Wedding Planner

What Is An Intimate Wedding?

The trend towards "intimate" nuptials can be attributed to the modern desire for couples to cut costs without skimping on the big day itself.

Intimate weddings, despite their smaller guest lists, can still be elaborate and full of personality. Couples of today typically spend more money on their weddings than they did a generation ago, despite having fewer guests. Could an intimate wedding be suitable for your clients? Check out our ultimate list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help you organise a stress-free wedding.

What Exactly Is An Intimate Wedding?

Is this a large-scale elopement or an intimate wedding? Okay, then, it's both!

If you type "intimate wedding" into Google, you will get a wide range of results, some of which may be contradictory. The term "intimate" wedding has been used to describe parties with as many as eighty guests, which is not what we do. Whether or not a wedding has a small guest list depends on the individual's definition of a "large" wedding. Wedding parties with ten to twenty-five attendees are considered "intimate" by Adventure Instead.

There is no magic guest count that transforms an intimate gathering into a full-fledged wedding. Traditional weddings can be stressful events that put less emphasis on the couple and more on the party, but we believe that the intention while behind experience is more essential than the guest count. Celebrations centred on the couples, their vision for the day, and without the formal rituals associated with large weddings can have all the benefits of an elopement while also inviting guests to join in the festivities. Although it is possible to recreate the atmosphere of a large, traditional wedding with a smaller guest list, that's not what the people we work with typically want. The members of our teams who bring guests want to ensure that their guests have a wedding that is genuine and true to their dreams.

Limit The Number Of Guests

When planning an intimate wedding, it might be difficult to decide who to invite and keep the guest list small enough. Not every couple is capable of saying "no," whether it be to their friends, family, or even their own parents. To pull off a small, private wedding, the couple organising it must be on the same page about wanting to invite no more than 75 people.

It's not easy to give a blanket answer to the question of how many guests a couple should invite in order to fill up as many available seats as possible without going over. The team needs to have information on who will be attending and how likely they are to show up.

Given the same level of effort, we can confidently estimate that 80% of your wedding guests will make it to your destination wedding. Be cautious about letting your customers invite too many people, as doing so can quickly ruin the vibe of an intimate wedding.

What Makes Budgets Unique?

A small wedding may be the best option for some couples because of financial constraints.

Most customers don't realise this, but the food and drink at a wedding is usually the single largest expense. Considering that a single customer could be worth hundreds, it's easy to see how restricting the total quantity would have a significant effect on profits.

The use of "spare" monies will be determined by your customers. They may use higher-quality ingredients and advertise a "palate-pleasing" cuisine. They may also go all out with the decorations and the shows. They get to make the final call, but you can offer a wider range of alternatives while working with fewer people.

Tips For Planning A  Intimate Wedding Weekend

Many couples stop at the conventional ceremony and reception, but others like to keep the celebration going. If your couple is planning an intimate wedding, you may want to propose that they throw a welcoming reception or post-wedding brunch so that they may spend more time mingling with their guests. They could plan excursions or activities in the downtime between functions to make the most of the wedding location and their time together.

Small wedding celebrations can take many forms, from the grand finale of a dinner party to an action-packed weekend of festivities. By using them, you can add an entirely new level of customization to the special events you host for your customers.

Almost every week, we get a call from a couple planning their wedding and trying to decide whether or not to have guests. They're torn between wanting a big, wild wedding and inviting all their closest friends and relatives. You may put your mind at ease knowing that you are not the only one who has wondered this.

One of the trickiest components of planning an intimate wedding for a limited number of guests is selecting who to invite. We've put together a list of the most useful information we've picked up over the years, as well as some fantastic suggestions from our previous couples, to assist you in this important endeavour. With any luck, this will shed some light on the guest list:

Speak With Your Partner

Take some time to discuss the guest list with your significant other. Have a heart-to-heart about who might attend, asking questions like how well you know them, if they'd be a good fit for the event, and whether inviting one person might cause conflict with the other guests.

Set Expectations And Boundaries

Establish limits early on and don't feel pressured to invite people you'd rather not. It could be less stressful to elope when you're in the midst of making all the arrangements. When the time comes, you can celebrate in a variety of ways. Don't allow the objections of a single person convince you to scrap the entire list, though. When making a decision, you should know your limits and stick to them.

