Christina has her own Ten Reasons to Have a Small Wedding. I thought I’d offer 10 more good reasons to snip, snip, snip.
1. Rush Order
With fewer people and details to oblige, you’ll have the option to cut down your time-line. Want to be married by this time three months from now? Not if you have 150+ guests, you don’t.
2. Spare Feelings
With a small wedding, you have an easy out to tell people who aren’t invited. If you’re having a large gathering, it gets a little harder to tell them why they didn’t make the cut.
3. Have a Lavish Honeymoon
It’s inevitable during the planning process to, at some point, want to speed up to the honeymoon. Have the getaway you pictured in your mind with more money available to spend and less worry on your brow while you enjoy the time away.
4. Leave the Option for a Destination Wedding
Whether your dream is getting married on the beach or eloping at city hall, you leave the option open with a smaller guest list. Asking 150+ people to travel or fit within city hall is a bit trickier.
5. Have a Moment Alone with Your New Spouse
Stop. Soak it in. It’s not something many couples get to do on their wedding day because of stress, obligatory conversations and details they have to manage and take care off. Take a moment to enjoy each other on your wedding day, because that’s what it’s all about, right?
6. You Don’t Have to Make Small Talk with Mere Acquaintances
You don’t care to meet up with that one friend you had from way back when (even though she is on your Facebook friends list) – especially on your wedding day. Your second cousin that you haven’t seen in ten years? Not interested. And what about that handful of co-workers who bore you to tears? With a small wedding, there is no pressure to include them.
7. Keepsake Photos
With too many guests, it could be something like herding cats to get the keepsake family photos you will someday want. If you don’t want them now, mom & dad, grandparents and children someday will.
8. Go Green
Save the rainforests! Save the polar bears! Save the cheerleader…Wait. There is an exceptional amount of waste that is involved with weddings. With less people, you’ll have less paper to send out (saving you from writer’s cramp in the thank you note arena as well), less food, less trinket favors and less waste all around. You’ll also have a pretty fool-proof out for those that question their lack-of-invitation…because who will argue with a polar bear?
9. You Can Cut Loose
With your friends and family in a comfortable setting, you’ll feel free to dance, play music you actually like and celebrate like you just got married.
10. It’s a Wedding, Not a Reunion
There’s no need to pay $30-$100 per head for dinner to rekindle old friendships. It may seem like a good idea when you’re planning, but when you’re sharing your first kiss as a married couple and Suzy-in-Everyone’s-Business stares at you with that I’m-totally-tweeting-this smile, you’ll wish you had chosen closer friends and family to share your day with.
Image One: We Heart It Photo Two: Pinterest Photo Three: Credit Crunch Bride Photo Four: True Photography Weddings Photo Five: Wedding Aces Photo Six: Flickr Photo Seven: JennyJ
Lizzie Smithson is a public relations graduate and wedding/design blogger planning a $10,000 (or under) wedding with her graphic-designer fiancé.
These are all great reasons for a small wedding, Lizzie! I’m certain I’ve talked about several of them as reasons we’re keeping things small, too.
This are all wonderful reasons to have a small wedding. There’s a part of me that wants a small wedding but then when I get around my big boisterous family and my wonderful friends, there’s no way I could ax any of them. It’s partly because they’re all so much fun and because I’d have tons of Italian guilt. ; )
Sarah – Thanks so much, we are trying to keep these in mind while we make even MORE cuts on our guest list…sometimes the guilt of family is hard to believe it will be worth it…but I know it will.
Ariella – I understand…Isaiah and I BOTH have gigantic families…but since moving 1000 miles away from everyone, it’s become easier to realize who would actually care to see us walk down the aisle and who would just be there to reconnect and party…I only want the first group at the wedding!
Cheese-on-rice Lizzie, I feel like you and I are cosmically linked in some way, except you are two steps ahead of me. I have been mulling over the same concept! Great points and great advice. Love it girl!
We had a relatively small wedding (under 100) and I couldn’t agree with you more- loved being able to have the time to see everyone the day of the wedding.