Not everybody loves a huge shindig so is it possible to get married without a party? Sometimes it can seem like everything is geared towards the reception and trying to outdo the last wedding that we went to. If you are on a tight budget or if you just don’t want the whole circus of a wedding then how do you do it? Follow this guide to find out how you can get the wedding you want!
Small but Modern Marriage Celebrant packages are usually the best ones as you get to interact with all your guests and this enables you to relax more knowing that you have your closest friends and family around you. There is also more focus on the ceremony itself as you know everybody there is focusing on the words you are saying and are truly there to celebrate with you.
A smaller wedding is easier to get away with if this is perhaps your second time around as most people will understand why you don’t want a huge wedding again, especially extended family members. As well as saving on costs you are also cutting down on wedding nerves.
If you have a groom who is nervous about making a speech having a smaller and familiar group of people around him will help him out immensely. Also you can focus more on the day itself knowing that the sea of faces watching you make your vows will be familiar and this should help seep away any nerves leaving you free to enjoy your day without any stresses.
Location, Location:
Locations for smaller weddings are often easier to find. You don’t need to fall into the trap of finding a location big enough to cater for everyone. Why not do what Kate Winslet did when she married Sam Mendez and hire a local pub? You can really go wild here and choose a destination wedding, a quite but nice chapel that can make the event a spiritual experience, or a really quirky place that sums you both up as a couple or is somewhere that provides the backdrop of a mutual hobby.
For example if you are both into potholing there are some locations where you can get married in a cave or tunnels (May not be suitable for some guests). Or there are the more ordinary routes such as a civil ceremony in a quiet location or a registry office. Other locations include theaters, cinemas, music venues, private houses, barns, and outdoor wedding garden venue – you name it.
You can even get married on the London Eye. A destination wedding is a sure fire way of keeping your guest list small and ensuring only the people you really want there are invited. They can be costly though so make sure that you have budgeted enough and decide if you are going to pay for people’s flights and accommodation too.
Who to Invite
This is entirely up to you. Most small weddings cater for the couples nearest and dearest including family members and close friends. Or if you have a large circle of friends it is sometimes easier to just invite close family to avoid the extra cost and the possible awkwardness associated with having to choose who will be present.
If you have children then you will have noticed that your social circle will have changed quite dramatically – do you invite the best friends you see only every six months or the people you see every day? Here’s where you can justify not inviting these people. If they don’t know you as a family or as a couple then what’s the point? Invite only the people who you both know and who you know care about you all immensely.
Don’t invite the people one or the other of you has never met. This should be easier to explain to people without hurting anyone’s feelings. Most importantly let people know your intention to have a small wedding and make your reasons clear.
It’s your wedding and it’s your choice how you do it, it isn’t up to anyone else. Of course should you choose to throw all caution to the wind then why not elope? It doesn’t have to be as tacky as Gretna Green or the Little White Chapel in Vegas.
There are plenty of ways to do this. There are many ‘Elopement’ packages available in the UK as well as around the world. Small weddings are getting bigger by the day and many people have caught on to this idea.
You can rent a location and have two witnesses supplied and a champagne reception just for the two of you. Many places also allow a small number of guests should you feel as though an elopement will ruffle too many feathers.
Costing
You will still need a certain amount of cash to fund your wedding – albeit not as much as a huge wedding but still a required amount. There will still be all the usual wedding costs to out lay regardless of how small you are planning to go.
Venues, celebrants, rings, outfits, photographer, reception ,wedding bouquet and of course‘Thank You’ flowers all cost a lot of money and although you will be cutting a lot of the cost down by not having a big wedding or reception, they will still all need paying for. However, it does mean you can then splurge on the other details if you have the budget for it.
You can of course throw a party as such for the people you wanted to invite but couldn’t. It doesn’t have to be anything flash – you could even have it in your home with just a select few friends and family members. Or look to hire a function room in a pub – usually free in some places if you have a certain amount of people in attendance. This gives you the option to escape into the quieter areas of the pub and not hurt anyone’s feelings. However you do it as long as you do it your way then that is all that matters.
