By choosing a small wedding format, you have already moved away from generally accepted norms and added a special charm to your celebration. After all, a wedding in a small group with relatives and close friends is, by definition, more soulful, and you have the opportunity to make it also original, unusual, and exceptional! How? YesYes will share with you the secrets of organizing a small wedding and fresh ideas for a themed celebration.
Guest list
A wedding is called small if your guest list is barely 20 people. Obviously, these are the people closest to you and you want to share your joy with them. And it is also obvious that some of your not very close relatives, university friends and just friends will be offended if they do not receive an invitation to the wedding. Be prepared for the fact that your parents will begin to persuade you to expand the scope of the celebration, because “a feast for the whole world” 20 years ago was considered an indicator of the cordiality and well-being of the family. It’s great that today newlyweds think first of all about their own comfort, and not about outside opinions!
For a small wedding with a short list of guests, we suggest you make wedding invitations with your own hands: such a handmade one, beautifully signed in your handwriting, will be a pleasant surprise for your guests and will be preserved as a memory.
Be sure to let your guests know about the format of your wedding. Specify how important the presence of each invited relative and friend is to you. After all, if 10 out of 100 people cannot attend a wedding, it will hardly be noticeable. And if 5 of your 15 guests are absent, this will definitely affect your mood.
Wedding planner tip: The fewer people, the shorter the reception. At a small wedding, the feast lasts up to 4 hours. Calculation of food and alcohol: 1 kg per adult, 0.5 liters of strong and 1 liter of light alcohol per person.
How to organize a budget wedding with your own hands?
To organize a wedding yourself at minimal cost, you first need to decide how much you can invest in it. Based on your budget, it will become clear where you can save money. Without an event plan and budget planning, it is unlikely that you will be able to celebrate this day on a budget.
DIY budget wedding
So, step-by-step planning point by point:
- Compiling a guest list. You can limit the list to only close relatives; all aunts, uncles and second cousins can be deleted from it. If you want to share the holiday with friends, think carefully about who to invite. Don’t forget that for the holiday to go well, all guests should be cheerful and cheerful.
- Choosing a location. Renting a banquet hall is a significant expense, so choose modest establishments with a small banquet hall or perhaps even a dining room. If you don’t want to spend money on it, choose a natural location.
- Handmade. To make the holiday truly a holiday, do not forget about the decor. Today, wedding decorators and accessories require a lot of money, but you can do a lot on your own. For example, make invitations with your own hands, decorate a banquet hall with garlands, satin ribbons, balloons, etc.
- Wedding dress for rent.
- Give up musicians and ask one of your friends to become a DJ for the evening.
- A cameraman and photographer are expensive, so ask someone you know to be a photographer at your wedding; maybe someone has a professional camera.
- Refusal from the usual banquet in favor of a buffet.
Location
One of the main bonuses when planning a small wedding was, is and will be complete freedom to choose a place for the celebration! Relatives will understand the quiet, cozy celebration at home and will enthusiastically share the idea of a banquet on a small yacht. In the warm season, you can have a picnic in the open air, and in winter, rent a cottage outside the city with a bathhouse and a billiard room. A small wedding is the perfect opportunity to get the most out of your special day.
Get ideas for places to celebrate a small wedding:
Forest
Having a get-together in a clearing in a pine forest or in a birch grove is so romantic! You can stretch garlands of photographs or wildflowers between the trees, make your own candlesticks and set up a photo zone with a hut and blanket. And so that nothing overshadows the holiday, don’t forget ultrasonic mosquito repellers.
River or sea bank
Whether it’s a gazebo by the river or a catered buffet right on the beach, the quiet expanse of water or waves endlessly running one after another - a holiday by the water is always unforgettable. You can arrange a photo shoot at sunset or launch a paper boat with your names on it.
Blooming garden
If you know places with abundant flowering plants and trees, placing a large table among such beauty will be an excellent solution. Guests will enjoy the aroma and won’t have to bother with a photo zone!
