There are lots of benefits to planning an intimate wedding but it’s important to understand what this means for you both as a couple before you make the decision to go ahead with it. It’s a good idea to sit down as a couple to consider your options and think about what you both want and what will be best for you. Remember that this is a once-in-a –lifetime occasion so you will want to make sure that it’s a day you remember for all the right reasons. Despite this, it’s not worth getting into huge debt for either, so make sure that you plan within your budget.
When you first sit down to start planning your wedding it can feel really daunting and many people have no idea where to start. Since the pandemic started back in 2019 it has increased the popularity and demand for smaller, more intimate weddings. There are lots of benefits to having an intimate wedding and plenty of stunning locations for you to choose from.
Having an intimate wedding is something that many people choose to do as it will mean that you can save money and keep to a smaller budget. Just because you are having a smaller wedding it doesn’t mean that you have to lose out on anything or that your guests won’t have a fantastic experience. 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.
If you are planning your intimate wedding in a short space of time for whatever reasons then you might want to look at simplifying your day. Instead of spending out on luxurious items you could look into alternative options or even consider doing some things yourself, such as decorations or photographs.
Creating your guest list
Once you’ve decided on having a smaller wedding you will need to think about who you want to invite to your day and create a guest list. Depending on the number of guests you want to have, you might decide that you want to only invite your closest family members, or best friends. This again will help to keep your budget low and also will affect what venue you choose.
Choosing your venue
When looking for your ideal venue or location, you need to firstly think about where you want to get married. An exclusive use venue will be perfect for an intimate wedding as it will mean that you can have the whole venue to yourself and there won’t be any other events taking place there at the same time. 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 packages so this might be something to consider and look into.
Look into having a celebrant
If you are willing to be flexible with your day or looking to organise something more unique then having a celebrant might be a good option for you. Instead of getting married in a venue, you could use a celebrant and get married at a location of your choice. This opens up more options for you, especially with a smaller number of guests and also means that you can decorate or do pretty much anything that you would like. Having a celebrant is a great idea especially if there is an outside area that you both love and would love to get married in. A celebrant offers more flexibility with not only the location but the format of the ceremony.
Be creative and add your own personality
In order to save money you might want to look at ways that you can be creative and introduce some of your own personality into your day. This could be in small or big ways, such as making some wedding favours, centre pieces or perhaps creating your own decorations. If you are planning your day in a hurry and don’t have time to make things yourself you could use a hire company who can come in and decorate and style your venue for you.
Accommodation
One benefit to having a smaller number of guests means that you can look at exclusive use venues that have accommodation included. There are lots of country manors and venues that also have a small number of bedrooms too that you can use to extend your wedding over a weekend, rather than just having one day. By hiring a venue like this, it also means that you can enjoy an evening with your guests the night prior to your wedding day, and also enjoy a breakfast with them all the morning following your wedding day.