15 Awesome Tips for Preparing for Your Dream Small Wedding

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Are you feeling overwhelmed by the idea of inviting 200 "nearest and dearest" for your wedding? Even if you may have considered eloping, there are other ways to avoid the crowd. Instead, consider a considerably smaller wedding with all the trimmings.

You'll enjoy where your money goes if you scale back the celebration to a comfortable, intimate level, and you'll have the chance to make wonderful memories with each guest. However, a small wedding involves more than just reducing your guest list. There are planning changes to make and details to consider.

Below are 15 small wedding ideas to consider for your big day.

1. Plan your guest list strategically

A small wedding can only be if the number of guests is kept to a minimum. Only invite people you've spoken to in the past three months after going through your calls and texts. We communicate with the people that matter most.

If you're having trouble choosing your guests, think about whether you would invite them to a weekend stay at your house or take them out to an expensive dinner. To make sure you are completely at ease with the people you surround yourself with on your wedding day, consider how close your connections are to one another.

2. Choose a restaurant venue

Fewer guests on the guest list give you more possibilities for a non-traditional location, and a restaurant can be the ideal choice. They are special places that are conveniently located and have everything you need. Think of a place that you and your spouse like going to frequently. Just make sure you adore every aspect of this place, including the menu, design, and current decor, as restaurants sometimes have limits on additional decorations.

3. Consider handwriting invitations

It's far simpler to handwrite invitations with lovely handwriting when you have a smaller guest list than to print hundreds of them. Sending handwritten invites will demonstrate your appreciation to each of your guests. You can even decide to call each of your guests instead of sending out official invitations.

4. Hire a live band

If you enjoy dancing, you might want to consider hiring a live band, but be careful to consider the band's size. It will be quite overwhelming if your band has the same number of members as your ultimate guest count. Hire fewer musicians so that you may have formal special dances without having a large audience on stage.

5. Prepare welcome boxes

Whether you're hosting a destination wedding,  weekend-long celebration, or intimate evening party, a welcome box is such a personalized touch to put together for your small guest list. Include objects that both you and your spouse enjoy, or include elements that reflect the location of your wedding.

6. Invest in a professional photographer

No matter how many guests will be present, an experienced photographer is a worthwhile investment. Nevertheless, a smaller guest list may provide more opportunities to capture unique moments. Your guests will feel more at ease with fewer people seated at the table, resulting in an intimate setting. Hire a reputable photographer to capture the smiles, tears, and clinking of glasses since they are the memories you'll treasure most.

7. Consider Airbnb

Choosing an Airbnb venue may be the perfect fit for your needs. Look for lovely private residences (not your own), which allow you to move between places and make your wedding day both attractive and reasonably priced. Before making a reservation, be sure to confirm it with the host of your favorite Airbnb since some locations don't permit events like weddings.

8. Be mindful about activities

Choose the activities and elements that are most essential to you and your spouse, and skip the ones that don't. At a small wedding, many couples often decide to skip part of the traditional dance. Know your guests and replace traditional activities with something everyone will enjoy, or keep it in the timeline if your loved ones love to dance.

9. Play with place settings

If you're hosting a seated meal, create a particularly lovely setting place for each guest. This is such a wonderful chance to celebrate with a stunning set-up. However, you'll also want to make sure they have all the necessary things. Make sure your guests have sufficient space to move around in their sitting place and ensure easy access to water, wine, and flatware.

10. Find a small space in a big venue

Traditional venues are full of unexpected spaces that are perfect for smaller celebrations. Think of places that are frequently overlooked, like the library of a sizable old home. For an intimate wedding, courtyards, theaters, or smaller galleries are all excellent choices. 

11. Get a creative arrangement

It could be time to get inventive with the seating arrangements for the ceremony and reception if you're organizing a small wedding in a big venue. Being extremely creative with seating and table arrangements, as well as using additional elements like a lounge, inventive bars, and food stations, can make a big space seem private.

Consider an extra-large round table for 20 guests to fill more space, or mix up how the venue is usually used by having the ceremony where others might have dinner and vice versa.

12. Prepare personalized place cards

With a smaller guest list, there are fewer place cards to create or buy and more customization options. Choose to add a customized touch by having each guest's place card hand-calligraphed. Write on invitations something that relates to your wedding's theme, so you can make them even more unique.

13. Hire a coordinator

Wedding planners or day-of coordinators aren't just for large weddings. It’s also a great idea to hire a wedding planner for your small wedding, even if it’s only for day-of coordination. You’ll want someone there to control the flow of the wedding day so you can enjoy it instead of worrying about whether drinks are running low.

14. Make a wedding timeline

You won't want to neglect to create a timetable for your wedding, regardless of the scale of the event. No matter how big or small your wedding, there is a lot of thinking that goes into the little things, and a solid timetable offers a foundation for telling your story. 

15. Add more details

You may focus entirely on the details if you have a smaller wedding. Each thing may be quite detailed. Don't forget to design the entire area, not just the tables; take into account textiles, lights, plants, and everything else that will contribute to a magical atmosphere.