Small Wedding Ideas: 6 Trendy Ways To Plan an Intimate “I Do”
Small weddings can make a big impact — on you and your partner, your guests, your photos, and, it must be said, your wedding budget. With an intimate ceremony, you have more space — literally, figuratively, and financially — to incorporate memorable details than you would with a larger wedding.
If you always dreamt of an intimate wedding with your closest friends and family members, we have plenty of small wedding ideas to help make your day memorable. From over-the-top venues to drool-worthy menus to cocktail options that will have even the best mixologists raising eyebrows, you can pull off a lot with very little.
Narrow in on Your Priorities
There are a number of benefits to having a small wedding instead of a traditional wedding with tons of guests. You’ll actually get to interact with all your guests. Your guests — particularly those from out of town — are more likely to mingle at your micro wedding than they would be at a large ceremony. Plus, with a smaller guest count, you have more time to spend chatting with each person individually.
You’ll in all likelihood have more options when it comes to vendors. And frankly, the money you’ll save on keeping a low headcount will allow you to splurge in areas that matter to you. You can go all out with a famous wedding photographer or spend more cash on a designer wedding gown. Where you choose to splurge and where you choose to save is ultimately up to you and your partner. How you prioritize your budget should reflect your personalities and your relationship.
If you both love music, you may want to find a live band to play at your reception. If you enjoy hosting parties, preparing a fun cocktail hour for your guests might be important to you. And if there’s somewhere you always dreamt of getting married (but it only accommodates a small guest list), then maybe a good chunk of your budget will go toward your wedding venue.
6 Small Wedding Ideas to Make a Big Impact
With a cozy, small venue and short guest list, your wedding day is sure to be an intimate affair. Below, we’re sharing our favorite small wedding trends — from real couples — to help you plan your nuptials. From epic venues to celebrate with a small group to splurge ideas that create a magical ambiance, you’ll find the perfect idea for your special day.
1. Book an Airbnb for the Whole Guest List
While it’s popular to share accommodations with the wedding party when hosting a big wedding, with a small, intimate wedding you can stay in the same place with all of your guests — and the place can double as your small wedding venue. For a smaller group, you could book a tree house hotel for a woodland-themed wedding or several igloos if you plan on having your nuptials under the Northern Lights.
If vintage vibes are more your thing, a retro Airbnb in Palm Springs can offer cozy lounge areas for seating, a long table for the rehearsal dinner, and desert-inspired gardens to say “I do” in a backyard wedding.
When Elle Turner planned her nuptials with a small number of guests, she knew she wanted to have an Airbnb wedding that was relaxed and gave them more time to spend with loved ones. With her desired aesthetic of an English countryside, she booked a manor house with enough room for everyone to get ready together while still being peaceful.
By using flexible dates and the max number of guests in her filters, she found the Henge Estate, complete with winding ivy, wrought iron balconies, and regal columns. The design featured two wings, perfect for providing space and separation for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The manicured gardens served as the perfect space for the ceremony and bonus items like the outdoor pool, hot tub, and tennis court made it easy to turn the simple affair into a weekend of fun.
2. Pick Your Dream Wedding Venue
Having a smaller guest list can increase your chances of booking your dream alternative wedding venue. A favorite coffee shop or restaurant could prove to be a photo-worthy location, or perhaps a small vineyard, brewery, art gallery, apartment rooftop, or even a hotel suite.
Prefer the great outdoors? As described on Green Wedding Shoes, Cara, an art director, always dreamt of booking an unorthodox wedding venue. When she got married to her fiancé Adrian, they chose a historic covered wooden bridge in Chico, California for their reception.
Having a small crew at your wedding allows you to choose a jaw-dropping outdoor space. An abandoned rustic barnyard, woodland tree house, exclusive beach, or even the middle of the desert might seem off the grid, but they make a gorgeous backdrop for your wedding photos.
3. Consider Family-Style Seating Arrangements
When it comes to your reception, a smaller wedding offers a number of options. Rather than struggling through the seating chart, printing place cards, and having assigned seating for your wedding guests, one of our favorite small wedding ideas is to allow guests to choose their own seats for a family-style meal.
