Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
Dreaming of getting married in a cozy cabin surrounded by your favorite people? Well, an Airbnb can be an amazing home base for an intimate wedding weekend, but before you book that dreamy A-frame, there’s one important thing to understand: an Airbnb is not automatically a wedding venue.
There’s a little more to it than simply finding a gorgeous cabin and inviting your favorite people over. Airbnb has rules around gatherings, and individual properties can have their own restrictions around guests, visitors, noise, parking, and events. So while a small, low-key wedding may work at the right property, you’ll want to make sure your host is on board with your plans before you book.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what to look for when searching for an Airbnb wedding venue, the questions you should ask your host before booking, and a few alternatives if your dream rental isn’t actually wedding-friendly. Our goal is to help you create an amazing wedding weekend without any unexpected surprises along the way.
Your Guide to Planning an Airbnb Wedding
- So, Can You Have a Wedding at an Airbnb?
- How to Find an Airbnb That Works for Your Wedding
- Questions to Ask Your Airbnb Host Before Booking
- What to Know About Airbnb’s Wedding Rules
- What If Your Dream Airbnb Doesn’t Allow Events?
- How to Plan Your Airbnb Wedding
- What Does an Airbnb Wedding Cost?
- Is an Airbnb Wedding Right for You?
- Airbnb Wedding FAQs
- Ready to Plan Your Airbnb Wedding?
So, Can You Have a Wedding at an Airbnb?
Yes, you can potentially have a small wedding at an Airbnb, but not every Airbnb is a good fit for a wedding. The key is finding a property and host that are comfortable with your plans and making sure your celebration fits within Airbnb’s policies and the property’s rules.
Airbnb wedding venue vs. Airbnb home base
When it comes to booking an Airbnb for your wedding, there are generally two ways you can use the space: as your wedding venue or as your home base.
Option 1: The Airbnb is your wedding venue
With this option, your Airbnb is essentially your micro wedding venue. Everything that would typically happen at your venue can take place at your Airbnb, from getting ready to your wedding ceremony and your celebratory meal.
This can be a great option if you like the idea of having everything take place at one location. But keep in mind, this option only works if the host and property explicitly allow what you’re planning.
Option 2: The Airbnb is your home base
With this option, your Airbnb becomes your home for the day/weekend. You can get ready with your loved ones, make breakfast, hang out with your favorite people, and then head out for your ceremony and adventure somewhere nearby.
We especially love this option for adventure weddings because it gives you a little more flexibility. You get the cozy, intimate feeling of having everyone together without trying to make a vacation rental function like a traditional wedding venue.
How to Find an Airbnb That Works for Your Wedding
If you’re on the hunt for an Airbnb wedding venue, there are a few things we recommend thinking about before you fall head over heels for that gorgeous cabin or lake house.
Start with the location, not the house
We recommend choosing your ceremony location first and your Airbnb second (unless you already know your Airbnb is going to be the wedding venue).
The reason for this is that your dream ceremony location might be an hour from the nearest town, down a winding mountain road, or at the end of a trail. It’s not uncommon for us to have to drive an hour or two to ceremony locations, and where you stay can have a huge impact on how your wedding timeline flows.
So, before you start scrolling through listings, think about how you want the rest of your day to look. Do you want to get married at the Airbnb and explore somewhere else afterward? Or do you want to wake up at your cabin, head out for your adventure, and return to your cozy home base to celebrate?
Once you know what you want to experience, look for an Airbnb that makes sense for the rest of your day.
Plan for your total guest count, not just overnight guests
There are two numbers you’ll want to pay attention to when you’re looking at a property: how many people can stay overnight and how many people can be on the property during your celebration.
A house that sleeps 12 does not automatically mean you can have 12 overnight guests plus another 15 people over for dinner.
This is something you’ll want to confirm directly with your host before booking. Be upfront about how many people will be staying, how many people will be visiting, and what you’re planning to do while you’re there.
Pay attention to the boring stuff
This tip might sound a little boring, but we promise it can make a huge difference on your wedding day!
When you’re looking at an Airbnb for your wedding weekend, think beyond the pretty kitchen and jaw-dropping mountain views. Yes, those are important, but there are a few other practical details that can have a surprisingly big impact on your experience.
Consider things like:
- How many bathrooms are there?
- Is there enough parking for everyone?
- Is there an indoor space in case the weather changes?
- Can your photographer and other vendors easily access the property?
- Is the road accessible for all of your guests?
- Is there enough space for everyone to comfortably hang out?
- Are there neighbors nearby?
- Are there any restrictions around outdoor spaces, fires, or noise?
And yes, the bathroom situation is a very important one to consider. If you’re inviting 20 people to your wedding weekend, one bathroom is probably not going to cut it. You do not want a Meet the Parents-style septic tank fiasco on your hands (anyone else love that movie?!).
