He popped the question, you said “yes”, and the glow and magic of the moment is still fresh in your mind, playing over and over. What if I told you that it’s possible to hold on to this sweetness and still plan a wedding? That wedding planning doesn’t have to be stressful?
The guest list, which is probably one of the first steps you’ll take in planning your wedding, will set the tone for everything that follows. Deciding early on in the process that you want to have a small, intimate wedding can do wonders for simplifying your planning. Intimate weddings usually include 75 guests or less, and there are numerous benefits to selecting this style of wedding. Here are some points to consider as your start to think about planning a small wedding:
1) Trimming the guest list: As you start compiling your guest list, think of it as an extra large dinner party and build up from there; this will be the hardest part, as it will mean resisting the urge to invite everyone you know and care about. You may want to take some time and decide what is going to work best for you two, whether or not it makes everyone else happy. This doesn’t have to be a negative thing; think of it as an opportunity to create more memories with all of your guests, and to offer them a personal experience one cannot get with larger weddings.
2) The venue’s the thing: Having a small wedding opens up a number of possibilities for your venue, ranging from the sentimental choices (a wedding at home) to more unique options, such as a cave or a secluded forest alcove. Some of the more unique venues, such as historic buildings, greenhouses, and sailboats, are also better suited for smaller groups. Many of these unusual venues will probably also not cost as much, since they are not traditionally marketed for weddings with the typical markup that’s associated.
3) Let yourself be inspired: Once you and your fiancé have settled on the guest count and secured your venue, give yourself some time to be inspired outside of the unending visual feast that is readily available at your fingertips (specifically Pinterest). Take a moment and step away from the computer. Take a stroll through an art gallery. Find a local floral wholesaler and walk around through their floral cooler. Walk through a specialty fabric store and absorb the colors and feel the fibers. Find an element, a color, a texture that inspires you and let that enrich your wedding style.
4) Your vendors, and a coordinator too: Did you know that some vendors specialize only in intimate weddings? This is especially true for photographers, planners and designers/ florists. What better way to get the wedding you envision than to choose vendors who have an eye and passion for the same thing? You will also want to consider that even though you’re going small, you will more than likely still have the same number of vendors as you would for a large wedding, which is why you will not want to skip on a coordinator. Whether day-of, week-of, or month-of-coordinator, these professionals can do wonders for easing the stress of planning, especially as you near the big day.
Article by Elisa Restea from Elisa Event Design
