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Don’t overlook these wedding planning details!

When you rent an event home, there are a few details that can easily get overlooked. We've surveyed around the office and asked local vendor Ashley Earnhardt from Southern Hospitality Weddings about some best practices and a checklist to make sure you are prepared. Here are some details to consider when planning your special day at an event home


Sunset
When you begin planning your timeline, you'll want to check and see what time sunset is on your wedding day. Choosing a time too early before sunset can lead to harsh light in your photographs, while too close to sunset could mean not enough light. Consult with a local photographer and wedding coordinator to select a timeline with ideal lighting for your photos.

Noise Ordinance
All towns on the Outer Banks have a noise ordinance of either 10 or 11 PM, which varies. When planning your timeline and deciding when the music will have to end, make sure you check the town rules for your specific event home.

Permits
Each town has slightly different requirements when it comes to permits. For example, you may have to apply for a noise permit in Currituck County (Corolla) or register your gathering in the Town of Duck. In addition, if you plan to have alcohol served at your event, you may need additional permits! Check with the town rules & your wedding coordinator to see what you may need.

Tides
For a beach wedding, you'll want to have an idea of the high tide times so you can adjust your ceremony setup accordingly! While most of the summer our beaches are wide enough that a high tide isn't a huge issue, the beach is constantly shifting, and some days the tide could make a major difference. If you can, go visit the beach in the days leading up to your wedding. That will give you a good idea of where the high tide line hits to make sure you set up behind it! If you need help with chair setup, we recommend IdoOBX weddings & events.

Trash Cans
Since a vacation rental home isn't a traditional wedding venue, there's most likely not a stock of trash cans handily available for you! The home's roll-out garbage cans may suffice, but if you don't want those visible in your reception area, you may want to purchase or rent some event canisters that are a little less of an eyesore.

Parking
Oh, parking! One of the biggest challenges to event home weddings is that you need to coordinate parking for guests & vendors! To save you stress on your wedding day, come up with a parking plan well ahead of time. One option is to hire a local transportation company to shuttle those guests not staying at the event home to and from the wedding. Some local companies are:

Guests can also carpool or take a cab or depending on the area, Uber, and get dropped off at the wedding house, then picked up again to avoid parking and driving altogether.

Don't forget to leave a spot open upfront if you're expecting deliveries!


Ice
Many Outer Banks event homes come with commercial ice makers, and while that's great for the week's activities and even some of the wedding ice, it definitely won't be able to produce enough on wedding day. To ice down coolers of beer & wine, add ice to water on your dining tables, or for your mixed drinks, you'll still want to plan on getting bags of ice at the store to ensure you don't run out.

Finding Rentals Nearby
Many event homes have vacation rentals nearby. Work with a Guest Service agent directly and they can recommend what's nearby. KEES has vacation rentals to accommodate all size groups and budgets and we offer more standard amenities than anyone else as well as FlexStay check-in and check-out. Email us for help or search for vacation rentals here.

Photos courtesy of Southern Hospitality Weddings. Event location: The Black Stallion. See more photos and read about Kristina & Trent's wedding, Brittany & Dan's wedding, and Rachael & Mark's Wedding.

Read more about KEES Wedding and event homes or browse our event homes.