Don’t choose based on photos alone
We know, we know! That dreamy cabin might look perfect on Instagram, but a gorgeous house with one bathroom, steep stairs for grandma, no parking, and a tiny kitchen might not feel quite so dreamy once 12 people arrive with wedding clothes, flowers, food, and a photographer (ask us how we know).
Before you fall in love with the photos, picture what it will actually be like to spend a whole weekend there with your people. Where will everyone hang out? Where will you get ready? Is there somewhere to escape for a quiet moment when you need it? The pretty details are fun, but the things that will shape your experience matter just as much.
Insider Tip: Read the reviews from other guests if any are available. Oftentimes, you can get more details that aren’t always shared in the listing description.
Questions to Ask Your Airbnb Host Before Booking
Found a property you love? Heck yes! But, before you hit that “Reserve” button, take a close look at the listing and house rules, then reach out to the host with your plans.
Be specific about what you’re hoping to do. The more your host knows upfront, the easier it is for everyone to make sure the property is actually a good fit. The last thing you want is to book your dream cabin, pay a deposit, and find out later that the property doesn’t allow the gathering you had planned.
And this is not the time to be vague and hope they won’t mind. A small gathering with 12 people, dinner, and a photographer is a very different experience from a 30-person reception with a DJ, catered dinner, and dancing until midnight. Clear communication from the beginning can save you a whole lot of stress later.
Insider Tip: As both an adventure elopement photographer and a former Airbnb host, Mollie has learned a thing or two about hosting and staying in vacation rentals. Her biggest tip is: clear communication makes everything easier. The more you and your host are on the same page, the more confident you can feel moving forward.
Some questions to ask before booking:
- Can we have a wedding ceremony here?
- How many people can be on the property during the day?
- How many people can stay overnight?
- Can we have a catered meal or private chef?
- Can we have a photographer or videographer?
- Can vendors come onto the property?
- Can we have outdoor dining?
- Are there quiet hours or noise restrictions?
- Are there parking restrictions?
- Can we move furniture or bring in rentals?
- Are there decorations or other activities that aren’t allowed?
Get the answers in writing
When you talk through your plans with the host, keep the conversation in Airbnb’s messaging system and make sure the details are clear in writing.
Include your overnight guest count, total number of people on the property, ceremony plans, dinner, vendors, timing, and anything else that could affect the property. Don’t rely on a quick “that should be fine!” without making sure your plans have been clearly discussed and approved.
It might feel a little overly cautious now, but having everything in one place means you and your host are working from the same information when your wedding weekend arrives. And if any questions come up later, you have a record of what was agreed upon.
You can even use this message as a starting point:
Hi! We love your property and are considering booking it for our wedding weekend. Our plans are X people staying overnight and X total people on the property for a small ceremony and dinner on Saturday. We would also have a photographer and caterer onsite. There would be no DJ or loud music, and we would follow your quiet hours and parking rules. Would you be comfortable with this type of gathering? If so, are there any additional property rules we should know about?
What to Know About Airbnb’s Wedding Rules
Airbnb’s policies around weddings and events can change, so we always recommend checking the current policies before booking. At the time of writing, though, there are a few important things to know.
Airbnb does not allow disruptive gatherings
Airbnb’s rules are probably the most important thing to understand before planning a wedding at a vacation rental. The good news is that the rules aren’t simply “no weddings.” The bigger concern is disruptive gatherings that negatively affect neighbors or the surrounding community.
That includes things like excessive noise, open-invite gatherings, parking issues, and other behavior that creates a disturbance. So a quiet ceremony or celebratory dinner with your closest people is a very different situation from turning a vacation rental into a late-night wedding reception.
Airbnb’s community disturbance policy
Every property has its own rules
Airbnb’s policies are only one part of the equation. Your host may have additional rules around guest counts, visitors, quiet hours, pets, parking, decorations, or events.
That’s why we recommend treating the listing and house rules as your starting point, not the final answer. If something isn’t clear, ask the host before you book and get approval for your specific plans in writing.
What If Your Dream Airbnb Doesn’t Allow Events?
Okay, so maybe you found your dream Airbnb. It’s in the perfect location, has the most gorgeous details, and fits your budget perfectly.
The only problem? The listing says it doesn’t allow events.
If you find an Airbnb you love but the host doesn’t allow events, don’t try to sneak a wedding into a property that wasn’t meant for one. There are plenty of ways to get that cozy, private experience without putting your wedding weekend at risk.
Stay at an Airbnb and Get Married Somewhere Nearby
One of our favorite options is to use the Airbnb as your home base and have your ceremony somewhere nearby. You can get ready together, spend the morning hanging out with your people, head out for your adventure, and return to your cabin for dinner and a slower evening together.
