Gone are the days where you’re expected to invite over 400 guests to your wedding - small and intimate weddings are here to stay, and if you’re newly engaged and looking to plan the small wedding of your dreams, we’re here to help. Planning a small wedding, while easier than planning a large soiree, can still be difficult, so we’ve put together our favourite small wedding planning tips.
You need to start planning early
Wedding venues and photographers book up quickly, so it’s important to get ahead and start planning your small wedding as soon as you can. You don’t want to be the couple that’s scrambling a few months ahead of your dream date because you didn’t know that planning a small wedding requires a similar timeline to that of a large wedding.
Wedding details are the same, regardless of wedding size
Whether your wedding is large or small, you still need to focus on the same details, like the wedding food, florals, location, dress, guest list, etc. The only difference between the details in a large wedding versus a small wedding is just the amount of things you require - more food, more floral, a larger venue, etc.
Focus on the overall ambiance and feeling with a small wedding
A small wedding will feel more intimate and more romantic, so lean into those feelings when you plan your small wedding. The decisions you make in your details, like centrepiece style or number of candles, will make a huge difference in the overall feeling of the wedding, and won’t impact your budget too greatly.
You can splurge more on the things that matter to you most
Are you a foodie or very musical? When you plan a small wedding, you’re spending less overall, so with that free money in your budget, you can upgrade some components of your wedding to be really special to you. Perhaps you would love steak and lobster at your wedding, but serving steak to 400 people can get pricey - hosting a small wedding may give you the ability to serve steak and lobster to all 50 of your guests without running up your bill.
Be selective with your guest list to keep your wedding small
What turns a regular wedding into a small wedding is your guest list, and with fewer invitations to send out, planning a small wedding requires you to carefully curate your guest list. Invite only your nearest and dearest - not your neighbour down the street who you’ve only spoken to a handful of times. There are a few questions you can ask to help you keep your guest list small:
1. Have you or your partner spoken with this potential guest within the last year?
2. Have you or your partner met this potential guest?
3. If this potential guest were to hypothetically throw a wedding soon, would you or your partner want to attend?
4. If you or your partner’s parents are paying for the wedding, will your receive a considerable amount of pushback if you trim the guest list?
If you can answer “no” to any of the above questions, you should consider leaving a few potential guests off your invite list to keep your wedding small.
Are you engaged and looking to host a small wedding? Consider St. Joseph’s Banquet & Conference Centre for your small wedding - we have a beautiful venue with delicious food, and would love to host your big day.