Stick To Your Limit

Perhaps you can only invite a certain number of guests because of where you live, or maybe you just want to invite the same amount of people as your partner. Do not deviate from the criteria you set. Consider this an out if your ceremony site only seats 20 people and you need a reason for not inviting more guests.

Be Honest

You shouldn't be evasive when asked if you're coming if you know the person asking isn't keeping a tally. You need just be truthful with the people in your life; don't adjust your behaviour, such as an invitation or apology, based on how they react. Today is YOUR day, and you owe no one an invitation to the celebration.

Pay Attention To The Experts

In this article, we share the wisdom of over fifty of our married couples on how to break the news to well-meaning friends and relatives that you are having a small wedding and that they are not invited.

How To Plan An Intimate Small Wedding

Wedding Planner

That doesn't mean that hosting a smaller wedding will save you money. They may be easier on your wedding budget, but if you're having a high-end affair, that only means you have more money to spend on each guest. Seeking Melbourne's Best Wedding Planner? Here is the one and only comprehensive list of Top Wedding Planner available everywhere.

Here are a few essentials to keep in mind if you're one of the numerous couples who choose to organise a modest wedding:

Why Have A Small Wedding?

Having a small wedding might be perfect, but you need to know what you're looking for in one before you say "I do." Like the privacy and quiet it affords you? Perhaps this trend might be attributed to the desire for weddings to reflect the couple's unique personalities. Is it because of the price tag or the allure of a destination wedding?

  • You can better control costs and stay inside your wedding budget.
  • Because there are fewer people, there is more food and alcohol for everyone, producing a warmer and more convivial atmosphere that is ideal for striking up a conversation.
  • More drop-ins equal more time for dedicated guests.
  • Because there are fewer people, there is less chaos and more time to enjoy.
  • less stress

Focus all of your energy on that one thing you know will help you make it through the big day.

List of Invitees

Invitee selection is crucial to the success of any wedding. If you're having a small wedding with only the individuals that mean the most to you, this may be a simpler choice.

​​Choose a goal that works for you and your partner. The optimal number of guests for a small wedding is 50, with 25 invited to each side. You need to make a call on whether or not to bring a plus one, whether or not to invite your closest coworkers, or whether or not to invite anyone at all. Fights can be avoided if both sides are reliable.

Make a decision as to how many individuals you want to invite to the wedding's evening celebration and how many you want to keep close and personal.

Final thought: prepare a strategy for dealing with relatives and friends that show up unexpectedly. When organising a small wedding, it can be challenging to manage people's expectations.

Make A Wedding Budget

You need to figure out how much cash is available for the wedding and where that cash is coming from (family, savings, etc.). Gaining a thorough understanding of your financial standing will allow you to make more informed decisions moving forwards.

Together with your guest list, this should give you a good idea of how much each person will have to pay. This data will prove useful when organising a wedding.

Hire The Proper Space

To make the most of a small wedding's guest list, it's vital to hold the ceremony and reception in a suitable venue. If it's too large, it may look like nobody came, and if it's too little, it may look like you're attempting to skimp on the guest list.

Make sure your ideal venue can fit your guest list by doing some preliminary online and offline venue scouting.

The location of your wedding vows is the first major decision you'll need to make. You should make sure the venue can hold all of your guests whether you're being married in a church, on a beach, at a registry office, in a barn, or anywhere else.

Reception venues range from boats and barns to intimate hotels and restaurant private dining rooms. Remember that you will be spending a significant portion of each day in this location.

The Guest Experience

Smaller parties allow the hosts to spend more time with their guests, making for a more memorable day overall.

But because of this heightened attention to the guest, the quality of the guest's experience must also be prioritised.

You should plan the day's events and the special touches that will make your wedding feel intimate and memorable, something that a large wedding guest list might not allow for. Some examples of this might include leasing a boat to transport visitors from the register or church to the reception, or arranging for a private chef and sommelier to host tastings for the guests.

Add Personality

A small, intimate wedding is a common choice for many couples since it allows them to show off their unique personalities without overwhelming guests.

Smaller wedding guest lists allow for more customization on the big day. In terms of personal touches and total budget, we have greater leeway with weddings that have less than fifty attendees.

The wedding cake, a gin club, and framed portraits of everyone in attendance are just a few examples. Your input could consist of anything from deciding on the event's colour palette to ordering a special screening of a film.

Make Your Own Regulations

You may customise every aspect of a small wedding to make it perfect for you and your partner. If you want to keep the celebration small and personal, you may decide not to participate in any 'extra' rituals. Having only one bridesmaid or no groomsmen at all is quite acceptable. A small, private ceremony allows us more freedom in design.

