Laurenn, 40 & Alex, 31 (Laurenn is a fabulous artist! Check out her work here.)

 Las Vegas, Nevada

 Wedding Date: November 1, 2008

 Number of Guests: 70

 Wedding Cost: Less than $5,000

 Wedding Ceremony Location: A friend’s house in Las Vegas.

 Wedding Reception Location: A friend’s house in Las Vegas.

 Why did you have an intimate wedding?

 Cost, along with the fact that we didn’t want a traditional wedding.  We really just wanted a big party with our friends, and having a good time was more important than having a “traditional” wedding.

 What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

Finding a place in Las Vegas was REALLY hard. Everything here is either drive-thru-chapels or over-the-top casino banquet halls.  We lucked out when a friend offered to let us use her home.

 Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

 A little.  Most of our wedding guests came from out-of-town, and we wanted to make sure that coming for the weekend didn’t bust the bank for anyone.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family?

 A little from my mom. She wanted to invite a bunch of her friends who I hardly knew, and I kept having to say: “I need to keep it small, mom!”

 If so, how did you address them?

Humor and being light-hearted about the whole thing, plus the glorious feeling of knowing that I was the one ultimately sending out the invites, and if someone didn’t get one, well, oh darn!

 What were the highlights of the ceremony?

 The amount of guests that were crying (including us) during our vows. Our kiss.  My husband utterly destroying the wrapped glass when he stomped on it.

 What were the highlights of the reception?

 The cupcakes that my maid of honor made. Our first dance. The toasts, and a poem that one of our friends wrote for us. The late night dancing and singing.

 What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

I got to talk to and hang out with EVERYONE. Everyone told us that it was the favorite wedding they had been to (but I bet everyone hears that!)

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Do it! Spend some quality time with those that you really, really love. Invite your dog; dogs have a really good time at weddings.

 Vendors:

 Photographer: Bonnie Berry

 Caterer: None. We all pitched in to make food. My mom smoked two salmons and everyone made and brought hors d’oeuvres and we got drinks from a wholesale liquor place.

 Flowers: DIY. A friend made all of the flowers from paper and they looked amazing!

 DJ: A friend took on the role of DJ and helped get a PA system.

Photos: Bonnie Berry

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