What Is Considered A Small Wedding

Cons Of Small Weddings

• Difficult guest list cuts: While you may look forward to cutting your annoying coworker or your difficult aunt, some cuts will be difficult. You may not realize just how many people you actually want there on your wedding day!
• Some people will be offended: Just as cutting the guest list is hard for you, some guests will take it hard to learn that they are not invited to your wedding. Anticipate some hurt feelings if friends and family were expecting an invite and they dont get one.

• Fewer gifts: Wedding gifts can essentially help pay back some of the expenses from your wedding. With fewer guests, you wont get as many gifts.

• Who pays? Often, the parents of the bride and even the groom help pay for the wedding. If your parents dont get to invite their guests, however, they may be less willing to chip in.

Get Married At A Family Home

An at-home wedding is one of our favorite and most affordable small wedding ideas. If you want to get married at home but keep your wedding indoors due to weather or personal preference, consider getting married at a family home! The home could be the happy couples, one of their parents, or the home of another generous family member or family friends who is willing to host.

Estate weddings are increasingly popular, and if youre keeping the guest list small then a decent sized home should have plenty of room for your wedding celebration. Youll also save money on a wedding venue by getting married at home!

If you love this idea but you dont have a home that works, consider renting an AirBnb. You can find AirBnb rentals in various styles to fit all of your small wedding ideas!

If youre planning a small, unique wedding, a brunch wedding might be the perfect choice for you! Rather than host a nighttime wedding with dinner served, get married in the morning and host brunch instead. Everyone loves brunch food, and this creative wedding idea will set your big day apart from other weddings!

Host brunch at home or at a restaurant. Small weddings offer more options in terms of food service style, so you can create a brunch wedding that is uniquely yours.

Cost By Wedding Venue Type

About half of recently married couples chose a banquet hall, country club or hotel as their venue. But historic homes and buildings and farms have gained popularity in recent years. And many couples are opting for more unusual venues that reflect their personalities, like public gardens, breweries, childrens museums and backyards. As you might imagine, there can be an enormous amount of variation between the least you might spend at each venue type, to a more lavish approach. For a fairly small wedding hosting 50 guests, a couple might face the following amount ranges at different types of venues in Atlanta.

A number of optional elements and choices – from the type of meal served to whether the location charges a venue fee – determine your final cost. For the bare minimum, you can provide a simple buffet meal for your guests, with soft drinks only. It’s impossible to cite a true maximum since you could theoretically continue to upgrade all your options to the highest priced foods and drinks and decor known to man. To go all out, consider a cocktail hour and full premium bar all night long, a lavish plated 4-course dinner with lobster as an option, extra desserts, late night snacks including Kobe beef sliders, and freely flowing Gout de Diamants champagne .

Read Also: What Goes First Engagement Or Wedding Ring

You Can Use Vendors That Will Create Something Bespoke To Suit Your Tastes

Wedding vendors usually have a way of working that theyve refined over the years. It allows them to be most efficient. Sometimes their business models cannot accommodate unusual requests or small orders. Vendors that sit outside the mainstream are used to honoring unique creative visions. The same goes for DIYing your wedding. You can make it totally yours.

However, before you imagine that vendors will all lower their prices like crazy because your wedding only has 10 guests, consider researching a little about wedding vendor pricing and how this might impact your small wedding. Ive created an in-depth resource linked below.

Talk about unusual venues! This wedding took place in a vintage bookstore in Oakland | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

Make The Decor Special

When you’re working with a smaller guest list, you have more money to dedicate to details like decor, and that can make the experience even more special and personalized.

“Weddings are all about magic, so no matter the size of the event the decor should always represent the couple’s personality and vision for the day,” Lord told TMRW.

Going all out and using bold colors and big floral arrangements can make your small wedding feel a lot more grand and give you the best of both worlds.

“The easiest way to make a big impact, no matter the location of a wedding, is adding great lighting such as string lights, lanterns and tons of candlelight along with large floral statements. Flowers scream wedding so large centerpieces, floral garland and beautiful bouquets all help to make the day to come to life,” Lord said.

Read Also: How To Plan A Wedding For 5000

Invite More Guests Virtually

If your wedding is small due to COVID-19, you can always invite other guests to join virtually. This way, you can keep your actual event small and intimate, but include other family members and extraneous guests to watch your nuptials and feel a part of your big day.

Even outside of COVID restrictions, inviting guests virtually is one of the best small wedding ideas for those planning on a tight budget! You can keep your guest list small, but still make your guests feel included online. Send wedding favors to really make virtual guests feel special!

To livestream your wedding day, consider using social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram Live, or use tele-conferencing software like Zoom. Make sure the camera is focused on the bride and groom!

How Small Is An Intimate Wedding

According to Jenn Johnson, CEO of EPIC Presentations, a small wedding consists of 50 people or less. However, she says the less people you invite, the more intimate the event can be. You can make it a hyper personal event by inviting 20 to 40 people, or you can have a VIP-only guest list of 10 loved ones.

Also Check: How To Address Families On Wedding Invitations

Should I Do A Seating Chart For My Wedding

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How do I seat my divorced parents at my wedding? If the groom’s parents are divorced, the above seating order can be followed, except that rather than be ushered in together, the groom’s father would follow behind his ex-wife as she is ushered in and out. The groom’s mother would sit in the front pew, while his father would sit in the second or third pew.

