a $300-500 hall rental in my area. But I also love to save money so that's why I did this. We will be having our pictures done at the farm though so we are incorporating that aspect. I hope you are able to have it there! Good luck in planning!

I wish I had a family farm to get married at! I think it would be best spot for a wedding. You are super lucky !!

View quoted message Good call!

View quoted message Yes I know love that part, I’m worried about not having enough, our family and friends like to have a good time lol so we’ll have to over order just in case.

View quoted message We had an actual bar for our wedding too. Our caterer provided a licensed bar tender and we bought all our alcohol and mixes ourselves and she just served them. No one brought their own alcohol. The best part is that anything you do not open can be returned.

The pro ofdoing it all from scratch is you get everything you want and get to make your own wedding. The con is that nothing is included And will need to be rented or bought and resold.
We are getting married with 125 guests in a big open field and the tent, chairs, tables and other rentals we need are at $4500. Since it is an open field I feel the tent is necessary for shade in August.
I would shop around and look at prices. But honestly at the end of the day go with what you feel is the best fit for you. I wanted nothing to do with people’s rules and made my own lol

View quoted message Good to know! I wasn’t sure but I guess it makes sense lol.

View quoted message I’m in Alberta but you don’t need a liquor licence either for a private event. I was meaning an actual bar. We’re renting one and having bartenders from a local pet adoption group run it but we still wanted a bar not a byob type of event just depends what you want 🙂

I got married at my uncle's farm in September and it was great!

We didn't rent a tent as our reception would be in the barn and we decided to use that as our back up in case of bad weather. We found it a lot cheaper to have our wedding on family property than at a venue. We managed and coordinated everything ourselves (with a little help from family). Several people were able to stay on the property as well and they helped out with the set up and take down which made things really easy. We did some DIY with our parents for decorations and made our own favours so we didn't need to spend extra money on that. We had our own sound system and music so we saved on that front as well. There were tons of places to take pictures and tons of space for guests to roam about and admire the view and the gardens. The rentals were not bad as we shopped around and had 2 providers and managed to save some money. Our catering was actually pretty much on par with most venues my friends have looked at but I feel like we got more food. We had hors d'oeuvres, buffet dinner (2 meats, vegetarian entrées at no charge, 2 salads, 4 sides, buns and butter) and a late night snack (sliders) for roughly $55/person. We rented toilet trailers which were awesome! They had marble counter tops, a mini septic system so the toilets actually flushed, and had heaters or AC so they were a bit more expensive but everyone kept saying how nice they were. All in all it was awesome!

View quoted message You don't need a liquor license in Ontario for a private party on private property.

Hey! We’re having a farm wedding this summer so I have some insight so far. We’re renting a tent because we are having 300 guests and don’t have something to accommodate especially if it rains. The tent was NOT cheaper than a venue, not for one in area anyways. Paying for the tent plus tables, chairs, things your normally wouldn’t have to like a bar, dance floor, and lighting has really added up! I did say in the beginning of planning that we should use the hall in a nearby town for the reception and dance but that’s not what my fiancé and his family wanted they want us to have our dream wedding out at the farm so they offered to pay for the tent, tables and chair rentals which was super amazing and we’re so grateful. It’s been a lot of work and money so far and there’s a lot of worries I still have like having enough power and washrooms but I know we’re going to work! We’ll have generators and are still deciding between a trailer for bathrooms or porta potties. We’ll have to spray for mosquitoes (I’ve heard it’s best to spray more than once). One of the nice things is that our whole day will be spent at the farm and people don’t have to leave. They can even bring their camping units and spend the night! Which works great for a lot of our guests because we have a lot of friends and family with campers. We are providing a shuttle back to the city for those who need a safe ride back as well. If you’re not renting a tent then that will save you a lot of money but you will still need tables, chairs, washrooms and what not.

It would be cheaper. It also adds a sentimental piece to the wedding which is cool. I’m guessing there would be lots of places for pictures. It can all be held in one location.

The downside is you will have to buy or rent tables, chairs, table linens, dishes, cutlery etc. You and family and friends would have to set everything up and take it all down. That’s all I can think of at the moment! It’s definitely all doable!

I haven’t had a wedding like that but I’m assuming the big challenges you may face are:
- renting tables and chairs
- caterer
- acquiring a liquor license for a special event
- providing alcohol
- set-up and/or tear down
parking
washrooms

Just to name a few. It might be cheaper but it will take a lot of work.