{GB} Vacation Rentals as Affordable Wedding Venues

Vacation rental images: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p7139758h

Have you always dreamed of an intimate wedding? Sometimes that can be hard to achieve at a big hotel, as beautiful as they may be. One great way to plan an intimate and affordable wedding is by choosing a vacation rental as your venue.  From an oceanfront property to a huge mountain cabin with incredible views, the possibilities are endless. Here are some of the top reasons to use a vacation rental in your wedding plans.

Vacation rental images: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p395281

Be in Charge

When it comes to hotels or traditional wedding venues, you often have to give up a lot of control over your wedding planning. Prices can be relatively fixed and preferred vendors such as caterers or florists may already be in place. You might have little influence over the drinks list or the menu items. When you choose a vacation rental, you are can often take control of every detail of your special day. Choose the caterer that fits your price point and your vision for the food. Compare florists and find the best match for you — no strings attached.

Dance All Night

How many weddings have you been to where the party has to end when the venue closes for the night? At a vacation rental, you can be in charge of the schedule. When the party begins and when it ends is all up to you. Whether you hire a band, DJ, or simply press play on an iPod, you can dance the night away until you feel like calling it quits. There will be no one telling you it’s time for your magic day to be over (except maybe the cops, if you get too rowdy!).

Vacation rental images: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p329472

Let the Honeymoon Begin

Some couples hate the idea of a long flight after a wedding — so why go anywhere at all? When you choose your dream vacation rental, you can already be at your honeymoon destination. From an open-air villa in Hawaii to a historic property in Tuscany, the opportunities are endless. You might even opt for some of your closest friends or family to spend a few days with you, celebrating your marriage.

Dream Big

Seeking an unconventional wedding? It’s your bid day, so throw a pool party, a big backyard barbecue, or a Hawaiian-themed luau if that’s what you want to do! With the freedom of a vacation rental, you can take unique ideas to create an affordable, memorable wedding. Use the money you save on huge venue fees to invest in the food, drinks, entertainment, special flowers, or a wedding planner to help you make the wedding of your dreams come true.

Privacy

A wedding is all about the couple and their friends and family. Yet at traditional venues there may be multiple weddings taking place or wedding crashers sneaking into the open bar. At a vacation rental, you can have your own space the ultimate privacy for your wedding. This often delivers a more intimate and personal wedding than you could plan at a venue that hosts dozens of weddings a month. After all, you’re unique and one of a kind, so shouldn’t your wedding be the same?

Set the Cost and the Guest Limit

One of the biggest obstacles couples face is determining the number of guests to invite. Many vacation rentals sleep a limited number of guests and don’t have parking for hundreds of people.   This may be a negative…but it might also be exactly the excuse you’re looking for to keep the guest list down and tell your second cousins that you’re planning a very intimate affair.

Sometimes it might seem impossible to plan the perfect wedding for a reasonable cost, but vacation rentals can help you save thousands of dollars be a big part of a wedding that is low on cost, but high on experience!

{Guest Blogger} About the Author: Laura Hoot has been writing professionally since 2004 and currently manages HomeAway’s Travel Ideas site.  She also manages a household of three dogs, a cat, two chickens and a baby boy with her husband. She’s written for USA Today’s travel site, GirlsGetaway.com , Cheapo Air, Travels.com, Trails.com, eFilmCritic.com, The Budget Fashionista, Travellogged.com and many more sites.

HomeAway operates the world’s largest network of vacation rental sites and has hundreds of thousands of listings from cabins in Big Bear to condos in Myrtle Beach and everything in between.