Choose a Private Rental That Explicitly Allows Events
You can also look for private vacation rentals that explicitly allow events. Platforms like Vrbo have properties where hosts can specify that events are allowed, and some vacation homes have their own websites where they offer event rentals directly.
Choose a Small Wedding Venue
If having your ceremony and reception at the same property is a priority, you can also look for a small wedding or micro wedding venue with onsite lodging. You’ll get the cozy house-and-your-people experience, but with a property that is specifically set up for celebrations. Check out some of our favorite micro wedding venue options below.
How to Plan Your Airbnb Wedding
If you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking, “Yep, an Airbnb wedding is definitely for us,” here’s how we recommend bringing it all together:
- Choose your location and decide what you want your wedding day to feel like.
- Decide whether your Airbnb will be your wedding venue or your home base.
- Find properties that fit your group and your plans.
- Read the full listing and house rules.
- Ask the host about your specific plans before booking.
- Get all approvals and important details in writing.
- Check local rules and any permits required for your ceremony location.
- Build a timeline that accounts for travel, your ceremony, and any other activities you want to include.
- Have a backup plan for weather, road closures, or anything else that could change your plans (and as your photographers, this is where we can help!).
If you want to learn more about how to bring your adventure elopement plans to life, check out our full planning guide below!
What Does an Airbnb Wedding Cost?
One of the biggest questions couples have after deciding to plan an Airbnb wedding is, “How much is this going to cost?”
And, in our experience, lodging is often one of the biggest expenses for an elopement or adventure wedding, especially if you’re traveling to your destination and renting a larger property for your group.
Depending on the location, size, and type of accommodation, you might spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars per night to $700+ for a larger cabin or lodge. Of course, prices can vary significantly by destination and season.
But keep in mind, no matter how much you choose to spend, the cost of the Airbnb is only one piece of the puzzle.
Your overall budget might also include:
- Your Airbnb stay
- Extra nights for setup or cleanup
- Catering or a private chef
- Tables, chairs, and other rentals
- Photography and videography
- Transportation
- Permits for your ceremony location
- Additional cleaning or property fees
- And, of course, all the other costs of eloping
The good news is that your lodging can be so much more than just the place you sleep. It can be your getting-ready location, your first-look spot, your dinner table, your rainy-day backup plan, and your home base for the entire weekend.
If you want to learn more about the cost of eloping, we break it down here.
Is an Airbnb Wedding Right for You?
So, is an Airbnb wedding right for you? We can’t make that decision for you, but we can help you figure out what kind of experience you’re looking for.
An Airbnb wedding might be perfect if you want:
- A small guest list
- A relaxed wedding weekend
- Everyone staying together
- A cozy home base for an outdoor ceremony somewhere nearby
- An adventure-focused day
- Dinner, conversation, and laid-back time together instead of a traditional reception
A traditional wedding venue might be a better fit if you want:
- A larger guest list
- Dancing and a late-night reception
- Vendors to coordinate on your behalf
- Minimal DIY or setup
- Built-in tables, chairs, catering, bathrooms, and other amenities
Airbnb Wedding FAQs
Can you get married at an Airbnb?
Potentially! Airbnb does not automatically make every property available as a wedding venue, and hosts can have their own restrictions. If you want to get married at the property, make sure your host knows exactly what you’re planning and has approved it in writing before you book.
Can you have a wedding reception at an Airbnb?
A small, quiet gathering may be possible at some properties, but a traditional wedding reception with lots of guests, loud music, dancing, or late-night festivities may not be a good fit. Always check Airbnb’s current policies and get approval from your host before booking. And if you need ideas for your micro wedding dinner, check out our reception planning guide here.
How many people can attend an Airbnb wedding?
There isn’t one universal guest limit for every Airbnb wedding. You’ll need to consider both the property’s overnight capacity and how many people the host allows on the property during the day. In general, smaller events of 30 people or less tend to work best, but your total guest count should always be discussed with the host before booking.
Can you bring a wedding photographer to an Airbnb?
A photographer may be allowed, but again, you should always check the property’s rules and let your host know that a professional photographer will be onsite. If you’re bringing additional vendors or visitors, include those details when you ask for approval to avoid any surprises.
Ready to Plan Your Airbnb Wedding?
If you’re dreaming of waking up in the mountains with your favorite people, heading out for an epic adventure, and coming back to your cozy cabin to celebrate, we’re pretty stoked for you.
Whether your Airbnb becomes your wedding venue or simply your home base for an unforgettable weekend, we would love to help you figure out how all the pieces fit together. We’ll help you craft your elopement timeline, choose locations for your ceremony and adventure, and celebrate your best day ever no matter where it takes you. Reach out and let’s start planning your Airbnb wedding adventure!
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