Country house
If you are a lover of barbecue and barbecue, a summer house will be a great place to celebrate! The highlight of the celebration can be a wok or a guest bartender, with flaming cocktails and an original show.
Cozy cafe
Banquet halls of restaurants are often designed for 50-100 people, so a cafe is better suited for a small wedding. Why not remember the place where you had your first date? Or maybe look for a Provence-style cafe with embroidered tablecloths and its own pastries? A festive dinner with your family will be especially heartwarming.
Roof
Small areas for romantic dinners on specially adapted roofs are extremely popular among brave and creative young people. A wedding on the roof is truly “breathtaking”!
And when darkness falls, the panorama of the lights of your hometown will become a wonderful decoration for your holiday.
Cottage with pool
If you and your guests are real sparklers, the energy is in full swing and you want drive - rent a large cottage, invite a fashionable DJ and have a disco by the pool!
Yacht, motor ship
A holiday on the water, away from prying eyes, with your small company, can be intimate and quiet or loud and very fun!
Tram restaurant
Why not? You can often see wedding cars, but have you ever seen a wedding tram? It is not necessary to arrange a feast in a tram-restaurant, but a circle around the city with champagne and fruit would be a non-standard solution.
Apartment loft
If you think that holding a wedding celebration at home is trivial, look for a modern loft apartment and get the maximum pleasure from the comfort of home.
Anti-cinema
Nowadays, renting premises for private leisure by your company is becoming increasingly popular. These can be quite spacious cinema halls for 16 people, where in addition to a huge screen you will have table football, games like mafia and banker, a bar counter and the opportunity to bring all the food and drink with you! An excellent option for a small, progressive company.
VIP room in a hookah bar, karaoke or restaurant
Since the banquet halls of restaurants are often large and pretentious, and your wedding is small and intimate, you can choose the VIP hall of your favorite establishment as the place of celebration.
We are sure you have something to add to our list of unusual places to celebrate a small wedding! If opportunities allow, you can even move the holiday to another city, or to the mountains, or to the sky. Remember, location is important. A bold decision equals bright emotions!
Tell your guests in advance about the location of the celebration, because if the celebration is planned outdoors, in the forest or on the beach, the comfort of clothes and shoes will be more important than beauty.
The best places to celebrate an inexpensive wedding
In sauna. This original option for celebrating a wedding combines relaxation and fun. All you need is to book a sauna in advance and acquire the necessary bath accessories. The only drawback is that it is better not to drink alcohol or dense food in the sauna. But in most cases, relaxation complexes, in addition to the bathhouse or sauna itself, are also equipped with an entertainment room where you can eat, play billiards or sing karaoke.
The sauna is a great place where you can hold not only a wedding, but also a bachelorette party. You will learn how to organize a bachelorette party in a sauna from our article.
Picnic in nature. An outing to a pond or forest is a great opportunity to celebrate a wedding with a small circle of friends and family. Barbecue, high-quality alcohol, songs around the fire - this option for holding a holiday has a special warm, soulful atmosphere.
At home. The cheapest option for a wedding is to host it at home. In this case, the celebration will not be tiring even for the youngest guests - tired children can be put to rest in the next room.
In the country. A wedding on a budget can be celebrated in the summer at a dacha outside the city. As a rule, this involves an outing into nature with the possibility of using the benefits of civilization in a country house, if necessary. You can also spend the night here and continue the fun the next day. Even if you don’t have a dacha, then probably one of your friends does. A very unusual option to celebrate a wedding.
In club. If a small number of guests are invited, the option of celebrating a significant event in style at the club is a good idea. Music, a cheerful atmosphere, light alcoholic drinks, snacks are the components of a wedding celebration. The only negative is that the older generation most likely will not be able to participate in the noisy fun for a long time.
In order to hold the celebration at the scheduled time, you must submit an application to the registry office in advance. How long before the wedding should I apply? How long will it be considered? You will find answers to these and other questions here.
