There are as many types of wedding as there are people: some dream of a huge, lavish wedding, whilst others would prefer to celebrate the day with just a small circle of family and friends. This article is aimed at the latter group – those who would like to enjoy this day with just a few guests and without too much fuss.
The fact that there’s less fuss doesn’t mean that a smaller wedding like this is in any way inferior to its counterpart featuring hundreds of guests and requiring huge sums of money – quite the opposite! A small wedding can be just as beautiful, imaginative and, most importantly for the couple, a magical experience.
What counts as a small wedding?
Is it just the couple and the witnesses, or is 20–30–40 guests the upper limit? This obviously depends on the couple’s preferences; there is no set limit for a small wedding. However, in terms of the scale and organisation of the event, it is extremely important to assess in good time just how „small” a wedding we would like.
So, before we get started on anything, we need to work out a rough estimate of the number of guests and the budget.
Small wedding ideas – how to organise the event?
The first and most important thing is to start organising in good time and, above all, to set a budget for the project. Once we’ve done the maths to work out that what budget do we need for the wedding? It’s worth drawing up a to-do list and dividing the tasks into groups within it; these might include, for example, choosing the venue, preparing the invitations, the designing a planting scheme, coming up with the décor, sourcing the outfits, ordering the food and drink, arranging the music, choosing the photographer, etc.
Once the arrangements have been finalised, it is also worth considering whether the couple would like to organise the wedding themselves or would prefer to enlist the help of a wedding planner. Of course, working with a wedding planner always makes things easier, but it is also worth considering whether this fits within the budget, as it significantly increases the costs.
Even if the decision rests with the wedding planner, it must still be specific programme ideas need to be developed, including expectations and even the finer details, before seeking professional help; this will make it easier to work together.
Small wedding venue
There are many factors to consider when choosing a venue, but one of the most important is finding a space that suits the atmosphere of the wedding. It is also important to consider how extensively we want to decorate the venue and to what extent this is possible at that particular venue.
Have a clear idea of what you want when you visit a venue to ask for a wedding quote. There are some beautiful wedding venues out there, no doubt about it, but for a small event, it isn’t necessarily worth going through a wedding planner.
For a small, intimate wedding, the reception – and even the ceremony itself – can be held as part of a reception, a garden party or a barbecue, even in your own garden. Of course, this isn’t for everyone, but if you’re on a tight budget, it’s worth considering, as you can save a great deal this way, and the money saved can be spent on ordering high-quality food, hiring a wedding dress or creating beautiful decorations.
What should the invitation be like?
When it comes to the invitations, you need to make sure they’re ready in good time and reach the guests. Of course, close family and best friends will be there anyway and everything will be fine, but family members and acquaintances who live a little further away need to be informed well in advance of when and where to turn up!
You can leave the design of wedding invitations to a professional (who will, without a doubt, do a marvellous job), but for a small wedding, given the cost involved, it’s worth asking a friend who works in a similar field – or is simply creative – for help. Or we could even make the invitations ourselves! It’s worth noting that DIY items are very much in vogue! Here are a few ideas for DIY invitations:
Calligraphy always looks great, so let’s use it! Photos of the couple are always a hit too. It’s important to make it personal – if there’s a trait that really characterises the couple, or a shared hobby, it’s worth making the most of it! Funny, creative invitations are brilliant too!
Is it possible to make your own invitations?
We can also create unique, but not hand-made, invitations using templates! The Canva On a website called [name] (which requires registration to use, but is otherwise free and has a mobile app too, so you can even keep yourself busy with it on your way to work), for example, you’ll find loads of templates! All you have to do is type ‘wedding’ into the search bar, and it’ll instantly bring up loads of pre-sized, beautifully laid-out templates (though the more enterprising among you can, of course, start from scratch with custom dimensions and no template at all)!
There are some brilliant features in Canva! 😀 Everything within a template can be customised (fonts, images, etc.), resized, and there are also built-in elements, which means that if, for example, we want to add a shape to one of the corners, we just type what we’re thinking of into the search bar and it’ll bring up loads of different options, and all you have to do is drag it onto the template, then you can rotate it, zoom in on it, etc., as you like.
We can also upload our own photos to the site, and use these on the invitations too! Here are a few invitations created using the app. It took about 5 minutes to put each one together! This just goes to show that if you spend a little time on it, you can create some really lovely invitations! Last but not least, the app could come in handy at other times too!
Planting scheme
Although this is obviously less complicated for a small wedding than it would be if you had to seat 200–300 guests, it can still be important – for example, with 40–50 guests – to establish a system. We discuss this in our previous article in detail on planting trends and the process of putting together a specific planting scheme.
Creative ideas for a small wedding
Creating a stylish décor is always very important. Of course, preferences vary here too; some people prefer very minimalist décor, whilst others want plenty of decorative elements. In any case, it’s fair to say that you can get a great deal out of a small venue; you can make much better use of the space, and the décor doesn’t get lost amongst the vast dimensions.
