Airbnb Wedding Guide

AND OTHER PRIVATE HOME RENTALS FOR YOUR SMALL WEDDING OR ELOPEMENT DAY

If you are looking to elope with family or just have an intimate wedding, renting a private home is for you! 

Why get married at an Airbnb, VRBO or private home rental?

Renting a private home for your event with guests makes for a stress free day. This is a great option if you are looking for an outdoor setting for your wedding ceremony that can accommodate your guests. Many trail systems cannot accommodate ceremonies with guests larger than 10 people so this is just a great option to keep your guests in one place! 

How to find a private home rental for your intimate wedding or elopement

First off, you need to know how to find the perfect private home rental/wedding venue for you. Here are a few things to think about before you begin your search:

Find a few home rental sites.

Airbnb and VRBO will be the most popular yielding the most results.

Think about Location + Guest Count: 

Airbnb and VRBO are worldwide companies. Your options are limitless. Think about the scenery you envision on your wedding day. Beaches, Forests, Mountains- anything! Remember to keep in mind that most rental locations will have a smaller guest limit than your traditional wedding venue. Think Less than 30 guests. This is something to consider if you are trying to have a private home rental wedding.

Find your Airbnb Wedding Venue

Airbnb no longer offers the “suitable for events” filter which unfortunately will make your search a bit harder. Don’t get discouraged though! Here is what you can do:

1. Log in to Airbnb
2. Choose your preferred location 
3. Choose your preferred dates
4. Change the guest count to the max count available or preferred guest count.
5. Pick a few locations that you can imagine yourself getting married at
6. Private message all the owners and ask them if they would allow your event! 

Find your VRBO wedding venue

Thankfully, VRBO still offers an events allowed filter, and most of these homes are cross posted to Airbnb. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Log in to VRBO
2. Choose your preferred location 
3. Choose your preferred dates
4. Change the guest count to the max count available or preferred guest count.
5. Search
6. Click on more filters
7. Scroll down to House Rules and click on the events allowed checkbox and apply
8. Find homes that you can imagine getting married at and just to be safe message the owner to see if your specific event would be allowed before you book! ( read descriptions before you message them,, most times they let you know right off the bat if weddings are allowed.)

Tips to help you choose the perfect location

• Choose a location that needs minimal decoration
• Make sure you ask the owner/property manager if your event is feasible at your chosen location before you book.
• Make sure you get any approvals in writing so you don’t run into any discrepancies the day of!
• Look into the surrounding area for food options! You might want to cater food on your special day!
• Check if the home has a potential indoor and outdoor ceremony spot
• Consider Renting tableware. Most locations dont have nice tableware!
• Arrive early. Book your location a day before so you can get everything ready!

Questions To Ask Before You Book

1. Rules with alcoholic beverages?
2. Can the kitchen accommodate catering staff or do you have to order already made meals?
3. Noise Ordinance Times
4. Is the Property Handicap accessible if applicable?
5. Are there any cool photo locations on location or nearby?
6. are pets allowed?
7. does the property have a ceremony location? Where are the views from the house?
8. How are the reviews for this location? Has anyone else had a wedding/ elopement there?
9. What is the lighting like? Is there enough natural light coming in for your photos?

Things to Look For if you have guests!

• Parking- make sure there is enough spots for your guests
• Bathrooms- some mountain homes don’t have proper plumbing for a high amount of guests. Well plumbing could cause a flooding issue so make sure you talk to your host!
• How is the road to get there? Do you need 4wd?
• How far is it from your basic necessities?
• How far is it from the airport for guests coming-out of town?

Get Insured

Three words: Vacation Rental Insurance. Get covered, remember this home is not yours and things happen sometimes

Neighbors + Noise

Be respectful about the neighbors. Ask your host if there are any noise ordinances in the neighborhood and don’t let your day get ruined by police officers knocking on the door!

You Can Still Have A Private & Intimate Adventure With Your Partner

Renting a private home for your guests allows you to have a place for them to stay while you go out on a small hiking/scenic walk session. Most couples like to read their vows privately during this time and get the epic portrait shots that you see on our Instagram! This allows you to be less rushed and stressed about having guests waiting on you while you frolic happily through the mountains. Also, it reduces the stress of looking for a ceremony location on one of our trail systems that simply cannot handle over just a few guests.

Another option can be spreading it in to two days. Maybe your adventure is going to take a little longer than half a day. Spend the day before adventuring with your partner and having a fun, relaxed day, then meet up your guests the next day(or months ahead) for a small reception without the stress!

Either way, if you are planning to have your elopement at a private home rental-here is a timeline that can help you envision what the whole day can look like!

Want to plan an Adventure Elopement? Download Our Free Adventure Elopement Planning Guide + Checklist To Help You Get Started!

Timeline Example For A Small Airbnb or VRBO Wedding & Adventure:

• 4:00 am- Getting ready pictures 
• 5:00 am – Begins driving to vow reading location in different cars
• 6:00 am- Arrive at trail head and have a beautiful fist look on top of an epic mountain right at sunrise 
• 6:30 am- Begin hiking to vow reading location
• 7:30 am- Find the perfect spot to ready your vows
• 8:00 am Have an intimate donut and coffee breakfast overlooking the 360 mountain views
• 8:30 am Begin portrait session + Exploring 
• 10:00 am – Make you way back to the car
• BREAK + NAP + makeup and hair retouch
• 3:00 pm- Meet with all of guests at airbnb
• 3:30 pm- Ceremony with guests + Signing marriage license!! Yay you are married!!
• 4:30 pm – Family photos 
• 5:30 pm- Dinner time! 
• 6:30 pm- First dance + other activities 
• Then enjoy the rest of the night !

This option is awesome for those who still want an intimate moment but also want to celebrate with family.!   

***We will try to keep this list updated, but it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your event is allowed in these spaces. This is just a list from a basic search on AirBnb and VRBO. We are not affiliated with any of these properties + Pictures are taken from listings 🙂

Due to Covid-19 some home rentals will have limitations so make sure you are asking your host questions before booking! We also anticipate that many of these places will be booked so book them well in advance to secure a spot. If you are still having trouble finding a place to host your small wedding/elopement in Colorado, check out our blog post on a few small wedding venues that are suitable for smaller events!

Need help documenting your special day with beautiful photographs? Fill out the form below so we can chat!