Invite Others To Virtually Attend

CORTNIE DEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Another idea is to turn to technologyâespecially in light of coronavirus. “Have your ceremony on Zoom if you want to include more people or if some family members don’t want to travel and/or people don’t feel safe attending a social gathering,” Johnson says.

Couples can still implement the idea of a virtual wedding once gatherings become safe again too. If you’re trying to keep the headcount down, inviting people to dial in virtually is a wonderful solution. They still get to watch you exchange vows, and you get to keep your guest list small.

Also Check: How To Make A Bridal Bouquet With Fake Flowers

How To Have A Small Wedding Here Are Tips To Having The Intimate Wedding You Desire

An engaged couple should know that the average wedding costs more than a down payment for a dream home. Chances are, most do not know this until they have spent over half of the money. According to the knot real wedding study in 2017, an average wedding cost stood at $33,391.

This is a huge price tag and upcoming couples have an uphill task to try to keep their costs down. The best and only way to do this is to make a choice of what wedding size you want. So, why not consider a small wedding?

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Recommended Reading: How To Address Families On Wedding Invitations

What Is Classed As A Medium Wedding

A medium wedding will have around 60-150 guests. This is quite a large range, but the majority of UK weddings will find themselves falling into this category.

The average number of day guests hasnt moved much over the years from the 80 to 85 people mark and youll find planners, venues, caterers etc, will work within 80-100 people as their benchmark for an average wedding. With 60-150 guests, most couples will be able to invite immediate and extended family, as well as all their friends and plus ones.

Bear in mind, of course, that is average and medium are all subjective and many cultural traditions will see hundreds more people than this invited.

Splurge On Special Details

A small sized wedding helps you save money in various ways, so you may have some extra spending money. Allocate your budget where it matters most, and dont be afraid to splurge on something you love for your wedding day. While a tiny wedding may seem less extravagant, our favorite small wedding ideas involve splurging on your favorite details!

If youre all about flowers, splurge on elaborate, gorgeous floral arrangements. For foodie couples, splurge on an amazing meal for your wedding reception why not serve sushi boats if you only have 25 guests to feed?

Or, hire a food truck to come by for late night snacks after dinner. Food trucks are a popular wedding trend, but theyre often expensive if youre feeding a big crowd. With fewer guests to feed, your food truck wedding can come to life!

If you and your future spouse love ice cream, you could even have an ice cream truck come for a special snack!

An elaborate wedding cake is another cost that some brides cut, but with a smaller guest list you can splurge on a gorgeous wedding cake! The wedding cake can be smaller as well, since there are fewer mouths to feed.

You could also go all out on a live band for entertainment, a photo booth, wedding favors that guests will truly appreciate, or anything else that matters to you. Another idea is to substitute wedding favors for a larger welcome basket with extra thank you gifts for guests!

Read Also: How To Make A Wedding Spreadsheet

You Can Save Money Or Splurge More On Whatever It Is You Value

One of the myths of intimate weddings is that the term is a byword for budget wedding. Not so, at all. In fact, what they afford is flexibility. You can choose where to splurge and where to save. You could splurge on an 8-course tasting menu with fine wine pairings. Doable for a small group. And yes, you can also save money but cutting down not only on the cost per-head but the head-count itself.

Try Not To Overthink Anyones Reaction

In the end, youre not obligated to invite anyone. If youre not absolutely thrilled at the thought of someone being a part of your wedding day, they dont need to be there. Besides, if youre not exactly close, chances are they wont be too offended by it.

At the same time, its considerate to reach out to anyone who ends up feeling snubbed. Reassure them that its nothing personalyou just have a budget or venue capacity to keep in mind. Sticking to a small wedding guest list may seem uncomfortable or difficult, but it doesnt have to be. You can approach the situation and your loved ones with poise and explain your preferences. Simple as that.

Recommended Reading: Inexpensive Welcome Guest Bags For Wedding

Plan An Entire Wedding Weekend For Your Guests

JAMES SHAW PHOTOGRAPHY

Hosting an intimate wedding with a handful of guests means you may actually have timeâand additional fundsâto spend on other activities or events throughout the weekend. Host a welcome get together at your favorite local brewery, invite everyone for a picnic at a nearby park the morning after your celebration, or plan a group activity, such as a hike or bike ride. Take advantage of this time to thank every one of your guests for coming. If you’re hosting a wedding during the coronavirus pandemic, we recommend scouting outdoor activities your guests can enjoy or offering them local suggestions they can enjoy on their own.

Your Wedding Guests Will Feel Like Participants

One of the biggest regrets of newlyweds is that they didnt spend enough time with each guest. With fewer guests you can cherish everyone that made the effort to be there, with no pressure to get to everybody. Each person will feel truly valued. You can encourage the informal sharing of stories. With a small enough group, you can keep things cozy by sharing one table. Your guests will get to know one another!

Even for guests cant be there in person due to the pandemic, a wedding livestream is a wise investment and one that youll be able to hang onto long after the confetti is thrown and the cake is devoured.

I explain more in this video and blog post linked below. If you want to keep your in-person guest list small, I encourage you to consider a livestreaming service like LoveStream . Plus you can get 20% off with my my LoveStream streaming discount code ZOE10.

Read Also: How To Make A Wedding Spreadsheet