With the recent turn of events, when the world is still reeling from the recent pandemic, more and more couples are looking for small wedding ideas as part of the wedding planning process. No matter what the world goes through, it is certain that people will find each other and fall in love, and above all, love is going to survive and surpass everything else. With so many postponed weddings and replanning of wedding schedules, celebrating weddings in the future will reverberate the 'new normal' which might require some finessing and extra wedding planning. 

There is no right or wrong way to celebrate your wedding, but in recent times, to-be-married couples are realizing the beauty of bucking the trend of big weddings and choosing to host an intimate and small wedding. While big weddings can be tons of fun, it can also break the bank and can prove to be difficult to plan. Small weddings entail a list of some of the most beautiful and impressive advantages that can make you think that hosting an intimate wedding might be the best and right style for you. From budgeting weddings by cost-per-guest that will get the most out of your budget without overspending to being able to book almost any venue of your choice, the small and intimate wedding trend is here to stay for all the right reasons.

More than being easier on the wallet, intimate weddings enable you to spend ample time to have genuine interactions with your guests with each attendee getting the right level of quality facetime, and you can also be relaxed and comfortable throughout your wedding day celebrations. Create memories with the people that matter most to you and offer them a personal experience that you cannot provide in case of a large wedding. You’ll have a less stressful planning experience in case of a small wedding and can function without hiring a wedding planner.

Here are some of the best tips for planning an intimate wedding:

Edit the guest list

You and your fiance should sit down and plan how to cut down your guest list as the first step to planning an intimate wedding. Slimming down your guest list where you will keep your inner circle of family and friends involved, and skipping the far-flung relatives and friends away will require some homework and reflection. With an intimate wedding, inviting people who are your nearest and dearest, and the ones who will be genuinely happy for your new life will make you feel comfortable, loved, and supported throughout the wedding day celebrations. A shorter guest list means you can spend and splurge on nicer food, rentals, favors, premium alcohol, and amazing entertainment options.

Personalizing the details

The most fun part begins when you are planning a small wedding and deciding on personalizing each and every detail, as this is the perfect opportunity to make your wedding day your own. This is the moment when you can choose to break away from old wedding traditions and add some new personalities to the proceedings or celebrate old traditions with modern renditions. From customized wedding favors and welcome gifts or adding more interactive elements like live performers, portrait artists, and musicians to making your own DIY handcrafted centerpieces for decorating the reception tables, personalizing the wedding details will make your guests feel appreciated and special, which in turn will make your event more memorable and unique. Rather than having a wedding where everything feels like a big cookie-cutter, creating bespoke touches that speak for your personality as an individual or as a couple can be the perfect way to add a strong personality and create a swoon-worthy statement on your wedding day.

Go for a banquet family-style dining table

What can feel closer to home than sitting next to your closest family and friends at a long or round table and enjoying an old school family-style meal together? You can organize a family-style dining table as your wedding reception idea for the best of conversations and also for a magical wedding photography experience. The family-style dining will not make sense for large gatherings, and this intimate wedding idea totally wins out for a small affair! This is how your big day can be full of celebrations while being appropriately discrete if you are the couple who will enjoy a certain level of privacy on your wedding day. To add to the level of intimacy and privacy, you can also include a total social media ban and have real conversations for the sake of good old times.

Adding extra wedding events

From swapping traditional speeches with an 'open mic night' to bringing in lawn and board games, your intimate wedding is an opportunity to plan pre and post-wedding events, surrounded by people you love the most, and if you are eager to spend some quality time with them. Small wedding event ideas are lit for creating fun and happy memories like setting up 'build your own' ice-cream sundae bars, roasting s'mores around a fire pit and sharing stories, or breaking a leg at welcome parties, brunches, spa trips, wine tasting, hikes, games of golf. No matter what, keep the party going, by taking them to a local bar for an epic after-party post the wedding reception or extend the wedding celebration by including a day-after brunch. Hosting an intimate wedding with a handful of guests enables you to do something memorable and meaningful like taking part in group activities such as a hike or bike ride or planning for a picnic in the wild or even a trip to a local brewery, that will not be possible in case of a large gathering.

