Sarah and Reese didn’t even bother to make a guest list when it came to their wedding day. From the beginning, the couple knew that they only wanted to celebrate with their immediate family – the same people that would still be by their sides in 30 years. Choosing to focus on celebrating their union with their nearest and dearest, rather than putting on a big show for a bunch of guests, the newlyweds kept both their ceremony and reception minimal and low-key with pizzas, pies, and a super cute airbnb venue.

Special thanks to Wesley and Emma for sharing all the beautiful photos from Sarah and Reese’s Tennessee wedding with us!

Sarah & Reese

Location: Chattanooga, TN

Wedding Date: April 2, 2016

Number of Guests: 25

Wedding Cost: $5,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Snooper’s Rock

Wedding Reception Location: Lay Low

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

Neither one of us is extravagant. We care more about doing things that matter and are special, so when we were thinking about our wedding, it made the most sense to have just our families there because in 30 years we know all those people will still be by our sides just like on our wedding day.

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

Figuring out how to have flowers and the food on a small budget, and using the talented people around us to do many of the jobs that needed to be done. While it helped to keep the costs low, it was harder sometimes than just hiring a professional to do it for you and it being ready for you, almost magically, on your wedding day.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No, our friends know us and know how we like to do things in a minimal way. We never even had a guest list. From the beginning, we knew it was just going to be immediate family members.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

No, people would joke about not getting an invite, but for the most part, everyone understood why we chose to have a small wedding.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

When Pastor George talked about what it means to be a husband and wife in Christ and how we each have different roles in marriage and implored us to embrace those roles.

What were the highlights of the reception?

The relaxed atmosphere and knowing we didn’t have to be a certain way because we were around family and not a bunch of guests.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Not spending a lot of money on things that are trite, and only having people there that truly love us and have helped us become the people we are today. 

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

Intimate weddings can still be what you want them to be even if there aren’t a lot of people there. Don’t go overboard trying to make it into this huge celebration because an intimate wedding is special, the focus being on the marriage and not a show. Don’t feel like you have to impress people and entertain them when the real importance is on the celebration of your union.

Vendors:

Venue: “Lay Low” on Airbnb

Photography: by the unbelievably talented Wesley and Emma Teague.

Flowers: by family members.

Pizza: Community Pie in Chattanooga.

Aimee and Brian didn’t set out to have a small wedding, but with many friends and family living out of state who were unable to attend, their guest list naturally pared itself down. But this didn’t stop the couple from throwing a big party.

With their friend’s entire hazelnut orchard at their disposal, the couple spread out the wedding festivities for a garden party, setting up a large play area for the more than 40 children in attendance. The couple even invited their guests to camp out and join them for brunch the next morning – making for one incredibly relaxed, fun, and festive affair!

Special thanks to June Lion for sending over all the fun photos so we could share them with you today!

Aimee, 39 & Brian, 44

Location: Oregon City, OR

Wedding Date: July 11, 2015

Number of Guests: 70

Wedding Cost: under $12,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Hazelnut orchard adjacent to reception location

Wedding Reception Location: A friend’s private home. Dinner was served under the giant oak tree in their front yard, with lawn games and intimate spaces set up around their home.

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted to share this experience with close friends and family somewhere away from the city where the event would be an immersive experience for everyone. Because Brian and I approached this wedding having already lived full lives as single people, our wedding was also a celebration of the blending of our lives together in Portland. We wanted to make sure everyone who was a part of both our lives were able to attend. Because we had both moved to Oregon from other states, many of those people were not able to attend. This was a natural damper on what would have otherwise been a very large wedding.

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

Although we only invited 100 adults, because of the point in life where we and our friends are, there were over 40 children invited! With the addition of all the kids, our ‘intimate’ wedding was in jeopardy of feeling like a 3-ring circus. We provided lawn games and a full playground for the children, and spread all the festivities out across the grounds so that people could stroll from place to place like a garden party.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Because our parents’ generation are getting up there in years, a lot of them were not able to travel to attend the wedding, so the list was pared down naturally by the fact that so many of the people invited lived out of town.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Nope! Thankfully both our families and all of our friends are just a bunch of really cool people.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

My daughter played the bridal march on the saxophone to start the ceremony, and then played the Star Wars theme to close it!

What were the highlights of the reception?

The food and the wine! We splurged on our wine budget. I did the website for Steve Goff wines in exchange for a few cases of his lovely Shea Valley Pinot Noir. We served that with dinner and served his rosé before the reception along with beer, a local white wine, and lots of non-alcoholic beverages.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

We were able to visit with everyone. Because we had an entire hazelnut orchard at our disposal, we invited guests to camp out and have brunch with us the next day. Having people camp out allowed us to extend the party as late as we wanted, and brunch the next morning served as an opportunity to catch up with people in a quieter moment. 

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

Intimate and formal don’t go together very well. In theory, everyone who is at your wedding knows everybody else. Even if they don’t (think +1), you don’t want them to feel left out by the formal vibe of the evening. 

