Let me start by saying that just because I’m high fiving all small weddings today, it doesn’t mean that I’m pooh poohing big ones. What it does mean however is that I am looking at all the ace things that can happen when you decide to keep your wedding small. I don’t doubt that somewhere down the line I’ll also be looking at the plus side to big weddings, too but today it’s all about the small dos!
So what do I mean when I say small? That’s a good question, but I suppose I mean weddings with guest numbers ranging anywhere from two to fifty people. Sixty guests isn’t a huge number either and could be classed as a small wedding but you’ve got to have a cut off point somewhere, so I’m saying fifty.
I also get that the word ‘small’ means different things to different people. If you’re Spanish or Indian for example (both cultures known for their huge weddings), a small wedding could mean just a couple of hundred guests! But for the purposes of my post, seeing that it is my blog, I am going to define small weddings as weddings with fifty or less guests.
So now that’s established, here’s those awesome reasons why small weddings rock!
Size can matter! Photo by Owen Farrell.
1. You will love the intimacy that your ceremony will give you. Being able to see everyone and them see you is probably more special than you may realise.
2. You’re less likely to have to rely on a PA system for your ceremony and speeches. Any vows or readings can probably be said naturally without having to use a microphone, which can make vows more special and intimate, although it can depend on the space.
3. You’re going to be nervous no matter what, so let’s not kid ourselves. But you are more likely to feel less nervous when you are surrounded by fewer people.
4. Having fewer people at your ceremony means you can have more people involved if you wanted them to be. One of the loveliest small ceremonies I got to be a part of this year took place on the beach with just twenty guests. It was incredible. The couple had asked each guests to read out one or two lines of relationship/marriage advice. I don’t need to tell you how brilliant this was with a good mix of serious, silly and romantic advice! You can only really get away with doing something like this with a small number of guests. The passing of the rings is also perfect for a small group of people.
5. Smaller numbers of guests gives you more flexibility with your ceremony space and can allow you to have your ceremony in small, intimate areas, which wouldn’t be able to accommodate lots of people.
6. Any event, no matter how small will cause you a bit of a headache at some point (do not delude yourselves) but theoretically speaking the less amount of people you have to deal with, the milder the headache should be.
7. Now, I was never any good at maths at school, but it’s good enough to be able to calculate that a small wedding is definitely going to cost a lot less than a big one. You can’t beat that feeling of your wedding budget covering all that you want it to, without having to cut corners or do things cheaply. You may also find that you can be more generous or may lavish with what you do as you have more money to spend!
8. After your ceremony you will have time to talk to people and really enjoy their presence on an individual and group basis, something which is not always possible at a big wedding. This also means that you and your love bunny will get some quality time together on your wedding day, as you won’t have so many people that you have to greet and socialise with. You cannot underestimate how much time this can take up and some couples just don’t realise how little they will see/be with their loved bunny on their wedding day.
9. If you’re a creative soul or a bit of a DIY nut, then a small wedding can be perfect for you and your creativity. With a smaller amount of people you can make more handmade things such as favours, wedding stationery, keepsakes and mementos etc because you’ll have fewer people to have to make them for!
10. Group photos can be fun again! No more waiting and hanging around for ages to have fifty million combinations of photos taken. No more waiting for your big ass group of people to assemble and all be doing the same thing at the same time to get the shot you want.
11. You can be more relaxed around a smaller, tighter group of friends and family, because the likelihood is that you will know all of those people really well and enjoy being in their company. There is nothing more wonderful than feeling totally comfortable and chilled on your wedding day.
Well, even if I say so myself, I think I’ve presented a pretty good case for why small weddings rock, so much so that I can hear some of you scratching names of your guest list as I type! Ha ha.
But I guess with pointing out the cool things, it might also be worth looking at the tricky issues that having a small wedding might throw into your path.
In a very very small nutshell, you may find that a small wedding is too restrictive for you and your guest list and that you might be upsetting people in doing a hatchet job on them. If so, part of you probably needs to say ‘sorry but not sorry,’ because as cruel as it may sound, it is your day after all. Check out a post I’ve written on how to get your guest list ship shape so that you end up inviting the people you truly want to be there.
Then another thing you may need to consider is how to treat your small wedding reception. Is you crew small enough to set an intimate dinner or lunch even, and will you have a party afterwards? And talking of parties maybe you might need to do stuff to entertain your guests rather than them being the entertainment, as it might be a big ask to make a party atmosphere from a small group of people. But of course, it all depends on the people!
So small weddings definitely do rock but like with any type of wedding you just need to work out if it’s right for you and if it’ll work for you. And that’s it! Well, kinda.
Can you think of any more reasons why small weddings rock? Lemme know, won’t you?