Select a meaningful wedding venue

Having the right place for your wedding involves taking key considerations like choosing a wedding venue that will suit the size of your party without making it look too big or too cramped up, out of the box ideas for a small wedding location, or choosing a wedding venue that holds meaning to you as a couple. This is your chance to ditch the traditional wedding venue and choose something meaningful that can be anywhere- from boats to barns, boutique hotels to private rooms in restaurants, and even old backyards that you grew up in, or renting up the coffee house you went to on your first date. The creative ways for choosing an intimate wedding venue can open up a plethora of options, from booking time at your go-to brewery to exchanging vows inside a stunning greenhouse. The world is your oyster when you choose to have an intimate wedding!

Have a short and sweet ceremony

The ability to plan your wedding on your terms is the greatest advantage of a small wedding. Giving room for a lot of meaningful moments, your small wedding can have a short and meaningful wedding ceremony where you can ask everyone to stand (unless someone needs a chair) for the exchange of wedding rings and vows or even include guests at the moment to bring personal touches to your vows. Depending on the size of your party, you can have your guests involved in your wedding day moments. For instance, during the wedding ceremony, everyone can read a line of a special reading at the ceremony or pass the wedding rings by placing wishes and love upon before the couple puts them on, which will create a deeply personal wedding ceremony for everyone to remember this special day in the best way possible. 

Skipping what doesn't matter

Since you are keeping things short and simple for your wedding day, this can be your ultimate dream come true of opting out of unnecessary traditions. The beauty of a short + sweet wedding ceremony and reception is all about nixing old traditions and mixing new ones. An intimate wedding is the best way to make things very personal which can lead you to ask yourself- if a certain event or function is really needed or just something that's expected out of you. The best way to do this is by discussing each and every event and set-ups in detail with your partner, whether it's exciting or holds meaning to you as a couple, or not.

A relaxing experience

Your intimate wedding day should be filled with precious moments where each and every second is filled with frame-worthy love and laughter. From squeezing the wedding party for incredible capture-worthy wedding moments to posing for family portraits, your small wedding day can be filled with a cozy and relaxed environment, unlike large weddings where guests should feel lucky if they snag a moment to congratulate the couple. Use this opportunity to connect and spend time with your guests for creating a relaxed atmosphere that can have breathing room for meaningful conversations and emotional moments. This is the chance for you to thank every one of your guests for attending your wedding and letting them know how much meaning they hold to you and your sweetheart.

Consider accommodation

Hosting an intimate wedding with a handful of people means that you can have additional funds to spend on activities that can spread throughout the weekend. This can proceed with offering the elite group of guests to stay on-site or covering the expense of accommodation in a nearby hotel or guest house. This can be a great way to keep the big day feeling exciting and special where you can scout outdoor activities that your guests can enjoy together as a party or offer them local suggestions which they can enjoy on their own. It is all about making the moments count and breathing through it all as your closest people come together to celebrate new beginnings.

Keeping it casual and fun

Having an intimate wedding leaves you with a plethora of options when it comes to splurging on things that you have always dreamt of. Always wanted an ice sculpture or a champagne tower for your wedding reception? You can spend on things that you have always coveted for your wedding day with all the additional wedding budget. It is also absolutely okay if you choose to keep it all low-key and simple, where you can order a few boxes of pizza and a few bowls of pasta and call it a night. We love when couples take surprising their guests seriously and throw the extra little cherry on top of the celebration by organizing fun activities like silent disco, late-night snacks, or karaoke. For instance, hiring a food truck for late-night snacks, building up an s’mores bar, or indulging in fun drinking games to keep the wedding party going till the morning are great after-party ideas for your guests.

What can be a better way to showcase your fabulous and unique personality as a couple than hosting a wedding that is filled with personalized details? For instance, choosing second-hand and eco-friendly wedding decors as your step towards a greener planet or hosting your wedding in a sports ground to channel out the sports fan in you. Surrounded just by your closest friends and loved ones, be sure to have a wedding that will come with memories to be cherished for generations to come. Having an intimate wedding lets you save money for the future that you two are building together instead of spending thousands of dollars in a couple of hours. Allowing you to be more flexible with your budget, a small and intimate wedding can make you feel free to splurge on special decorations, gourmet dining, or classy wedding entertainment or take a flight to the dream honeymoon that you have always desired with all the money that is saved.

Your wedding is the best celebration of your beautiful relationship and no matter what comes along you'll always have each other. Celebrate this day with your most favorite people, and at the end of the day, you should always remember what matters the most and that’s what it’s ALL about in the finale.