In this article, we have collected 11 of the most interesting and original places where you can have a bachelorette party in a tasteful and inexpensive way.
You can have a fun bachelorette party at home. To do this, you need to carefully consider the menu, select accessories and create a good entertainment program. You can read about how to do this correctly in this article.
Dress code
A wedding with close people often takes place in an unconventional way. Under the motto “Less officialdom - more comfort.” Moreover, if you have chosen an outdoor ceremony, a fluffy wedding dress with a rigid corset will perfectly replace a summer sundress in the bride’s favorite color. The groom can abandon classic materials for a wedding suit in favor of light, light linen.
Why not make your little holiday themed? On a ship it could be a Pirates of the Caribbean theme, in the forest - wood elves, in a cafe - a party in the style of America of the 60s, and in a country house throw a Gatsby party.
The second dress code option is one common color scheme. Choose the colors of your wedding and focus on them in decor, table settings and clothes. Not only will this create a special visual harmony in your company and strengthen community, but it will look great in photographs!
Don't neglect your bride and groom outfits. Whatever the dress you choose for your wedding, don’t skimp on purchasing new, fashionable and beautiful looks. The bride should feel exceptional and irresistible on her big day.
Preparation
Newlyweds who choose the format of a chamber (budget) wedding appreciate, first of all, its comfort and warmth, because on this day only relatives will be next to them. And the small wedding itself has other advantages:
- Budget savings. A modest ceremony allows you to save money, which can later be spent on your first family vacation or on furnishing your apartment.
- Feeling of comfort and calm. Unlike a large wedding, when organizing which the newlyweds face a number of difficulties, preparing a small wedding involves a minimum of hassle. In addition, knowing that their closest relatives will be present at the ceremony, the bride and groom are less nervous on the eve of the celebration and do not worry that they may find themselves in an awkward position in front of dozens or hundreds of acquaintances if any unforeseen difficulties arise.
- Warm atmosphere. Only the closest people will be around. This means that each guest can personally congratulate the couple on their wedding and say kind words. In addition, in such a company, the invitees themselves will feel comfortable, relaxed and will willingly take part in the proposed entertainment.
- Choosing a place for the celebration. Ideas for a small wedding for 10 people involve holding the celebration in a cafe or restaurant. It will be easier for young people to find a suitable establishment and they will not have to save on food.
- An original holiday. What a small wedding will be like depends on the preferences of the newlyweds, because there are a lot of ideas for holding it! Entertainment for guests can also be original or even extreme.
Interesting! To reduce the costs of organizing a wedding as much as possible, we recommend reading this article.
Ideas for a small wedding, of course, allow you to reduce costs, but this does not mean that you need to save on wedding attire, a banquet, the services of a makeup stylist, or give up a photo shoot. Despite the fact that only relatives and best friends will come, it is necessary to spend the holiday at a decent level.
If the young people have chosen a restaurant, then you should not choose a banquet hall that is too large - it will look somewhat ridiculous, because there will be few guests. It’s better to gather with your loved ones in a cozy and bright cafe. Another great option for a chamber ceremony is a country house or apartment. If the budget does not allow you to celebrate the holiday in a cafe or restaurant, then the banquet can be held in your own home. In this case, you can beautifully decorate the room and hold a themed party. And if the weather permits, you can hold a wedding outside the city in nature, having prepared a site for this in advance.
We should not forget that this day never ceases to be solemn, despite the small number of guests. Moments of an important event must be captured on film in order to preserve it as a memory: the morning of the bride and groom, getting ready for the registry office, marriage, first dance, walk, banquet. You can arrange a themed photo session by preparing the necessary attributes in advance, or go to the park to get some good shots.
