Planning on just having a small intimate wedding with only a few guests? It can be possible and just as memorable as having a big one.
Nowadays, weddings are known to be grand and extravagant. Most couples chose to splurge and invest a lot on their special day, not only for their satisfaction but also for their guests. “The bigger, the better” as they say.
But there are some couples that are also downsizing and seeking out small wedding ideas to enable them to still have an amazing wedding but in a small-scale. They still invest a lot of time and money on their event but they rather keep it to a minimum. There are a lot of various reasons for a couple to opt for a small intimate wedding.
- If a couple has a specific budget limit.
- If both parties have small families.
- When they want a private wedding with only loved ones.
- When couples want to avoid too much stress on planning a big event.
Let us go through some ideas to make your wedding as small and as intimate as possible.
Limiting Guests
- Minimize the number of guests: The couple should meet halfway and agree on a maximum number of guests that should only be allowed. When it comes to small intimate weddings, 50-100 guests is probably the highest that you’ll go depending on how small or large your family is.
- Prioritize who should be on the guest list: Parents of bride and groom, close relatives, principal and secondary sponsors, best friends (who are usually part of the entourage), and other very important people in your life.
- Have an RSVP: Do a checklist on the people who have responded to come to the event and follow up on those who have not. Remove from the list those who will not be able to come, to make room for other pending guests that you’re thinking of inviting but was not invited in the first place because of the strict guest limit.
Small Wedding Venue
Ceremony
- Chapels: Find a small chapel close in your area that can only fit a few guests.
- City Hall: If you’re planning on not spending a lot on the ceremony, then a simple wedding at the city hall would be appropriate. Mostly, families are the only guests during these private events.
- Backyard Garden: If you don’t want guests to get claustrophobic by fitting them in a small chapel. A garden is also a relaxing and refreshing place to get married with all the greens surrounding.
- Small function room: It can either be in a hotel or a restaurant. Book it ahead of time to prevent any mishap.
- Seashore: A small area at a beach can be enough. Just make sure there are not a lot of people walking around to disturb the ceremony.
- Hilltop: Look for an overlooking view with a sunset. Just make sure you schedule your wedding when the sun is not up and hot.
- Destination weddings: This kind of wedding tend to be really small since the only ones invited are the family and very close friends of the couple.
Reception
- Backyard or Garden: Gather up some tables and chairs and feast under the moonlight with your guests. Decorate enough lights so that the event still looks good on camera even if its held outdoors at night. When you’re reception is at daylight, have some big umbrellas prepared to provide shade for guests.
- Garage: If you have or know someone who owns a big garage, you can turn it into a function area. Simple decors will do the trick to make the place look amazing. Of course with the help of friends and family.
- Restaurant: Book a private room at a restaurant or reserve a long table for everyone to mingle and enjoy.
Space Saving Meals
- Course Meal: Buffets can consume a lot of space and a bit bulky especially if you only have a small space for your reception. Booking a course meal for everyone saves space and keeps everyone on their seats while enjoying their food. You don’t have to worry about someone not being able to eat something since everyone is served a plate of the same amount of food.
- Buffet by table: Instead of putting up a station for everyone to go for food, you can just bring the food to the table. Hire some servers to serve you platters of food by the table.
- Hire servers: This makes meals go in and out faster. No one is waiting in line for food nor standing up and running to get a piece of chicken. Prepare each guest with their own utensils and glasses ready at their table. Then, you just have to wait for them to serve your food. This also applies when serving drinks.
Small Wedding Entertainment
- Create own playlist: You can just create your own playlist filled with both of your favorite songs. Let someone be in charge of the music. This saves money and space. You don’t have to worry about hiring someone to play the music for you. You also need not worry about the set up since you just need a laptop and some speakers for it.
- Small dance floor: Even though space is limited when you’re hosting a small intimate wedding, entertaining your guests is still a need. Put a mini dance floor at the reception for everyone to dance around and still have a good time.
- Limit the program contents: In a reception, it has always been a tradition to put up a program to entertain guests. Limit the things that are in the program that needs a lot of space (games) and replace them with speech-giving or an audiovisual presentation.
Elegant Decor Ideas
Eucalyptus Garland
Eucalyptus Garland is a really popular decoration for the head table as well as guest seating tables. The elegant and natural look of this type of decor goes hand and hand with an intimate wedding in a small setting. Price $55 on Etsy
Acrylic Wedding Signs
Acrylic signs are a nice touch when you are going for an elegant look. One of the best choices you can make for decor in a small wedding is to focus on elegant decorations. Price $80 on Etsy
Wooden Laser Cut Signs
These laser cut wooden signs look great when placed in front or in the backdrop of the head table. Price $62 on Etsy
Mr. & Mrs. Letters
Yet another great piece of decor for your head table. These wooden signs will act as a beautiful focal point for your small head table. Price $24 on Etsy
Conclusion
Space-saving at a wedding is not really everyone’s cup of tea. But one big benefit with this is you somewhat also save money without even realizing. Having a small intimate wedding can be of a great deal for a couple who wants to spend more time with the most important people in their lives without stressing too much about their special day.
Her Expertise Includes:
- Being a former bride
- Planning her own wedding
- Helping run her husband's wedding service USA DJ
As a former bride herself, she knows first hand what it takes to plan a successful wedding. She now offers her experience with wedding planning to other brides to be through smartestbrides.com.
Her mission is to help other brides wedding planning become as simple and stress-free as possible.
- Gift Ideas For Your Mother-In-Law To Be On The Wedding Day - August 28, 2019
- Gift Ideas For Bridesmaids On Your Wedding Day - August 12, 2019
- Honeymoon Ideas In Michigan That You Will Absolutely Love - July 9, 2019
