wedding location permission
There’s a debate going around right now, it is about the wedding of Joe Biden’s daughter that was done in the Whitehouse. Some people are saying that since Whitehouse is for the public, and a wedding was already done there, that the public should also be able to hold their wedding there. If somebody wants to have their wedding ceremony in the Whitehouse, that the Whitehouse should be able to accommodate them, whether for free or for rent. Then some people are saying that the only reason Joe Biden’s daughter was able to do it there is because it’s part of the privilege of being the first daughter.
What do you think about that? Personally, I am for letting the people do weddings at the Whitehouse and my reason is the same as other people’s reason which is because the Whitehouse is FOR the people. The thing that is probably of concern, is the security of the staff and everyone else. It will give a chance for terrorist or bad people to have access or plan something when they learn of that.
In the Philippines where I was born, the only people who were able to marry in the Malacañang Palace (the Whitehouse equivalent) were usually government official, particularly the first daughter at that time. BUT, in each municipality, there is what we call a Mass wedding. A Mass wedding usually consist of about 30 or more couples getting married at the same time, usually done in the Municipal hall. This is done for a lot of people. usually the poor people who can’t afford to get married in a church, to be legally married. Anyway, the reason I am talking about it is because I have a friend who wants to get married in a place where it wasn’t allowed before, but they were able to convince the owner to let them have their wedding there. It’s house, a big house in an acreage. Very beautiful. Imagine the grounds in the Shining, with the maze and garden and a fountain in the middle. They found out about the place because the owner is my friend’s mom’s boss. They’re usually invited there for events and other stuff. I admire the guts of my friend in asking the owners, because I will never have the courage. Anyway, the reason I guess, they were able to ask is because they’ve always been treated as a family. The wedding is next yr so hopefully I will be able to update you guys in a year’s time about the wedding. I’m sure it will be absolutely gorgeous!
Can you typically just ask anybody to use their place for your wedding? Absolutely not! There are so many wedding venue options for rents out there that I don’t think you need to go around asking anybody if you can use their own private space. Unless, and it’s a big UNLESS:
It’s an emergency. If your wedding venue suddenly burns down to the ground, closes, or cancels your event for some reason, and you have no other option,(because wedding venues typically book way in advance), then you can probably ask some close friends or relatives, if their place can accommodate your wedding.
You have no budget. Wedding venues usually cost a lot, but that is because, it usually includes the food and drinks. If you’re using somebody’s place for your wedding, then you can find a cheap caterer or just do home-cooked meals.
You are very close to the owner. My friend is lucky because the owner of the place they’re having their wedding at, is very close to them. Although her mom works for them, they have always been treated as family. If you are eyeing a private place for your wedding, make sure that you are close to the people who own it, because if not, it will be so rude and unethical to just ask.
It’s been rented by other couples before. During the pandemic, I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook marketplace, listing their backyards for rent, typically for day, just for simple outdoor dinners and what not. I think it was one way to earn extra money, especially for people who lost their jobs during the pandemic. If the place you’re eyeing already accommodated other couples before, then I guess it’ll be very easy to ask.
Going back to our discussion earlier about Joe Biden’s daughter, if you live in the States, in Washington particularly, would you ask if you can get married there? Either by going there in person or writing a formal letter or request? To be honest, there is not harm in trying. LOL.
The lesson in this blog post is that, you can always ask if you want to, but do not forget to read the room. By that, I mean, you should know first if it’s ok to ask. The Whitehouse, like I said earlier and like what other people are sying, it’s ok to ask because it’s for the public, but if it;s a private house of a regular citizen, then you should know if you should even attempt to ask.
But again, like I said, there are so many other options out there you can choose from anyway, so hopefully you don’t really get to a point where you have no other option but to ask for a plce that is not typically for rent.