Consider Privacy

In order to spend some quality time together on their wedding day, many couples choose for smaller wedding parties. Not everyone enjoys being the centre of attention, as a large wedding typically does. In that case, you should contemplate having a relaxed and joyful party on your special day. It might be possible to disable access to all online content, including social media.

Accommodation

Wedding Planner

One final advantage of inviting only a few close family and friends to your wedding is that you'll have more money to spend on a lavish getaway or unusual venue. If a wedding is being held anywhere, it's likely that hotels and other lodging options will be close by for visitors. This might be a wonderful treat for some of your guests and add a touch of uniqueness to your big day.

Ideas For An Intimate Wedding Ceremony

When you're marrying with guests, everyone you care about can take part in the ceremony. The only difference between a wedding on the steps of a church and one in a breathtaking outdoor setting is that your wedding party will be standing on uneven ground with a stunning backdrop. The level of participation is entirely up to you and your guests. Taking vows can be done publicly in front of witnesses or privately between the two of you. Having guests at your wedding ceremony doesn't require any changes, but it does provide a fun opportunity to involve them in the ceremony to whatever degree the couple desires.

You may do more than just exchange vows at your wedding by including some of these creative suggestions.

Have A Friend Officiate

You can have a buddy who is not an ordained minister perform your wedding ceremony if that's how you're able to get legally married in the state where you obtained your marriage licence. If your loved one is interested in performing the ceremony, they can find information about how to become an ordained minister online, or you can step aside and recite the necessary phrases to sign the paper with us (we're all ordained).

Engage In A Unity Ceremonial

An enjoyable approach to include loved ones in your wedding is through a unity ceremony, such as handfasting, planting a tree,  mixing sand, hand laying, etc. Members of your family and friends can participate in the rite by putting the ropes across your hands and/or by saying some kind words over your new life together. A unity ceremony is a great approach to include your guests in a meaningful event without requiring them to take part in any way.

Encourage Visitors To Write Letters

You can either incorporate this into the ritual itself or discuss it with those involved in the ceremony afterwards. Having a real letter from loved ones to cherish throughout the years is a lovely way to remember your wedding day and the love and support you have from friends and family.

Invite The Talent 

Have you got a musically talented uncle or aunt? Then how about a talented artist for a sibling? Having live music at your ceremony is a great way to incorporate friends and family in the celebration and provide a memorable experience for all. Making art as a group is a great way to get everyone involved and end up with something beautiful to keep forever. Too busy with life to really plan your wedding in detail? Have someone else do it for you and check out our list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne to help take the stress away.

Conclusion

Intimate weddings can still be elaborate and full of personality. Wedding parties with ten to twenty-five attendees are considered "intimate" by Adventure Instead. To pull off a small, private wedding, the couple organising it must be on the same page about wanting to invite no more than 75 people. A small wedding may be the best option for some couples because of financial constraints. Be cautious about letting your customers invite too many people, as doing so can quickly ruin the vibe of an intimate wedding.

Small weddings can take many forms, from grand finale of a dinner party to an action-packed weekend of festivities. We share the wisdom of over fifty of our married couples on how to break the news to well-meaning friends and relatives that you are having a small wedding and that they are not invited. We've put together a list of the most useful information we've picked up over the years, as well as fantastic suggestions from our previous couples. Melbourne's Top Wedding Planner offers advice on how to organise a small wedding. The optimal number of guests for a small wedding is 50, with 25 invited to each side.

The location of your wedding vows is the first major decision you'll need to make. You should make sure the venue can hold all of your guests whether you're being married in a church, on a beach, at a registry office or in a barn. Smaller wedding guest lists allow for more customization on the big day. A small, private ceremony allows us more freedom in design. Having guests at your wedding doesn't require any changes, but it does provide a fun opportunity to involve them in the ceremony.

An enjoyable approach to include loved ones in your wedding is through a unity ceremony such as handfasting or planting a tree. A unity ceremony is a great way to include your guests in a meaningful event. Involve them in the ceremony without requiring them to take part in any way. You can either incorporate this into the ceremony itself or discuss it with those involved afterwards. Have someone else do it for you? Check out our list of Wedding Planners in Melbourne.

