Image: Red Eclectic | Celebrant: Sally Bruce
Intimate weddings, micro weddings and elopements have gained traction recently with more and more couples opting for these kind of weddings. Yes, Covid may have had a lot to do with their increased popularity but there are so many more benefits of having an intimate wedding and I am going to lay them all out for you!
One of the very first things you consider when planning a wedding is your guest list. Have a careful think about who you want to share this momentous occasion with. No, you don’t need to invite your third cousin who you only see at Christmas each year. No, you don’t need to invite your work colleague just because they invited you to their wedding. And no, you don’t have to invite your parent’s friends that you haven’t seen in years just to keep your parents happy!
It is YOUR love that you are celebrating, no one else’s! This day is about the two of you and nobody else! Give yourself permission to only invite the people who YOU love dearly and the people you simply can’t imagine spending the day without. I've come up with 10 reasons to cut your guest list and have an intimate wedding! Let's dive into them!
1. Small weddings are more eco-friendly
We are all about sustainability and we love intimate weddings because they mean less waste! Weddings create a great deal of waste... food, beverages, flowers, wedding favors and paper used for invitations, rsvp's, menus, seating charts etc. The list goes on! Less people means less waste all round! It also means less fuel emissions as there are fewer people, and often fewer vendors, travelling to and from the wedding.
2. They are more affordable
An intimate wedding will save you money! Or it will free up your budget to splurge in areas that a stretched budget wouldn’t allow for. Since you won’t be paying for 200 people’s food and drinks then maybe you can afford extra cocktails for everyone or you can book that luxury honeymoon accommodation you have been swooning over.
3. Less stress!
Having a smaller wedding can make wedding planning and the day itself far less hectic. Planning a large scale event is more to manage, more to juggle and can lead to more stress. Couples often get caught up in the planning madness and lose sight of what the day is really about. Keeping it small and simple will reduce or eliminate any planning related stress and keep you focused on what is truly important...your love.
4. More meaningful time with your guests
As the host of your wedding day, you will feel the social obligation to spend time with every guest who has attended. When there are a large number of people to mingle with it can make you feel like you are being pulled in a hundred different directions (literally)! By the end of the night, although you have talked to everyone a little, it can feel like you haven't spent meaningful time with anyone! Having fewer people at your wedding will mean that you will be available to spend quality time with everyone and it will help stop the night from feeling like a complete blur!
5. An opportunity to get creative!
A smaller guest list means you aren't restricted by venue capacity limits and you can get creative with venue options. Think outside the box and explore alternative venues like unique Airbnbs, cute and cosy restaurants, private studios or even your own home. The possibilities are endless!
6. You will feel more relaxed
Celebrating one of the most important days of your lives with only the people who matter most to you will make you feel more relaxed and will help ease wedding day jitters. Nervous about public speaking or having all eyes on you for your first dance? Knowing that only your nearest and dearest are there will take the pressure off and help ease that anxiety.
7. Your guests will feel more at home
Having fewer guests to mingle with means more quality time with your guests and this will make them feel more relaxed and welcome. There's also a good chance that most of your guests will know each other, probably pretty well, and this is going to make them feel right at home.
8. Cut down your wedding timeline
Keen to get married in 3 months instead of waiting a year? Fewer people and fewer details to arrange means that this is an achievable goal! In Western Australia you need to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage form AT LEAST one month prior to your intended date of marriage so you can't rush off to get hitched tomorrow! But a shorter time line is entirely possible with a smaller guest list.
9. Easier to sneak time with your spouse
The biggest piece of advice I give my couples before their special day is to make sure to take time away together to stop and soak it all in! The day goes so quickly and it is so important to take moments to enjoy each other and to bask in the momentous step you just took together! Having fewer people at your wedding makes this much easier!
10. Destination weddings are an option
Does spending a whole weekend away with your loved ones to celebrate this important occasion sound like a dream to you? Asking 150 people to travel for your wedding is no easy feat and it is not a sustainable choice. But only asking close-knit family and friends to do this makes a destination wedding a feasible plan!
Photo Credits
The wedding pictured was an intimate affair at an Airbnb in the Perth hills.
The beautiful image is courtesy of Red Eclectic, my favourite eco-friendly Perth photographer.
https://www.redeclectic.com.au
The image also features another eco-friendly Perth vendor, Sally Bruce Celebrant.
https://www.sallybrucecelebran...