Inspo for Hosting an Intimate Wedding

So 2020 wasn’t really the year for weddings, and with the restrictions that have been in place for almost a year now, many people have been forced to reduce the size of their weddings and only have 15 guests. If your wedding plans have been affected by the current pandemic and you now have to consider a smaller, more intimate wedding then read further. Or alternatively, if you have recently got engaged and want to plan a smaller and more intimate wedding then here are some tips and inspiration for you.

Having a smaller, intimate wedding is something that many people choose to do; rather than spend thousands on a big celebration, they choose to keep it small and spend their money on the things that really matter to them as a couple. Just because you are having a smaller wedding it doesn’t mean that you won’t create an exciting experience for you and your guests. In many cases, because you have less people it will allow you to be more creative with your budget and perhaps incorporate things that you wouldn’t have considered before.

Venue

One of the first things that most people who have recently got engaged think about is where they’d like to tie the knot. There are loads of options out there for you, it just might take you some time to do some research. Think about what you both would like, are you looking for a cute, countryside manor or perhaps something more modern in a city. One thing that is good to look for is an exclusive use venue. This will ensure that you don’t have to share your venue with anyone else on your special day and there will only be you and your guests there. This is even more special if you have chosen a luxury countryside venue as you will be able to make use of the on-site accommodation and make a mini holiday out of it. By having an intimate wedding and having a smaller number of guests it will mean that you could be more flexible on the day of the week you get married. Some venues offer mid-week deals so this might be something to consider and look into. Alternatively, if you’d like to do something completely different why not have a really intimate wedding, use a celebrant and get married on a beach.

Guestlist

With a fewer number of guests being allowed, you will need to sit down and think about who you want to invite. With current restrictions weddings have been limited to only 15 guests including the bride and groom. This doesn’t however include anyone working on the wedding so this is a good thing to remember when researching your suppliers.

One good thing about having a smaller number of guests is that your budget will travel further. You will only have to pay for meals for 15 people rather than 100+ so this means you could even experiment with your menu options.

As you will only be having really close family or friends at your wedding there are ways that you can still allow your wider family and friends to be part of your day. There are a few options available when it comes to live streaming, so you could look into live streaming your wedding ceremony on a zoom link for those people who can’t attend.

Entertainment & maximizing guests experience

As mentioned previously, a smaller wedding party means that you will have more budget to allocate to other things such as entertainment that will enhance your guests' experience on the day. You could opt to have some live music during your wedding ceremony or perhaps during your wedding breakfast, rather than having streamed music. Having live music is something that will really enhance the ambience. As the current restrictions have meant that people are not able to have an evening celebration and therefore no band, you might choose to get a musician to play during your wedding breakfast and then play an acoustic version of your first dance to end the day. This would be something that would be really special.

When it comes to decorating your venue, having a smaller wedding means that you can really make the most of your décor and if you are a creative person, why not have a go at making your own table centrepieces or favours.

Format of the day

Choosing to have an intimate wedding doesn’t mean that you have to lose out on anything and the format of the day will generally be the same, although, with the current restrictions that are in place, couples are not able to have an evening celebration. You can still have a wedding breakfast after your ceremony and have everything you usually would have, such as cake cutting, speeches and first dance, it just means that the number of people who are there sharing at the moment will be much smaller. This could be used to your advantage though and you could always look to organize a large party with everyone in a few months when things have got back to normal.