Chamber wedding - how to make it unforgettable?

Wedding abroad

A wedding abroad is the best option for a chamber ceremony for your family. So this option will significantly reduce the guest list and allow the bride and groom to enjoy their holiday. If you are planning a wedding in another country, be sure to pay attention to the seasonal climate. Choose a country based on the time of year you are going to celebrate, so as not to fall into the rainy season or abnormal summer heat. In addition, after such a ceremony you can immediately go on a honeymoon (or rather, stay in the same country).

Who needs an intimate wedding?

First, let's decide on the number of guests. A chamber wedding is an event attended by up to 12 guests. The ideas and recommendations in the article are designed for this amount. Such a wedding is often arranged if the newlyweds do not have many friends or if they want to invite only their closest people.

Dylan M Howell

Outside registration

If you are not ready for a wedding abroad, but do not want to celebrate the celebration in an urban environment, off-site marriage registration outside the city is your option. You can find a secluded hotel in nature where no one will disturb you. You can specifically choose a location with a small capacity of guests, so that an intimate celebration for two does not turn into a lavish wedding. Such a ceremony can be completed with a candlelit dinner in nature.

Pros and cons of intimate weddings

The main advantage of a chamber wedding is the unique atmosphere of comfort and intimacy, which cannot be achieved at a magnificent celebration. They also highlight the advantage of budget savings. But one can argue with this, because if you pay a lot of attention to the decor and menu, the savings will be minimal. And if you decide to take guests to another country, the costs will be impressive.

The disadvantage of a small wedding is the possible difficulty in creating a festive atmosphere. In a narrow circle, it will not be easy to feel the solemnity of the moment if the holiday looks like an ordinary family dinner.

Hot Air Balloon Ceremony

If you still want to invite one of your friends (however, a maximum of one each from the bride and groom), you can hold the official part of the ceremony in a hot air balloon. This option seems to be the most romantic, but it has a number of nuances - small capacity (although in your case this is rather a plus), dependence on weather conditions and difficulties when shooting. But all of them can be dealt with if you are prepared.

Features of a small wedding

If you have weighed all the pros and cons and settled on the chamber format of the celebration. Here are a few points that you definitely need to consider.

When inviting guests, be sure to tell them about the format of the event. Some may be confused by surprise. Newlyweds should prepare them in advance for the idea of a small number of guests so that everyone feels comfortable.
Wedding specialists should also be warned. The host, the cameraman, the photographer - they all must be prepared, because a small wedding has its own characteristics. For example, not every photographer can properly conduct reportage photography of a celebration for 10 people. It’s much easier to photograph large crowds of people beautifully. And when preparing the script, the presenter needs to know how many people he will have to organize.

Convince yourself of the correct choice. Having decided, do not back down from it. Many, having heard about the wedding format, will try to convince you. This shouldn't be confusing or scary, just don't discuss the topic. 10 people invited. Dot.
The evening program should be thought through to the smallest detail. There is a myth that at a small wedding the host is of no use, the guests will perfectly entertain themselves. This is wrong. Nothing will happen by itself. If you want to save money on the presenter, you will have to take over his responsibilities. Prepare in advance a list of competitions, the order of toasts, and entertainment for yourself and your guests. Remember that at an intimate wedding, even one bored guest will be noticeable. If there are people of different generations among those invited, make sure that it is interesting for everyone. The best option would be to contact a professional host who will take into account all the details and hold the celebration. Reserve the right to relax and enjoy communication with your loved ones.

A good option would be a destination wedding. It looks more sincere and touching, and a small number of guests will make its organization easier. In addition, this option allows you not to be tied to the time of painting and to show flexibility and imagination when planning your holiday.

Don't delay. The smaller the number of guests, the shorter the banquet should be. For 10-15 invitees, the ideal duration would be 4 hours. Accordingly, do not plan on eating too much. The average calculation will be: 250 ml. strong, 500 ml. alcoholic drinks and 1 kg of food per person.

Provide a bright end to the holiday. Fireworks, sparklers, launching multi-colored balloons into the sky - all this will be a worthy end to the holiday and will be remembered for a long time.

You can prepare small souvenirs and memorable gifts for guests. May they never forget this day either.

The most important thing to remember when preparing for a small wedding is that the celebration is not organized for the sake of a banquet and delicious food, but for the sake of sincere emotions and genuine happiness. At a small wedding you will get them in full! Therefore, go ahead, and advice and love!

Evening program

At such a small celebration, special attention should be paid to the evening program. Many brides refuse a host because... They think that a stranger will be unnecessary at such an intimate celebration, but a good professional, on the contrary, will help create an even more soulful atmosphere. Live music will be a great surprise and a pleasant part of the evening for you and your guests. These can be completely different styles - jazz, rock and roll, the main thing is that you like them.

If there are not too many guests, select a separate table for board games. Choose different games: strategy, logic, puzzles. But don't overdo it - they should not be too long and not too complex. Guests will be able to choose, split into groups and play, and you don’t forget to take care of gifts for the winners!

One of the options for evening entertainment is an outdoor cinema. By pulling a sheet instead of a screen and seating your guests on chairs, benches, armchairs or poufs, you will give yourself and them an unforgettable evening. Don't forget to reserve seats in the last row for kissing!

