TOTW : Special Events At Home

For the past three months, Lauren Daversa Events has been writing a series on hosting special events at home. TOTW has covered: the logistical issues associated with parking; the importance of understanding household capacity; the not so pretty topic of restrooms and cleaning; rental needs; and finally, last but certainly not least, issues associated with electricity.

As we've established in this series, turning the fantasy of a special event or an outdoor wedding at home into a reality requires many-a-things, each of which are significant. But the event would be lost with out one element in particular: electricity. Everyone involved in the wedding, or event, needs it. If the caterer is not working exclusively in your kitchen, then they've brought their own equipment and it all needs power. The band or DJ need to be heard, power. The beautiful lighting in the tent and around the property, power. AC or heating units, power! And of course your house will be lit up and cooled or heated...power! Everything needs power. The questions is...can your house supply enough of it?

First, determine how many outlets are available on your property. Then make sure they are located where the vendors will be setting up. Next, have an open discussion with your event planner about whether or not your house has a sufficient amount of power to go around to the vendors. If you don't have a planner, discuss this with your vendors.

Typically, most homes can not accommodate the amount of power necessary to light up a tent, provide power to the band / DJ, provide power to the caterer and their portable kitchen AND the house itself where the event is being hosted. If you don't have enough juice, and believe me, you don't want to risk blowing a fuse or even worse, a power outage...you will have to bring in a generator! NOTE, if you bring in a generator, make sure to keep it far enough away from the party so guests don't hear it buzzing all evening.

You might also have to purchase, or rent, extension cords. NOTE, if you have extension cords running all over your property, cover them up! For one, they are an eye sore. But also because they are dangerous. So, if you're saying to yourself, "Oh, I don't need to cover up the cords, they don't look that bad," think about it this way: guests or vendors can trip on them. Think, Extension Cords + Trip = Liability!!!

In the end, hosting any event at your home is a fantastic idea. All of the situations covered in the series might not apply to your event, however. Each area discussed is critical to cover in order to make sure your event is flawless. Remember, hosting any special event is all about being prepared. Hosting a special event at home means you have to go above and beyond to ensure your event is a success. Check back next week for another TOTW.

Photo courtesy of North GA Party Rental