WHEN Jodi and Mark Elton started looking for a reception venue for their January wedding, they just could not go past their own Como home.After holding their ceremony at Darook Park, Cronulla, the couple decided to celebrate their marriage in a comfortable and simple environment. “When we were looking for reception venues we wanted something that reflected our personalities,” Mrs Elton said.

“We were always going to renovate our home so we thought why not we make the deadline for our wedding.”

The couple had a casual, elegant theme in mind when they started renovations six months before the wedding date.

Most of the furniture was taken out to accommodate the 100 guests on the day and in its place were plenty of white ottoman lounge chairs to complement the timber decking.

The open-plan dining area turned into the dance floor and the big terrace doubled as a chill-out area.

“Our renovations were complete the day before we wed,” Mrs Elton said. “All our family and friends were pitching in to help us finish it.”

The last thing Mark and Jodi wanted was their floor to be damaged after their hard work, so guests were given thongs to wear.

“It balanced our relaxed atmosphere,” she said. “Our reception was like a double celebration as it was also the first time a lot of people had seen our renovated house.”