If you’ve recently been to a wedding, you’ll note that celebrations are no longer just held in churches and hotels. Engaged couples have a wide range of alternatives to pick from when organizing their special day. There is no escape from the trend for destination weddings, which can be held in converted barns, vineyards, rural manors, and, you guessed it, vacation rentals.
While summer is the most popular time to get married (35%), 32% and 26%, respectively for fall and spring aren’t far behind.
Depending on the size and location of your property, wedding parties may already find it to be a desirable setting. And for many proprietors, the advantages of booking big group events like wedding receptions outweigh the disadvantages.
What are weddings at a destination?
Wedding celebrations done away from home are referred to as destination weddings. For instance, this might be in a different city or state or occasionally even a completely different country.
A lot of couples decide to hold their wedding and honeymoon in the same place. This indicates that visitors frequently stay for a long weekend as well. Destination weddings now make up more than 25% of all marriages, and this specialized industry generates $16 billion in annual spending!
Keep these things in mind when hosting weddings and other events at your vacation rental.
Tapping into this highly lucrative sector might be a great way to generate extra revenue for owners of holiday rentals. It’s crucial to remember that doing so necessitates a lot of extra flexibility, preparation, and focus on detail.
Let’s look at what every owner or vacation rental management needs to know before jumping in or making any changes to cater to this expanding target demographic.
Request a damage deposit at all times.
The potential for harm increases with the number of visitors to your property, even if it is unintentional. Therefore, it’s a good idea to estimate a fair damage deposit that you can return following the event as long as everything is in order.
This sum not only protects your house in case of damage but also encourages visitors to take better care of your property and feel a greater sense of responsibility.
Specify the event charge
There is a fee for renting the space in question as well as the overnight room rate when weddings are held at any other location (such as a hotel). It is reasonable to charge for lodging and reception space if your home or an outdoor area serves as the primary wedding party site. Consider other services you may need to hire to make the event go smoothly when estimating this cost.
For instance, you might need to set aside specific days for wedding planners and other professionals (such as florists, photographers, and caterers) to visit and begin their preparations (days that you won’t be able to rent out to other guests). Additionally, you’ll probably need to hire additional housekeeping personnel and hire outside services like carpet cleaning, temporary restroom rental, and large-scale trash removal.
Obtain appropriate insurance
The answer will probably be yes if you wonder if you need supplementary insurance for this kind of incident. Event insurance offers general liability in addition to your standard vacation rental insurance in the event of a loss or cancellation.
You might also want weather insurance or liquor liability in addition to this. Your responsibility as the business owner is to ensure the appropriate policy is in place. Before buying any insurance, we advise doing extensive research.
Observe local laws
Local legislation is one of the main elements that will determine whether you can offer your property for these uses. Numerous authorities may want permits for events to do anything from the park to serve alcoholic drinks. In addition, you need the support of your local neighborhood.
This won’t be a problem as much if your property is on a more isolated section of land. Control late-night noise levels and prevent blocking the road with parked autos to keep the nearby neighbors happy.
Constantly make sure visitors are safe.
Wedding guests frequently make their decision on the possibility of an outdoor reception and the outstanding weather forecasts for the area. However, there may be certain security dangers for visitors. Ensure that the maximum weight capacity is stated in unambiguous terms on any patios or decks outside and that visitors are aware of these restrictions.
Furthermore, you should take any extras very seriously, like hot tubs or swimming pools. Any expectations that visitors should have are to be made explicit in your home rules. For instance, there should be no glass or alcohol at the pool, no intoxicated swimming, and no unattended youngsters.
Set limitations on the number of guests.
To commemorate their special day, visitors can bring together their closest family and friends during weddings. That said, it’s unlikely that the entire wedding party will be able to spend the night at your home.
Make the maximum occupancy of your property extremely apparent in all conversations with the soon-to-wed couple; you might even go so far as to provide nearby alternatives for their guests to stay in. This will keep things in check for your housekeepers and help prevent future disputes.
Overall, allowing wedding parties to stay at your vacation rental may be a great experience for both owners and visitors. It might even result in past attendees making more reservations for their celebrations! Before signing on the dotted line, assessing the benefits and drawbacks of accepting bookings from large groups is crucial.
