Less Chance Of Something Going Wrong Just Roll With It
More moving parts, more people and a long day can increase the likelihood of mishaps. Intimate weddings are often a lot more relaxed than larger ones. There may be fewer elements involved. Theyre about everyone enjoying themselves with intentionality and joy. If something gets skipped out or forgotten, forget about it and move on! Its what laid-back brides do.
Giving Your Guests A Welcome Basket Is One Of The Best And Most Thoughtful Small Wedding Ideas
A welcome basket is a nice touch for your wedding guests, and youll have more room in your budget if youre having a small wedding. Some great items to include in your basket are a bottle of wine, cheese, crackers, a small fruit basket, tea or coffee packets.
P.S. Gifts and small wedding ideas are even better when theyre local and reflective!
Add local items from your area, such as honey from the city you live in or a particular fruit jam from where youre getting married.
- Include a few favorite recipes for guests who might want to cook them after they return home.
- Incorporate items that you and your fiancé love or bring influences from your wedding location or planner.
- Include something from a local vendor or some sweet treats.
- Table numbers should be included on the welcome basket, too. Include table names and where people will sit at each table, so guests know which food is theirs without having to ask another guest what its called.
- Have someone from your family or wedding party help you create these welcome baskets.
Embrace Bold Patterns And Colours
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Dark colours will make a space feel smaller, while white will make your venue feel bright and airy. If you want to draw the eye, however, patterns and bold colours are your way to go. Floral patterns, splashes of bright or neon colours, chevrons and stripes, and geometric designs add visual interest, energy and dimension to a space. Your gaze will be drawn towards the bright colours so make them your focal point, like on your table runner, wedding cake, floral arch and centrepieces.
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Relax With Closest Friends And Family
When you have a smaller wedding, youre reducing the way you would with a sauce. It becomes tastier. It begins when you reduce the guest list, the need to please a large group disappears. You have the freedom to enjoy more and focus on the smaller details. Small intimate wedding ceremonies are much less formal and more spontaneous. Guests love spontaneity and real genuine displays of emotions, where they are an irreplaceable part. Smaller weddings give you more time to actually figure out what you want. They need less production too. You can create something delicious that is effortless and magical for everyone involved.
Maximise The Experience You Do Have
You might need to let go of the image of the wedding you thought you’d have and embrace a new vision e.g. forget the large, formal stately home and choose a registry office ceremony and a private room in a restaurant after. Whatever your wedding ends up looking like, lean into it. You need to take advantage of what you’ve got. Guests will take their cue from you so focus on all the good things and spend your budget on making those amazing. That could be incredible food, a live band, or really embracing a back garden wedding with fun garden games and a Champagne picnic.
Whatever the size of your guest list, our small wedding ideas are a brilliant place to start in creating a memorable and atmospheric day.
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How Can I Make A Small Wedding Reception Fun
Some wedding couples choose to forgo the traditional reception dance at their small wedding. A few cool small wedding ideas and activities for your wedding reception include the following:
- Board games, like Wheres George?, Guess Who? or Candyland.
- Set up a photo booth with props and fun backdrops. Many venues provide a photobooth, including Mountain House Estate.
- You can display an artsy centerpiece at reception tables as people mingle before dinner is served. Consider a mix of fresh flowers, candles, small succulents , and other items.
- Cupcake tower: stand up a tall, slim stack of cupcakes with thin cardboard circles on the bottom to help keep them standing
- Hire a string quartet, live band, or another kind of small ensemble playing for guests during dinner. If youre bold, host an open mic!
- Allow your guests to wear costumes at the reception for a more laid-back vibe.
Splurge On Your Priority Items
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The huge benefit to having a small wedding is that you have more budget per head to spend on your guests. As a couple, write down a list of what your priority items are: it could be having Michelin star food, gorgeous flowers on every surface, an open bar, splashing out on live music, hiring a unique venue you didnt think you could afford before, or going all out on your styling. Focus on two to three priorities and then make those the stars of the show when it comes to designing the look of your reception.
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Offer A Thoughtful Explanation
With the pandemic, people are more understanding than ever when couples want to keep celebrations smalland its more than fine to mention COVID when breaking the news to someone that you wont be able to invite them. If anyone asks outright, break the news gently. Say: Unfortunately, we arent able to invite as many people as wed like. We really care about you, we want you to be safe, and we want to stay safe as well.
Private Homes & Renting An Airbnb
People are getting very creative this year in making the rules work in their favor to get married their way. Do not discount the magic of getting married at home!
Here are a few weddings I have photographed in Private Homes & Airbnb Rentals:
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this simple yet elegant garden wedding located in the Rockliffe neighborhood of Ottawa: lucky with the pandemic rules loosening at the start of summer and perfect weather with city fireworks just down the road!
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this wedding with stunning view of the Malbaie in Charlevoix was published in Wedding Bells Magazine, Mariage Quebec, and Rangefinder Magazine. They went from 120 guests to 20 and dont regret a single decision they made.
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this wedding at an event-based airbnb in Low, Quebec situated on 750 acres of land and expansive views, organized in less than 30 days, proved to be ahead of its time in 2019 they would have had no problem having the same wedding in 2020.
