Small Wedding Ideas

December 3, 2014
Carol Sejd

Photo by Eric Alves on Unsplash

I think everyone can agree that big parties can be a lot of fun, especially when it comes to weddings, but small, intimate weddings can be just as fun and beautiful. If you’re working with a small budget, having a more intimate wedding is definitely the way to go. Even if you have a slightly larger budget, consider the small wedding and how you can incorporate personalized details to make it feel extra special for you and your guests. Here are a few small wedding ideas we have to share.

Photo by Kevin Lanceplaine on Unsplash

6 Reasons to Have a Small Wedding

A small, intimate wedding means incredible photo ops. A professional photographer will have a better chance at capturing those “wow” shots of you, your partner, friends and family.
Small weddings offer you the opportunity to get creative. You’ll have more time and energy to put into personalizing details like wedding favors, decorations, and place settings.
With a small wedding you get to celebrate with those closest to you. No need to invite your family’s co-workers and other random people you’re not familiar with. Keeping the guest list to close friends and family means you get to cut loose a little more, too. You won’t have to worry about impressing so-and-so or getting your dance on in front of the boss.
Small weddings mean less of a production and more of a celebration.
A small guest list means you’re able to spoil them a little more. You might only be able to gift a single truffle to 200 guests, but with a small wedding, a box of truffles for each guest is more feasible.
You can actually spend time with guests and make them feel like a part of the wedding.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Small Wedding Venues

No need for a grand ballroom or cathedral. There are so many unique and beautiful venues to accommodate a small wedding. Small wedding ideas for venues can include rustic barns, conservatories and gardens, bed and breakfasts, beach resorts, museums, art galleries, and backyards.

Some couples suggest picking the venue, then building the guest list. The decision on whom to invite will become clearer when you have an idea of your venue size and what it offers.

Photo by Cinematic Imagery on Unsplash

Small Wedding Ideas to Create an Intimate Atmosphere

You can plan a wedding on a small budget and still create a lovely, personalized day for you and your guests.

Photo by Kevin Lanceplaine on Unsplash

Have the ceremony and reception at the same venue.
If you have a little wiggle room in your budget and your ceremony and reception are in different spots, think about unique ways to transport your guests from one place to another. Some ideas: trolley, carriage, limo.
Less guests means the ones you do invite will have more opportunities to participate. For example, asking each guest to make a small speech at the reception.
Let your photographer work her magic and capture fun moments.
Save spending cash on waiters and have a buffet or potluck dinner.
Have a beautiful dessert table with baked pies, cupcakes, macaroons,, etc…you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a wedding cake.
Your friends and family are there to support you, so don’t shy at asking them to take on a few tasks. They can help you mail invitations, bake desserts, make bouquets or do follow-up calls. Every little bit helps.
Get creative with centerpieces. Instead of buying flowers for each table, place a few succulents in painted pots and let guests take one home as a wedding favor.

Photo by Clayton Austin via Green Wedding Shoes

Host a craft night. Invite family and friends (make sure they’re also invited to the wedding) over to help you craft DIY details like napkin rings, place cards, flower arrangements, and favors.
If you want to save on live entertainment, consider hiring a local band or nix the band and make your own playlist for the ceremony, first dance, cocktail hour, etc.

We hope this collection of small wedding ideas helps inspire you to think big on what can be done to create a small intimate wedding for you and your guests. Some of the most beautiful intimate weddings are those that are small in size but loaded with details. Having your photographer capture all these details will help relive you wedding day over and over again for years to come. If you have some small wedding ideas to share, please do so below…Cheers!