Kelly and Anton chose to say “I do” at a gorgeous Scotland cathedral, but wanted to find a way to incorporate their love of Sunday dinners with the family. Their solution was a cozy sit-down dinner with several long tables that aimed to foster a sense of intimacy and the joys of breaking bread with loved ones. They served up big trays of food designed for sharing and included Sunday dinner favorites like beef wellington and antipasti.
4. Go All-Out With the Menu
If you and your soon-to-be-life partner are two food lovers, you might want to have a to-die-for menu. For a wedding with fewer guests, you may have enough budget to hire a food truck or serve hors d’œuvres during a cocktail hour. Some couples have even organized a wedding brunch the day after the ceremony for their immediate family and friends or invited all their guests to their rehearsal dinner.
Get inspired by Bailey and Connor, who decided to go all out on food for their wedding which was a fusion of Italian and Southern charm. Guests found their seats by finding their names on small glass jars filled with limoncello. The cocktail hour featured a walking oyster bar and arancini appetizers.
The main course featured gnocchi and plenty of fine red wine. The spread was served on ornate white plates and accented by gold cutlery and frosty blue napkins. Overhead, a large greenery display and chandeliers created a romantic atmosphere. And they capped the night with a gelato dessert cart, bourbon, and a cigar cart.
5. Add Your Own Personal Touch
As with any major life event, your big day should feel like you. When you find yourself in the midst of wedding planning, brainstorm with your almost-spouse about ways to mix your own personalities into the wedding. Do you want to send your guests home with unique wedding favors? Do you want the caterer to be the same restaurant that served as the backdrop for your first date? Do you want to nix the wedding cake for a different dessert, like donuts, cupcakes, or pie?
Kate and Ryan personally visited each of their 65 wedding guests during their engagement and took photos during their visit. At their intimate Zion wedding, they gave each guest a print of their photo with a personal note inside to show their appreciation. The joys of small weddings!
Tasha and Priscilla were also quite proud of how they threw together a very personal wedding on a small budget. As they told Cup of Jo, they didn’t want their budget to go toward floral centerpieces (their wedding flowers came from Trader Joe’s) or decorations (they borrowed string lights from a friend). They wanted their respective heritages mixed in with the wedding reception and therefore served Brazilian and Greek desserts — whipped up by their families — instead of cake.
6. Throw a Destination Wedding
When your entire guest list consists of just a few close friends and family members, it really opens up the map for potential destinations. If there’s a dream location you and your partner want to travel to, why not have it serve as the backdrop to your wedding ceremony?
While buying a pair of plane tickets may not sound like a cost-cutting strategy, a destination wedding can actually work in your budget’s favor. Having a destination wedding is a great excuse to narrow down your guest list. By only inviting your bridal party and immediate family, you cut down on your overall cost.
Consider hosting a beach wedding in a tropical locale like Fiji or Hawaii. Alternatively, you can get loved ones together for a special celebration in a castle in France or say “I do” on a quaint terrace overlooking the Amalfi coast.
Or, plan your dream nuptials on a tropical island like Betsaida and Daniel did. Originally from the Dominican Republic, they knew they wanted a destination wedding and their native country seemed like the perfect fit. Not only did they secure a gorgeous resort venue, they incorporated elements from the local culture including an Hora Loca, where guests danced to samba and merengue.
Greenvelope Helps Your Cozy Affair Come Together
Whether you choose to throw a wedding with immediate family, a few close friends, or just you and your partner, Greenvelope can help all your wedding guests come together. With a collection of over 400 wedding invitations and coordinating thank you cards, we ensure the people you love most are with you on your wedding day.
Plus, sending digital invitations, like those from Greenvelope, helps you prioritize your budget for your wedding day. You’ll still get your dream invitation design for a fraction of the cost that you would with print invitations. From there, you can book your coveted venue, photographer, or that taco truck you had your eye on.
Whatever small wedding ideas you settle on, we know your intimate celebration will be positively stunning. And if you happen to get married under a covered bridge, we want to see photos.
