What’s the hottest trend in weddings? Smaller guest lists.
Here are ten reasons to have a small wedding:
1. You get to celebrate one of the biggest days of your life surrounded by people who love you. Of the many couples I interviewed for Intimate Weddings
and for my blog, nearly everyone says this is one of the best things about having a small wedding.
2. You can feel more relaxed on your wedding day. Because you’ll be surrounded by friends and family, you’ll feel more at home with your guests. Your wedding will feel more like a celebration with close-knit friends and family, than a production.
3. You can save money. You can save thousands of dollars by having an intimate wedding, which means you won’t have to go over your Wedding Budget
4. You can splurge. Some couples choose a small guest list not necessarily because their budgets are small, but because they can pull out all the stops and have a truly lavish wedding. You get more ‘wow’ for less wallet with a small wedding. When you’ve got fewer guests, you can splurge on the things that really matter to you. For some that might be an out-of-this world dinner, for others it might be a five-piece jazz band or a designer wedding gown.
5. You have more options when choosing a venue. Since you won’t need a large space to accommodate your guests, many small wedding venues will be open to you. A smaller guest list means more creative venue options like bed and breakfasts, museums, art galleries and restaurants. (Don’t forget to check out the IntimateWeddings.com venue finder which lists more than 1,300 venues throughout the U.S. and Canada that are ideal for small weddings.)
6. You have more freedom to customize your wedding to your own tastes. A small wedding gives you the opportunity to get your creative juices flowing and make your unique wedding a reflection of the two of you.
7. You get to spend time with your guests. How many weddings have made you feel like a stranger fulfilling a social obligation? Small weddings aren’t like that. When the guest list is small, the bride and groom can spend time with each of their guests, making them feel welcome.
8. You can make your guests feel at home. Because you will be able to spend at least some time with your guests, they will feel more at home at your wedding. Also, when the guest list is small, guests will have a better opportunity to mingle with most of the others. Chances are that many of your guests will know one another.
9. You can get your guests involved. A small wedding will give you the opportunity to get your loved ones involved in your special day. Also, it’s a lot easier pulling off a DIY wedding with a guest list under 75, than a big scale production.
10. You can have a wedding that people will remember. Because your wedding won’t be typical – the kind your guests have been to over and over again – your wedding is more likely to be remembered.
Photo: Red Fly Studio
Number 2 is sooooo true for me. You get to be yourself – ‘cept in fancier clothes. Big weddings (to me) feel like a stage show. I did not want to put on a show on my wedding day. I wanted to focus on the truly important.
We’re seeing more and more smaller, more intimate weddings these days. Interestingly enough, the total cost seems to be about the same…people are just including more “stuff” in their weddings. I’m sure this makes them stand out and be alot more memorable.
I had a destination wedding with about 80 guests. The weekend felt so cozy and intimate with our close family and friends. We were told by many guests that it was the best wedding they had been to. I think having a smaller guest lists allows you to spend time with your guests and really cater to their needs while still focusing on “you” as a couple.
With a smaller guest list, brides can often afford to carry out their wedding day themes even more elaborately!
Details seem to get more attention in the more intimate weddings.
I love this posting. It is so true that the smaller the guest list, the more you can do to put a personal spin on it.
Current wedding trends tend to point towards smaller, more intimate weddings. This allows brides to splurge more on certain extravagances that they normally would not be able to splurge on(point 4). One past bride had an intimate wedding and gave each of her male guests hand crafted cigars and all the women hand made Belgian chocolates.
Thanks for sharing these tips, very helpful especially of you are holding a small wedding.
I am leaning towards a small ceremony, much more fun & less stressful!
I really want a small wedding but our problem is both my fiance and I have big families. We’re not sure how to include some family but not others without causing major drama. Ideally we’d just invite our close friends and parents and leave the rest out!
I really like reason 4. You could make your dream wedding with all the bells and whistles and then enjoy it with your special friends and family. What a great idea.
Thank you!! I’m def going to have a small intimate wedding, thanx for all the tips, most likely splurge on the honeymoon, wedding dress,make up artist and photographer.
Very true. My husband and I were married in June of this year and thought we had many relatives on both sides and friends, we decided to go with immediate family only and it was a terrific idea. The pressure of the wedding was lessened dramatically just knowing that we wouldn’t have to be putting on a show for anyone.
Small weddings are so perfectly intimate and romantic. I love everything about them…especially the relaxed bride and groom.