The short answer
A dry-hire or DIY venue gives you the space and little else. You organise furniture, catering equipment, power, lighting, toilets, bins, signage and staff, and you are responsible for setup and pack-down within the venue's access times. Most of the work is logistics: a full hire list, a delivery schedule and a named person for every task.
At a glance
- Dry hire means you hire the space only. DIY often means a farm, private property, council hall or marquee where you bring everything in.
- Start with the venue's rules and access times: when you can get in, when you must be out, noise curfews, and what isn't allowed.
- Write a hire list early: tables, chairs, linen, crockery, bar, lighting, power, toilets and a wet-weather cover.
- Plan setup and pack-down as carefully as the reception. They are the parts most often left to tired guests.
- A day-of coordinator usually needs 10 hours at a DIY venue because setup and pack-down add time on both ends.
What is a dry-hire wedding venue?
A venue you hire as an empty space, without the venue's own catering, bar, furniture or staff. You bring in every supplier and item yourself.
Dry-hire venues include community and council halls, barns, warehouses, galleries, farms and private properties, and marquees on open land. Some come with basic tables and chairs. Many come with nothing but the floor, the roof and a set of rules. That freedom is the appeal: your own caterer, your own drinks and your own styling, often for less than an all-inclusive venue.
| What you get | All-inclusive venue | Dry hire or DIY venue |
|---|---|---|
| Catering and bar | Venue provides | You hire a caterer and organise drinks and bar staff |
| Furniture and linen | Included | Hired and delivered |
| Staff on the day | Venue team and coordinator | Your suppliers, plus your own coordinator |
| Setup and pack-down | Venue team | You, your suppliers or your coordinator |
| Power, toilets, lighting | Built in | Check what exists; hire what doesn't |
| Flexibility | Packages and preferred suppliers | Almost anything the venue rules allow |
What should you check before booking a DIY venue?
Access times, what's already on site, the venue's rules, and whether you need any approvals for the event.
Questions to ask the venue
- What time can suppliers get in, and what time must everything be out?
- Can we set up the day before, and collect hired items the day after?
- What furniture, crockery and kitchen equipment is included, if any?
- How many power outlets are there, and what can they run?
- How many toilets are there, and are they accessible?
- Is there lighting outside after dark, including paths and car parks?
- What are the noise curfew and music rules?
- Are candles, confetti, smoke machines or fireworks allowed?
- Who handles bins and cleaning, and is there a cleaning bond?
- Is there a wet-weather option or space for a marquee?
- Does the venue have public liability requirements for us or our suppliers?
What do you need to hire for a dry-hire wedding?
Everything the venue doesn't provide. Most couples need furniture, tableware, a bar setup and lighting, and outdoor venues often need power, toilets and cover as well.
Furniture and tableware
- Ceremony chairs and a signing table
- Reception tables, chairs and linen
- Crockery, cutlery and glassware (check what the caterer supplies)
- Cake table, gift table and bar
- Lounge furniture, if you want a relaxed area
Services and infrastructure
- Generator or extra power, sized by your caterer, DJ and lighting suppliers
- Festoon or string lighting, and lighting for paths and toilets
- Portable toilets for outdoor and private-property venues
- Marquee or a wet-weather plan
- Bins, recycling and a plan for rubbish removal
- Cool room or extra fridges for drinks
- Water for guests and for the caterer
People
- Caterer with service staff
- Licensed or responsible bar staff
- Day-of coordinator
- Setup and pack-down help (paid, or named friends who have agreed to it)
How do you plan setup and pack-down at a DIY venue?
With a delivery schedule, a floor plan and a named person for every item. Pack-down needs the same planning as setup, because it happens at the end of a long night.
- Draw a floor plan with table positions, the bar, the dance floor, power points and supplier areas.
- Make a delivery schedule so the hire company, caterer, florist, DJ and stylist arrive in a sensible order.
- Label every box of styling items with where it goes and who takes it home.
- Set a pack-down plan listing what hire companies collect, what the couple keeps, what goes to the bin, and the time the venue must be empty.
- Name a person for each task. "Everyone will help" rarely survives midnight.
"At a dry-hire venue the reception is the easy part. The real work is the six hours before guests arrive and the hour after they leave, and that's where having one person in charge makes the biggest difference."
Sara WardFounder & Lead Wedding Day Coordinator, Hello LoveWhat if the ceremony and reception are in different places?
Plan the move as its own part of the day: guest transport, timing, and who moves the florals, signage and personal items from one site to the next.
Moving ceremony florals and signage to the reception is a common request, and a good way to get more from your flowers. It only works with a plan: someone to pack them as soon as the ceremony ends, a vehicle with space, and time in the schedule to set them up again before guests arrive. Allow travel time for the coordinator as well as the guests.
Frequently asked questions
How we researched this
Written by Sara Ward from coordinating weddings at dry-hire halls, farms, marquees and private properties, and from the questions couples ask most often in their enquiries. Venue rules and approvals vary, so check the details for your venue directly.
About the author
Founder & Lead Wedding Day Coordinator, Hello Love
Sara Ward is the founder and lead coordinator at Hello Love, a Sydney-based wedding day coordination service. She has spent years running weddings across the Sydney CBD, Inner West, Northern Beaches, Southern Highlands and South Coast - from intimate harbourside ceremonies to 200+ guest receptions.
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