Décor
Step1
Keep the décor simple. Use only white linens with accent pieces in varying shades of your wedding color(s). Since a home is a comparatively small venue, you don't want to overwhelm it with too much color or gaudy decorations.
Step2
Use flowers as an elegant means of decorating. Consider renting pillars to set within the doorway or by the cake table, and top them with large urns overflowing with beautiful bouquets. Use a simplified version of the urn bouquets as centerpieces for the tables.
Step3
Bathe your home in yards of silk fabric in your color scheme. Drape it from doorways, hang it from the mantle, or use it to cover any unsightly areas of the home. Arrange it elegantly, being liberal with the fabric without overdoing it.
Step4
Set arrangements of candles around the house. Use different shapes and sizes, all in white or in varying shades of your wedding color(s). They needn't be lit if you don't want to worry about a fire hazard.
Food and Seating
Step1
Decide what kind of food you will be serving, whether simple finger foods or a full-blown meal. Select foods that will be good served at room temperature and that can be made in advance, if you are doing the cooking yourself.
Step2
Select a convenient place to set up a table for the food so that guests can serve themselves. Choose a spot that is not in a highly trafficked area.
Step3
Look for eclectic pieces of china and crystal to use as serving dishes for the food. Raid your dish collection, as well as that of your mother and grandmother (and anyone else willing), or hunt through garage sale offerings to find enough dishes in your color scheme.
Step4
Serve the wedding cake on a small table covered with a beautiful floor-length white cloth and handfuls of rose petals. Use a similar cloth for the food table, but decorate it using layered fabrics as a kind of table runner, rather than covering it with petals.
Step5
Cover chairs with crisp white chair covers and tie a wide ribbon bow-in your designated colors, of course-around each one. Specialize the bride and groom's chairs by sticking a bunch of flowers under the ribbon.
Step6
Opt for long tables, if space allows it, for a family-style feel. Otherwise use small tables carefully dispersed. Whatever your table size, though, cover them with white tablecloths and place a table runner down the center to match the bows on the chairs.
Step7
Place tiki torches or freestanding candle globes around the perimeter of your seating and dancing area if the party is outdoors and will continue into the night.
Home Reception Etiquette
Step1
Stand at the door with your new spouse to greet guests as they enter the house. Make sure to mingle throughout the crowd during the reception.
Step2
Assess the state of your bathrooms. Place decorative soaps out and make fresh hand towels available. Set a lovely flower arrangement on the countertop as well.
Step3
Clean your house thoroughly and make landscaping attractive. This may require hiring people to get the job done, but it's worth it.
Step4
Look for any potential danger spots inside your home and out where people could trip, fall or otherwise injure themselves. Take care of these places to the greatest extent possible.
Step5
Alert your neighbors to the fact that you will be holding this event at your home and ask their permission to park cars in front of their houses. Make sure that there will be sufficient parking for the occasion.
Step6
Create a contingency plan in the event of inclement weather. For an outdoor reception, you must have a Plan B.
