Reasons Why You Should Plan a Small Wedding
Whether you go big or small, the most important part of your wedding day decision is that the day is for you! There isn’t a right or wrong answer to what it should look like, only that it’s the day of your dreams and no one else’s. Together, we’ll discover the pros and cons of a small wedding and whether or not it’s the right match for you!
What is Considered a Small Wedding?
What makes a small wedding, small? Is it the number of guests, the size of the venue, the budget invested, or the overall attitude towards the day? In my experience as your intimate wedding photographer, I have found that a smaller wedding is a combination of factors. The following are the common ingredients that make up an intimate wedding:
- Generally 75 guests or less is considered a small and intimate wedding while hitting 30 guests or less would technically be called a micro wedding.
- The day’s events provide a sense of intimacy and meaningful connection with those in attendance.
The Pros & Cons of Large vs Small Weddings
One common assumption of a small wedding is that it automatically will lessen the overall cost. On a basic level, this is true, but it can go both ways. Some will take the same wedding budget and simply use it to do something different. For example, you can choose a destination wedding trip that turns the day into an adventure experience.
It can be cheaper in the long run if you don’t opt to equally spend the money in a different way. This couple split their wedding into several parts, hosting a German-themed reception honoring the bride’s family heritage.
Some couples will invest instead in a luxury wedding experience with fewer people present. These options may include:
- High-end restaurant or personal chef
- Top-of-the-line venue
- Highly experienced wedding coordinator or planner
- Top choice of wedding photography and videography team who may also specialize in film photography or other offerings like Polaroids
- The perfect venue that provides all that you need for the entire day
Since guests must invest more for a destination, couples will instead provide a fun guest experience. Doing so for a small number of people can cost less than an extravagant wedding. Simply put, fewer people means that the overall cost is lowered due to the reduced number of chairs, rentals, catering, etc. When looking for a way to reduce the cost of your day, a small wedding is definitely the way to go!
Large Wedding CONS
Larger weddings tend to encounter some common issues:
- Feel frenzied and that time is flying by in sticking to a hard wedding timeline with a full schedule of events
- Limited to brief visits with guests
- More to coordinate and keep track of
- Less intimacy and personalization
- Increased overall expense
Large Wedding PROS
There are also many pros to a larger, more traditional wedding:
- Less pressure with the guest list numbers
- All of your favorite people are together
- More elegant and luxurious
- Usually have a wedding party to coordinate, while they also get to join you in the celebration
- Big celebratory dance parties
Small Wedding PROS
There are activities as well as a tone and feel that simply can’t be created apart from an intimate and small wedding environment:
- More personalized, relaxed and flexible
- Can actually visit with and have a conversation with the people you’ve chosen to invite
- Could involve a special experience (travel, venue, activity, fine dining)
- Your wedding gets to be focused on you instead of an event for your guests
- Save money, can invest in the parts of the day that matter most to you instead of spending thousands on chairs and catering
- Option for non-traditional venues
Small Wedding CONS
- Not everyone can be invited
- You might feel pressure or guilt not doing what other family members may envision or what tradition dictates (we can work through this!)
- Environment might not create the same energy and excitement as a larger celebration
- Finding a venue that is perfect for the size–luckily, Washington, DC has some amazing choices!
How to Plan a Small Wedding: Olivia & Theo
Here’s an example of a how the details came together for this couple’s small wedding plans:
“We chose to have a smaller wedding for the intimacy with guests so we could spend time celebrating with our community. Also, the celebration itself–we really wanted to emphasize the joy of this day and chose to prioritize things that would maximize celebration and lessen stress. For us as a couple, we wanted to have a celebration that spiritually and romantically resonated with our relationship.”
Their entire wedding day was filled with garden party vibes even asking guests to arrive wearing floral patterns or pastel colors. With flowers as their main decoration, they also provided guests with some wearable options: flower crowns, lavender-colored kippahs (it was a traditional Jewish wedding), and dried floral lapel pins in addition to recycled floral blankets.
Wedding florals (specifically a wisteria theme) were incorporated throughout the decor including handkerchiefs, the wedding cake, and the Ketubah document. DIY wedding elements included a chuppah with a handwoven cover, handmade wedding cake toppers of their dogs, and many reused vintage pieces. They incorporated vintage lace tablecloths and placemats, vintage bottle candles, and flower candles.
Olivia and Theo chose their restaurant venue (Iron Gate Restaurant in Washington, DC) for its “good balance of a historic setting, with urban amenities, a garden feel, and restaurant-quality food.” Every part of their intimate day blended together perfectly!
Whether or Not a Smaller Wedding is the Right Fit For You
Not every couple knows from the start that they will forgo the traditional wedding size. Many will even plan out a larger wedding event timeline prior to switching to less. This means that it’s OK if it takes time to figure out what you want, and you can change your mind!
As long as a small wedding is what the two of you actually want and you invest in making it celebratory in your own style then you’ll never regret it! What I hear the most from couples who choose a small wedding venue is how thankful they are for their decision. It felt so special, they had so much fun and could really focus on being present!
As a micro wedding photographer, I can visibly see how much less stress there is for the couple due to the flexibility of a more relaxed day. A location is also usually chosen that is meaningful to them that they want to share with their loved ones. It’s so much easier to bring their personality into all the elements of this simplified day.
As a reminder, if you love a big party with all of your loved ones present, then it’s possible to regret your micro wedding planning. No matter your decision, I promise you will not regret how you celebrate your day as long as it is what you want!
I’m here to photograph your wedding day no matter the size!
Vendors
Wedding Locations | Washington, DC
Photographer | Shelly Pate Photography
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