Airbnb or Bust?

Depending on the size of guest list look into your state parks or local park and recs department for rentals. Here in Maryland we have lots of options for under $3000 that can hold up to 150 people.

I would be cautious with Airbnb rentals though, many may not like the idea of you having a wedding reception on their property due to liability reasons.

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Thank you for your suggestion! I agree about the liability issue, it's definitely something to be up front about with the host right away.

I wouldn’t think of an Airbnb as a budget friendly option because you will have to rent every little thing and it adds up quickly. What is the size of your guest list and what is your budget?

Air bnb venues almost always have a "no events" rule stated right on their listing. You have to think of it as a liability, they dont want to be responsible if something happens in their home. Im going to assume your wedding will have at a minimum a couple dozen people.. no house will fit that many, and even if it did the owner probably doesnt want to deal with the wear and tear that will most likely occur.

It is a great option for getting ready the morning of!

Id look at fire halls and things of that nature where you can cater in food if you are looking to save.

View Quoted Comment Thankfully AirBnB has an “allows events” filter which makes things only a little easier. But oh man, there’s no way we would have the reception inside of a house! Especially someone else’s! I probably should have clarified. Luckily in NM there are plenty of rural homes that have lots of land and no neighbors nearby. That is the kind of venue we would be interested in. Of course, everything depends on the host and we are open to all options for venues. I’m just curious to know if anyone has gone the AirBnB route. Thanks for your input!

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Unfortunately what you want is usually one of the more expensive options and is not budget friendly at all. There have been a few brides who have come back to post after their wedding (called BAMs) and some have broken down the costs. As others have said, you have to rent everything, literally everything. Depending on your guest size, this means bathrooms too. Also, if you plan to serve alcohol you'll need to make sure to have a licensed bartender with liability insurance which can add to your expense. For these reasons, many people decide it is much more affordable to find an all-inclusive venue instead.

We are using an Airbnb for our destination wedding! They allow events. I'm working with a wedding planner that is bringing in all the rentals, ECT. I think this is a great option depending on the size of your wedding. I would just be cautious and make sure you think about the additional considerations.

Hey there! We're planning to try to book an Airbnb for our reception of 50 people max. I'm trying to cut the guest list in order to maximize our chances of the owners letting us party on their property. The actual local "wedding venues" are not appealing at all and all cost 10k just to rent. Let us know how your planning goes.

View Quoted Comment Thank you Amy! So far it looks like we will be headed in that direction as well. The more research I do, the less appealing the ready-to-go wedding venues seem. An intimate wedding sounds better every day.

View Quoted Comment Looks beautiful! That’s sure going to be a venue to remember for all of your guests! Thanks for the suggestion

I was looking at an Airbnb but I also found this app called Peerspace that’s pretty cool you should give them a try as well. They charge by the hour and some offer byo alcohol and catering.

View Quoted Comment I tried and unfortunately there is only one venue in our whole state 😩 we are from New Mexico. I think I need to start a forum about State Park weddings.

View Quoted Comment Awww that sucks. Well hopefully you find something and I’ve been to a state park wedding it was actually nicer than being at a venue.

I'm doing an Airbnb venue! Luckily for me, my Airbnb is experienced at hosting events and is including all the rentals I would need (chairs, tables, cocktail tables, linens, charger plates, utensils, beer and wine and water cups, etc.). They said they'd handle set up and clean up, I believe, but I would need to double check what exactly that entails. I'm not too worried, as I am staying in the Airbnb the night before and the night of my wedding, so we have plenty of time to clean up if it comes down to it (as much as we might not want to).

Pros: It's an one-site-fits-all type of deal (rehearsal/rehearsal dinner, getting ready, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, AND overnight accommodations for the entire wedding party), no need to worry about transportation to and from different venues, photographer and videographer don't have to run around from different getting ready sites, choosing all your own vendors. Most large Airbnbs will also likely have enough parking for guests (although if they don't, this would be a con).

Cons: It's not a typical venue, so unless you have a host that is experienced in hosting events, it can become a headache. You most likely need to pay for event insurance (although it's not too crazy expensive - approximately $150 for me). May also need to rent portable restrooms/trailer restrooms for guests. Might need to decorate MORE if the venue is unprepared for an event like a wedding.

The current breakdown cost for my venue:
$1400 for 2 night stay
$3250 for event fee (including all the rentals)
~$150 for event insurance
$TBD for restrooms

For me, it was way cheaper than a typical venue in California (upwards of $****), and most I looked at required certain vendors or in-house caterers which were way out of my budget. I thought about a state park wedding too, but that gave me a headache trying to figure out how to make it happen... but that might've just been me overcomplicating things!

View Quoted Comment Awesome! Thank you for being so detailed! I really appreciate it and I’m glad everything is working out for you I found a remote cabin with a big front yard that rents on AirBnB for large events! I’m just waiting to hear back from them about more details! 🤞🏼One thing I like about potentially going the AirBnB route is being able to stay on the wedding site for the whole weekend, with our wedding party. I can tell it will make for some GREAT memories.

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Yes, and you can also have a great after party with the wedding party if you're not too pooped after the reception!

I hope you're able to tour the Airbnb before committing though, unless you're certain it's the one!

Also a tip, see if you can find the same listing on VRBO or HomeAway. Airbnb's service charge is slightly higher than the other two. Usually not by TOO much, for me it was around $40 more. But every dollar saved certainly helps! We were going to book on VRBO, but was afraid that his credit card might not categorize it as a travel expense (he gets 3x travel points) and we knew Airbnb for sure would, so we sucked it up and paid the extra $40 since it'd help offset our pre-wedding "honeymoon".

I was thinking about doing this same thing! I believe though in the end you would have to look into both and way our prons and cons, venues usually have chairs and staff, when an Airbnb is all you

I found this one through HomeAway! But it was also on AirBnB and VRBO. I think it was the same price across all platforms. Using a vacation rental does seem to be doable it just takes a ton of research and you have to be smart about it!

View Quoted Comment You’re exactly right! I will prefer for my wedding to be in the control of us and our family. We don’t plan on spending much money on catering. My fiancé is Mexican and I’m sure you could imagine how quickly his aunties can whip up a feast! Not to mention the Italian mamas on my side. Bonus of an AirBnB: kitchen on site!

We are going with an AirBnB. We booked it through HomeAway (or VRBO, I can't remember) because the admin fees the site charged were drastically lower.