If you want a unique DIY wedding, a dry hire wedding venue can be a fantastic option to achieve your vision and make it totally bespoke and personal to you both as a couple. Whether you hire a marquee, a tipi, a town hall, a barn, or a warehouse, there are so many exciting ways you can style and theme a dry hire venue when it’s a blank canvas waiting to be adorned – the possibilities are endless!
With whirls of inspiration flowing and the excitement of creating, making and bringing your dry hire space to life, it’s super easy to forget the small things. So we thought we would bring you a list of things to ‘check-off’ prior to your dry hire wedding, from the planning and logistical side, so that missing a small thing doesn’t turn into a big thing!
DIY and Decor
Creating your very own wedding space is so much fun and super exciting, however, it can be a lot of work! Without the right bits and bobs, it can be a little tricky to create your vision, so make sure you get a little help from your friends and don’t forget the following:
- Lighter (for candles). Long gas lighters are great for safety and ease when lighting multiple candles
- Cable ties (these have saved my bacon on many occasions, for many things – endless uses!)
- Fishing wire
- Scissors
- Gardening gloves (to protect your hands during set up)
- Pins and blu tack
- A step ladder
- Extension leads (for fairy lights… and beyond!)
- Broom
- Dustpan and brush
The Bar
If you are running your own bar, then there’s quite a bit to remember aside from the bottles of gin! Here’s a list of things you will need to keep your guests happy and the drinks flowing:
- Ice (you can get staggered deliveries throughout the day from a lot of companies in London)
- Buckets for ice, beer and wine (those big gardening ones with handles are great – there’s some links to some on my recommended shopping lists page)
- Water jugs
- Cocktail napkins
- Bottle openers! (It’s great to buy everything screw top though, but bottle openers help just in case as a back up!)
- Lemons and limes (plus a knife + small chopping board)
- A variety of glasses (including shot glasses!)
- Disposable Cups (good to have just in case)
- Paper towels / blue roll / tea towels
Housekeeping
- Bin bags (lots of them!)
- Toilet rolls (again, lots of them!)
- Ladies products for the loos (including tampons, plasters, hairspray and any other pampering bits you think your guests might like or need – the Boots travel section of minis is great for these kind of products)
- Paper towels / blue roll
- Washing up liquid and sponge
- Kitchen/antibac wipes
For the Little Ones
- Highchairs
- A kettle (for heating baby bottles)
- Toys and entertainment (if you are having lots of little ones, it’s a good idea to find a cosy ‘kids’ area which you can blanket and fill with books / toys)
A Few Extras….
- Extra napkins
- Blankets for cold evenings
- A nice knife for cutting the cake
And another key bit of advice if you are planning a dry hire wedding, especially if you don’t have a planner or coordinator, is to reel in help from friends and family. Make sure there are specific people in your bridal or groom party that know where all of these items are kept so that they can help to support guests on the day. The less you are bothered, the more relaxed and enjoyable it will be for you. Don’t be afraid to delegate and designate!
Cover Image by Chloe Lee Photography from Kat + Colin’s wedding we worked together on.
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Please email any hellos or enquiries to laura@devinebride.co.uk