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Author of the photo: Vitaly Ageev | Wedding of Nikita and Lena

Options depending on the time of year

Ideas for a small wedding, one way or another, depend on the time of year for which the celebration is planned. Each season has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's figure out what period of the year and why is more successful for holding a wedding celebration, and what options for organizing a holiday should be considered, taking into account a small company of invited guests.

Spring Summer

Spring weddings are rarely held, despite the fact that this season is considered the most romantic. The advantages of such a wedding are the low cost of wedding dresses, the absence of queues at the registry office, reduced prices for the services of celebration organizers and rental premises. The disadvantages include the high cost of vegetables and fruits and the ban on weddings due to Lent.

The most popular time for weddings is summer. Favorable weather is an excellent opportunity to organize a celebration anywhere: from a restaurant to the seaside. By choosing a summer wedding, you can organize an outdoor ceremony outside the city (for example, invite guests to a country house or outdoors). The abundance of inexpensive vegetables and fruits is an important plus of summer celebrations. And at this time of year, young people can spend their honeymoon wherever their heart desires. The disadvantages of summer weddings will be high prices for paraphernalia, including costumes, and unimaginable queues at the registry office.

In spring and summer there is the opportunity to organize a small tourist wedding or picnic. Young people can come to the painting in T-shirts and jeans, and the buffet should be held outdoors. The details of a traditional wedding are out of place here, so you won't need to spend money on them. A modest ceremony means saving on wedding dresses, floristry, and a host.

An ideal, and most importantly, original solution would be a small wedding on a boat. Here you should give free rein to your imagination. Arrange everything in a pirate style (young people can take the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” as a basis) or organize a simple romantic holiday with sea motifs. Place wine, seafood and vegetables on the table. A fresh sea breeze, waves beating against the sides, the sound of the sea - this will make an indelible impression on the guests. When evening comes, invitees should be offered cozy cabins for relaxation.

Autumn winter

The advantages of a wedding in the fall will be low prices for the necessary attributes, products and fresh flowers. Discount promotions on dresses after the last season should also be considered a bonus for the autumn celebration. However, there are significant disadvantages to holding a wedding during this period of the year: unstable weather and the need to purchase additional accessories for the bride’s outfit (warm capes).

You can organize a small winter wedding at the lowest prices. Many restaurants offer good discounts for young people on holidays. In winter, you get very beautiful photographs against the backdrop of the beautiful landscapes of this season, which should not be forgotten either. The only disadvantage of a winter wedding will be the lack of an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables and limited choice of venue for the celebration.

Despite the fact that weddings are now rarely celebrated at home, no one has canceled this option. If you and your family have a spacious house or apartment, feel free to celebrate the holiday there. This solution would not be suitable if it was necessary to accommodate a hundred guests, but since the newlyweds chose a modest small wedding, this option would be a good one. The holiday will be cozy and sincere, which is not offered in a restaurant or cafe.

Just you and me - a modest wedding

A wedding for two is the most economical option. All you need to do:

submit an application to the registry office;
pay the state fee;
register on the appointed day;
buy a cake.

Actual costs are only for tax and sweets. Still, it’s worth celebrating such a significant event with at least a tea party. But the open question remains: should I buy rings? Still, they symbolize the new social status of the newlyweds. And it’s simple, it’s romantic.

If you prefer silver to gold, then such a purchase will not hit your wallet too much. And silver products are not only beautiful, but are also considered beneficial for the body. As you can see, this type of entering into a life together reduces costs on literally everything.

Games and entertainment

A wedding should not resemble a social evening. There must be entertainment, otherwise guests will simply become bored. For a small wedding, it is most convenient to hold a buffet with congratulations and toasts, and then arrange games. What advice can you give on the entertainment part?

Ideas for a small wedding:

You can organize a video or photo zone. Guests will be happy to pose for interesting photos.
Board games. It may seem strange to some, but table hockey, football, and air hockey can captivate guests of any age.
Mafia game. This interesting and exciting pastime is ideal for a small wedding.
If the wedding is themed, you can give everyone roles and arrange a role-playing game with prizes.
The old game of forfeits is also good for entertainment. Only the tasks must be decent.
At a winter wedding, it’s quite possible to have a snowball fight.
Considering that there will be few people, you can invite a photographer and arrange an amazing photo shoot.
You can choose sports as a wedding theme. And organize sports games - guests will certainly take part in this with pleasure.
A small wedding means more mobility. So why not organize sleigh rides, horseback riding, a nature trip, a walk in the park for everyone, a trip to the trampoline park, a shooting range, cycling, etc.? Guests will surely be delighted.

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.

The nuances of a modest wedding

Whatever idea for the celebration the young couple chooses, do not forget about photo and video material. It may not be a professional shoot, but the family archive should preserve the memories of this memorable day.

Chic wedding dresses can also be replaced with attributes. A veil and bow tie are budget-friendly, but very symbolic. You shouldn’t get hung up on the pure white color of the dress; it can be any pastel shade. In this case, it can be worn to other festive events. And the groom’s classic shirt can be transformed into an office shirt.

If you want to follow the tradition of a wedding bouquet, then you can also make it yourself. The cost of flowers will depend on the budget.

The main thing not to forget with all these cost reductions is that the bride should not only be happy, but also beautiful, and the groom should not only have the saved amount in his pocket, but also be satisfied with the result. And behind all the thoughts and problems about how to organize an event, the main thing to remember is that the wedding day is not a simple calendar day.

This is an event worth celebrating!