These days, as we’re always pointing out, DIY is very popular, that is to say do it yourself decorations – and, last but not least, we can save a lot of money with them. All it takes is a pair of skilful hands, a little time and a few good ideas! This is the sort of organisational task where it’s worth getting the lads involved too, so they can lend a hand with the DIY! A few ideas for DIY wedding decorations:
Food and drink can be served in many different ways, and you can come up with some very creative decorations. Stands made from pallets and planks are very popular at the moment. You can also create very imaginative and attractive decorative elements from ladders and boxes. Large jars are perfect for serving lemonade or other drinks made in large quantities ; old or unusual jars also look great, complemented by a small bouquet or a string of fairy lights.
Thanks for popping in!
There’s always room for a bit of humour amongst the decorations! In fact, when it comes to how you decorate, the only limit is your imagination!
What should it be like? wedding dress?
It’s clearly a very important part of a wedding! You can hire beautiful gowns from bridal shops, though they do come with a hefty price tag. This brings us back to the point that if, for example, the venue is free or costs very little (or if it’s our heart’s desire to wear such a dress on our wedding day), then this is where we might choose to spend a bit more!
It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that in many shops or online stores you can buy equally beautiful items – not just clothes – for a fraction of that price, and the big advantage of these is that you don’t have to take them back anywhere; you can simply put them in your own wardrobe!
Food and drink: don’t skimp on this
This is the one area where it’s not worth skimping. If you opt for traditional catering, you need to be very thorough in your choice – in this case, cheaper is generally not better! To be fair, it is possible to find high-quality services at reasonable prices, but generally speaking, this isn’t the norm!
Ideas for a small wedding – feel free to break with tradition; a small reception, a garden party with a cookout, or even a picnic can all prove to be perfect choices, not to mention that with some lovely decorations, we can create a fantastic atmosphere for such occasions, and we’ll also be much better off financially if we choose the menu wisely!
Music: make the most of what little we have
Music is just as important as the décor; it sets the mood! For a small wedding, it might not be worth hiring a DJ or wedding musicians – though, of course, it’s entirely up to the couple; if that’s what they decide and what they want, then so be it!
However, if you’re not set on the traditional set-up, it’s worth asking your creative friends for their input right from the start of the planning. It can create a really lovely atmosphere when, for example, one of the couple’s friends provides the music for a wedding with a traditional outdoor stew!
Homemade DJ desk: There’s that sort too!
A DJ desk made from pallets and planks, with fairy lights and a few decorations! We think it looks absolutely brilliant and isn’t too expensive either!
How to find a professional photographer on a budgett?
Everyone wants to have beautiful photos taken of them on their wedding day! In most cases, this can only be achieved by a professional photographer, so it’s well worth setting aside a substantial sum for this! It’s not really worth asking amateur photographer friends to do the job; although they’ll certainly be very enthusiastic, the results won’t be what we’d expect – unfortunately, not everyone has a grasp of the art of photography.
If, on the other hand, one of our acquaintances does this for a living, we should definitely turn to them, as we’ll most likely be able to sort it out at a reasonable price!
2 particularly creative ideas for a small wedding
Polaroid album
We recommend this as a complement to your wedding photographer! Ask your friends to capture a few memories of the big day in the form of photos. It’s a really creative way to get lots and lots of photos of the wedding guests too, which can also be stuck into an album. Who wouldn’t love looking back at these pictures a few years later? We love the idea!
It’s worth noting that the Polaroid option isn’t exactly cheap. It’s great if you already have a Polaroid camera – if you don’t, ask your friends about it – but if they don’t have one either, you’ll have to buy one. The camera itself isn’t that expensive, but the film, which is essential for using it, isn’t cheap, especially if we’re talking about large quantities. So, if you’re on a tight budget, it’s only recommended for small weddings with 10–20 guests!
A more cost-effective version of the Polaroid album is the „Polaroid-framed” option, which, when you think about it, is almost exactly the same
What you’ll need:
- a stand
- a sheet of cardboard into which you need to cut a square, leaving more of the cardboard at the bottom
You can write the couple’s names and the date on the bottom of the card in a nice font, or you can add a hashtag, as shown in the picture.
It’s worth placing some sort of backdrop behind the cardboard so that the pictures look better; of course, it works without this too, but do bear in mind that in this case, the frame should always be set against a uniform background!
Homemade stands
Perfect for an outdoor wedding. These stands look absolutely brilliant and, what’s more, if you think carefully, they’re also extremely cost-effective. In many cases, all you need is a few pallets, buckets, a swing (which you can make yourself), glass bottles and so on – the key is to be creative!
These ideas can really liven up a wedding, and guests always enjoy having a drink or a bite to eat from these creative stands! You could set up drinks stands or serve beer in buckets; you could have a separate food stand – and of course, let’s not forget the children and those with a sweet tooth; a shelf full of jelly sweets is usually very popular too!
Let’s look at a few examples:
We hope you enjoy planning your wedding! We hope you found these small wedding ideas inspiring!