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this micro-wedding at the brides ancestral century old home in Otterburn Park
Given this growing trend, I spent some time researching some formidable airbnbs that would be perfect to rent for a wedding outside of Montreal. I have not inquired further with the owners but definitely worth doing if this speaks to you! I have a couple of them slated for my 2021 season and cant wait to see how they unfold!
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Because Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Hyatt Carmel Highlands | Carol Oliva Photography
Small weddings are trendingand it’s not just because they’re easier on the wallet. Couples are opting for a more intimate celebration to get quality face time with each attendee as well as create a more relaxed, casual vibe. But casual doesn’t have to mean simplethere are so many ways to craft a bite-sized event that’s brimming with custom-curated details!
Small weddings provide a bit more wiggle room with the budget, which allows ample opportunity to get creative. To prove it, here’s a compilation of swoon-worthy ideas for a small wedding that you’ll no doubt want to steal.
A Small Wedding Venue
Smaller numbers of guests means that you dont need the usual type of venue that caters for large numbers such as hotels, barns and marquees. Your intimate small wedding can now take place in somewhere more unusual, that maybe is not normally booked for wedding receptions such as your favourite restaurant. Maybe you could book a boat or even have it at your family home, and use the back garden?
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How To Set Up A Viennese Hour
Table décor for a Viennese hour is typically more minimal, as you let the lavish desserts on display do all of the talking! Opt for a long rectangular table, a large round table, or multiple round tables put together to form the base for your spread. Dress the table up with a tablecloth and other linens to add color or texture. Then, use various plates and platters for displaying your desserts, and fill the table to the edges.
Because the Viennese hour spread is most often self-serve, be sure to offer guests everything they need to fill their plates. Serve bite-sized treats on platters or in paper wrappers or cups. Be sure to include tongs, toothpicks, or other serving utensils to finish the display.
Eastern Townships Wedding Venues
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Manoir Hovey – on my Canadian Wedding Bucket List, having stayed here as a guest, this manor located in North Hatley, Quebec is the stuff of where former Presidents have stayed. Really exquisite and refined.
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Beatnik Hotel – a contemporary hotel for modern couples, looking to add a slice of barn fun to their wedding day. This is a beautiful spot with a lot of potential.
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Vignoble de la Bauge – great old barn situated in a vineyard, plenty of room for fresh air and great photographs, as well as adding your own personality to the decor.
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LOrpailleur Vineyard – more contemporary in its decor from traditional vineyards, this wedding spot looks ripe for modern couples looking to get married among the grapevines.
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Haltes les Pelerins – oh my goodness, a tent wedding in the middle of the vineyard is a perfect pandemic solution for those larger wedding dreams.
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Domaine de Ridge – the last of my vineyards, this one needs to tent in case of rain youll have to check out this venue for yourself its the perfect mix of modern rustic ambience.
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Escapades Memphramagog – want to get married ON WATER? Check out this luxury cruise on Lake Memphramagog outdoors, scenic, and very memorable.
Are you planning a wedding in a spot like this? I would love to talk to you! I have packages designed for smaller weddings take a moment to fill in your details here and lets chat!
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Optimize Your Budget To Throw A Grand Celebration
Take the discussion phase to optimize your budget properly. For instance, if you have been saving for a big wedding, you may not need to spend all of that money on a small ceremony.
But using some of those funds towards an exclusive yet relatively more expensive celebration may give you the wedding event you are looking for. This ensures that your intimate party surpasses the expectations of your guests.
Limit The Number Of Attendees
Traditional weddings put much pressure on couples in terms of the guest list. However, if you really want your wedding to be more intimate and extra special, then dont be afraid to limit the guests. A small number of people allow you to be more creative in terms of the wedding location. You can occupy the small diner where you first met your future husband, making the entire ceremony much more special for you and your partner. However, expect some disappointments and negative reactions. The key to handling such hurt feelings is honesty. Tell your friends and family how you want your wedding to be.
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Check Out Other Venuesjust In Case
If your ceremony location has a capacity issue, that’s definitely more understandable, but it still doesn’t take away that feeling of being a second-choice guest. Before settling on a ceremony venue, do some research to find out if other ceremony locations in your area accommodate more guests. If you’re set on your location, that’s totally okay. This is one thing people understand even if they feel like they wish they were included.
Tips For Planning An Intimate Wedding
In the case of weddings, bigger is not always better. At the end of the day, doing what is best for you is really what eloping is all about, whether you invite guests or not. An intimate wedding can be just as special and intentional as an elopement you just have to keep the important things in the forefront as you plan this thing! To help get you started, here are some tips for planning an intimate wedding:
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Only Invite Your Personal Vips
You need to be very selective with a small guest list and your guests will understand this. You are perfectly entitled to say no plus ones, no children, and no extended family. Every single person you invite to a wedding this size should be someone that is close to you and you can’t imagine marrying without them there. Often couples ask: have we seen this person in the last six months ? Would I want to go for a coffee one-on-one with this person? If the answer is no, then they don’t make the cut.