Decor
A special table setting, a celebration area richly decorated with flowers and candles, a beautiful photo zone - this is what will distinguish a wedding celebration from just a family dinner. Be sure to pay enough attention to the design of the wedding space. Depending on the style of your wedding, you can decorate it with natural materials, satin ribbons, paper flowers, lanterns. You don't have to invite a decorator and florist for a small wedding; perhaps decorating the ceremony and celebration venue yourself will be real fun and a lot of fun for you and your friends. After all, no one knows better than you exactly how to hang garlands and arrange candlesticks.
Bridal magazines have a lot of ideas for beautiful and inexpensive little things that will give the necessary atmosphere to a wedding celebration. And if you are not good at arranging flower ikebana and don’t really trust your taste in decoration, and the amount of work on your holiday is small for an agency, you can easily find an ideal assistant through our Tender system: create an application, describe the field of work and your wishes, as well as the amount of money you are willing to spend - and the specialist will find you!
Be sure to think about a place where there will be a mailbox for letters - wishes to the young family from guests, or a large and beautiful book for wishes. Believe me, after many years, re-reading warm words from loved ones, you will remember with a smile your small, but so big and significant holiday for you.
Be sure to come up with and arrange an area for photography. Funny selfies and beautiful group photos taken against an interesting background with your names or in the style of your wedding (if it's themed) will look both impressive and cute.
At a modern wedding, and especially at a small one, it is customary to give pleasant gifts to your guests - this could be handmade soap, wooden angels with your initials or gingerbread.
Photoshoot
A small wedding is also an opportunity to arrange an interesting photo shoot with the whole group. When choosing a photographer for your holiday, immediately inform about the format of your wedding and clarify whether the photographer is ready to offer you interesting ideas for a general photo shoot. Reportage photographers take good pictures when working with a group of 70-100 people, so we advise you to look for a family photographer. in our Catalog : look through their portfolio to choose the one most suitable for your vision.
We wrote above about the general dress code and a separate photo zone. It is also important to properly plan the time for a photo shoot, because in the fall at 6 o’clock there is already little natural light on the street and it is better to plan a photo shoot for 13.00-14.00. In summer, on the contrary, at lunchtime bright sunlight will make both the photographer and the newlyweds sweat, while evening time with soft lighting is considered ideal for beautiful shots. You shouldn’t deny yourself a photo shoot at sunset, especially if you chose the river bank or a rooftop establishment as the venue for your celebration.
Entertainment
Many couples believe that a small wedding can be done without a host. Another part of the newlyweds are sure that a stranger in a narrow circle of family and friends will be superfluous. But you must clearly understand that a wedding is a special holiday, and discussing neighbors, work details or housing and communal services tariffs will be inappropriate at the wedding table. Your wedding day should have, if not a detailed script, then at least a plan. Of course, in a small company you can safely abandon the traditional rituals of ransoming the bride and biting off a loaf, but it is better to plan the order of toasts and the time of your first wedding dance in advance.
If you decide to refuse the services of a facilitator, delegate his functions to a close friend or sibling. There must be someone at the table who will smooth out awkward pauses and get the company up to dance in time. By the way, think about the musical accompaniment of your wedding. What do you want: live music, DJ sets or your favorite songs on the speakers? Someone will have to change tracks and make the music quieter while eating and louder while dancing.
At a small wedding, traditional competitions can be replaced with board games, karaoke or a walk. If you are celebrating a wedding outdoors, you can remember your childhood and play giant dzhanga or throwing darts!
Since your guests are people close to you, whose talents and preferences you know a lot about, take this into account when planning entertainment. For example, if your fiance’s sister sings beautifully, you can ask her to prepare a musical gift for your wedding. And if your niece is a dancer, she can dance for you.
Print out photos of you and your loved one or create a slideshow of the brightest moments of your relationship. On such a special day, it would be appropriate to remember the story of your acquaintance again.
Now you know about all the nuances of organizing a small wedding and you can arrange your holiday so that it is easy and fun, leaving only pleasant emotions and bright memories! Our Catalog contains trusted specialists for you, and we also give away 5,000 grams monthly among couples who have concluded deals through our portal. Read more in the Competitions section!
