Not everyone wants to get married with a big, full-blown event with hundreds of guests and a massive budget. Some prefer the idea of a smaller, more intimate wedding. That doesn’t necessarily link to the budget – you can have a tiny wedding that costs a fortune, after all – but it often does.
No matter what your reasons for wanting to keep things simple, it can sometimes be hard to see through the many different options to get to what you want. With that in mind, here are some of the things you can do to ensure you get married simply and have the most wonderful day.
Limit The Guest List
One of the areas that can quickly spiral out of control and stop your wedding from being the simple one you are hoping for is the guest list. You won’t want to upset anyone, so you end up inviting everyone. This is very expensive, and it means you need a larger venue, more food, potential transport, and so on.
The ideal thing to do is to pare down the list as much as you can. However, this is not always easy, and in some cases, due to family dynamics and politics, it’s impossible. So, what can you do? The best alternative is to host a virtual wedding. You can stream your ceremony to as many people as you want, but only have a few close friends and family members physically with you. In this way, you can keep things very simple.
Know Your Budget
You’ll need to work out how much you have to spend on your wedding in total and where the money will come from (savings, family, etc.). Once you know how much money you have, you can work with what you have.
When you add this to your list of guests, you should be able to figure out how much each person will cost. This will help you decide where to have your wedding. You’ll also know what extras, such as wedding entertainment, you can have to make the day perfect.
Hire The Right Space
One of the most important things to think about when planning a small wedding is making sure that the venue fits the size of your party. If it’s too big, it might look like some people didn’t show up, and if it’s too small, it might look like you cut costs.
The key is to look at venues online and in person ahead of time to make sure they work for the size of your party.
The Guest Experience
Smaller parties are often better for guests because the couple can spend more time with each person. However, since there is more focus on guests, their experience needs to be a top priority as well.
Think about how the day will go and how you can make it feel exclusive and special in ways that a larger wedding party might not be able to. This could mean hiring buses or other vehicles to take guests from the church or registry to the wedding venue, or it could mean hiring a private chef and sommelier who offer private tastings as part of the day. What can you do to make the day great, not just for you but for the few guests who will be there too?