Vendors:

Photography: June Lion

Dinner: Pine Shed Ribs

Cake: La Jaconde

Wine: Stephen Goff

Dress, Veil and Shoes: Modcloth

Hair: Rene Dejarnatt

Flowers: Tiffani LeClair (maid of honor)

Decorations and Centrepieces: DIY the Bride, Groom, and loving family who showed up early

Officiant: Randy Dittmar

Music: DJ Cotton Candy

Processional Music: Savannah Danger

Rentals: Peter Corvallis

Airstream: rented from Silver Bullet Charters

After all is said and done, and your special day has come to an end, you will be so glad to have your guest book as a memory of the great time spent with friends and family. Etsy has an amazing collection of modern, yet classy guestbooks for you to take home. We’ve made a list of some of our favorites.

We love this wreath-inspired guestbook by PleaseAndThanksCards. It’s so on trend!

For the rose lover, the rose wreath design on this guestbook by PrintSmitten will blow the other options out of the water.

This simple gold dotted guestbook by PaperLuxStationery proves that less is more.

We can’t help to see a storybook resemblance in this great design by starboardpress

Another simple option is this cardboard-like design by PaperBoundLove. We love the font on this one!

For a more classic option, this black on white guestbook by starboardpress is the perfect choice.

Another great design by starboardpress, this one mixes in classic yet fairy tale like style.

This gorgeous and timeless wreath-inspired pick, this time by PaperBoundLove, is simple and sweet.

We love these same-sex silhouette wedding guest books by clairemagnolia!

This guestbook by KatDeco is perfect for a rustic wedding.

*This post contains Etsy affiliate links

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Are you on the hunt for the perfect dresses for your bridesmaids? Want something that truly shines? We’ve found eight glittering bridesmaid dresses from Etsy that you have to see!

This gold sequin, cap sleeve dress from CleoandClementine will make everyone say “ooh la la!”

If you are looking for a gown that combines a bit of sexiness with a smidge of playfulness, we recommend this sequin bridesmaids’ dress from TheodoraJames. The tastefully low cut neckline is elegant and sophisticated, while the cute bow in the back is all about fun!

This strapless, sequin bridesmaids’ dress from BLUSHFASHION is sparkly and sophisticated, but light enough that it would look perfect in a destination wedding on a beach!

Anyone would feel special wearing this short, sequin, V-neck dress from TheodoraJames. It screams fun and flirty!

This short, tulle and sequin bridesmaids’ dress from PureMagnoliaCouture is another strapless dress that has a whimsical, ballerina look.

For the boho bride looking for something almost fairy like, we suggest this sequins and tulle bridesmaids’ dress from CleoandClementine.

The glamour of the golden age of cinema is brought to life in this vintage sequin bridesmaids’ dress from cutxpaste. This long, V-neck dress looks like something Marilyn Monroe would have worn and would look amazing in a retro themed wedding!

This lovely sequin and chiffon dress by MyBarkatVilla is made up of silk smooth chiffon with gold sequin fabric. So elegant!

*This post includes Etsy Affiliate links

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We have a treat for you today! When designer Makány Márta’s office got in touch with us about an anniversary photo shoot featuring two of her gorgeous pieces, we were immediately intrigued. Lo and behold, the photos, inspired by the enchanting world of a friend’s vintage flower shop, showcased a couple celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary. Lajos, a former engineer and Edit, a former teacher, are now both retired. They met almost 40 years ago and the rest is history!

We’ll let Linda Meszaros of Makany Marta tell us the rest in her own words. Take it away Linda!

Edit’s life totally changed when she started her model career a few years ago. She was chosen by a famous Hungarian hairdresser as his model for the Alternative Hair Show London. And this is not the end of the story. She was picked by an English hair artist and was taken to Los Angeles to work for him. These new experiences made her become more creative, self-confident and experimental.

Edit and Lajos decided to celebrate their wedding anniversary in an extraordinary way. They asked Hungarian fashion designer Makány Márta to make a dress that fit Edit’s open-minded personality and made her look more fabulous than ever. Edit chose a mermaid dress because she had never tried anything like this before.

The second dress was even more extraordinary than the first one, it beautifully fitted Edit’s unique look. Lajos had a black suit with white shirt to keep it simple.

One of the couple’s friends owns a vintage style flower showroom and she was willing to provide the shop for the photo shoot. The main colors of the decoration were ecru and yellow because they are Edit’s favorite. The yellow flower bouquet was made by the flower shop owner, Viola Violetta. Because the couple wanted something modern yet still traditional, they decided to use some china and silver cutlery inherited from the family.

No one from the family knew they were having a photo shoot; it was a surprise for them. The only one participating in it was their lovely dog, Vackor, who was rescued from a dog shelter years ago. He didn’t really understand what was going on but felt he had an important role!

Vendors:

Photography: Bell Studio

Bridal gown: Makány Márta

Venue: Viola Violetta Budapest

Make-up: Sipos Zita Make-up

Hair: Vágner Fanni – Hajas Hair Studio

Flowers: Viola Violetta

Cakes: Lengyel József 

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