Content Summary

  • Intimate weddings, despite their smaller guest lists, can still be elaborate and full of personality.
  • Couples of today typically spend more money on their weddings than they did a generation ago, despite having fewer guests.
  • Whether or not a wedding has a small guest list depends on the individual's definition of a "large" wedding.
  • Celebrations centred on the couples, their vision for the day, and without the formal rituals associated with large weddings can have all the benefits of an elopement while also inviting guests to join in the festivities.
  • Although it is possible to recreate the atmosphere of a large, traditional wedding with a smaller guest list, that's not what the people we work with typically want.
  • When planning an intimate wedding, it might be difficult to decide who to invite and keep the guest list small enough.
  • It's not easy to give a blanket answer to the question of how many guests a couple should invite in order to fill up as many available seats as possible without going over.
  • The team needs to have information on who will be attending and how likely they are to show up.
  • Given the same level of effort, we can confidently estimate that 80% of your wedding guests will make it to your destination wedding.
  • Be cautious about letting your customers invite too many people, as doing so can quickly ruin the vibe of an intimate wedding.
  • A small wedding may be the best option for some couples because of financial constraints.
  • Most customers don't realise this, but the food and drink at a wedding is usually the single largest expense.
  • The use of "spare" monies will be determined by your customers.
  • They may also go all out with the decorations and the shows.
  • Many couples stop at the conventional ceremony and reception, but others like to keep the celebration going.
  • If your couple is planning an intimate wedding, you may want to propose that they throw a welcoming reception or post-wedding brunch so that they may spend more time mingling with their guests.
  • They could plan excursions or activities in the downtime between functions to make the most of the wedding location and their time together.
  • By using them, you can add an entirely new level of customization to the special events you host for your customers.
  • Almost every week, we get a call from a couple planning their wedding and trying to decide whether or not to have guests.
  • You may put your mind at ease knowing that you are not the only one who has wondered this.
  • One of the trickiest components of planning an intimate wedding for a limited number of guests is selecting who to invite.
  • We've put together a list of the most useful information we've picked up over the years, as well as some fantastic suggestions from our previous couples, to assist you in this important endeavour.
  • Take some time to discuss the guest list with your significant other.
  • Have a heart-to-heart about who might attend, asking questions like how well you know them, if they'd be a good fit for the event, and whether inviting one person might cause conflict with the other guests.
  • Don't allow the objections of a single person convince you to scrap the entire list, though.
  • When making a decision, you should know your limits and stick to them.
  • Perhaps you can only invite a certain number of guests because of where you live, or maybe you just want to invite the same amount of people as your partner.
  • Do not deviate from the criteria you set.
  • In this article, we share the wisdom of over fifty of our married couples on how to break the news to well-meaning friends and relatives that you are having a small wedding and that they are not invited.
  • How To Plan An Intimate Small Wedding That doesn't mean that hosting a smaller wedding will save you money.
  • You can better control costs and stay inside your wedding budget.
  • Because there are fewer people, there is less chaos and more time to enjoy.
  • Invitee selection is crucial to the success of any wedding.
  • ​​Choose a goal that works for you and your partner.
  • The optimal number of guests for a small wedding is 50, with 25 invited to each side.
  • Make a decision as to how many individuals you want to invite to the wedding's evening celebration and how many you want to keep close and personal.
  • Prepare a strategy for dealing with relatives and friends that show up unexpectedly.
  • When organising a small wedding, it can be challenging to manage people's expectations.
  • You need to figure out how much cash is available for the wedding and where that cash is coming from (family, savings, etc.).
  • To make the most of a small wedding's guest list, it's vital to hold the ceremony and reception in a suitable venue.
  • Make sure your ideal venue can fit your guest list by doing some preliminary online and offline venue scouting.
  • The location of your wedding vows is the first major decision you'll need to make.
  • But because of this heightened attention to the guest, the quality of the guest's experience must also be prioritised.
  • You should plan the day's events and the special touches that will make your wedding feel intimate and memorable, something that a large wedding guest list might not allow for.
  • A small, private ceremony allows us more freedom in design.
  • In order to spend some quality time together on their wedding day, many couples choose for smaller wedding parties.
  • In that case, you should contemplate having a relaxed and joyful party on your special day.
  • One final advantage of inviting only a few close family and friends to your wedding is that you'll have more money to spend on a lavish getaway or unusual venue.
  • When you're marrying with guests, everyone you care about can take part in the ceremony.
  • The level of participation is entirely up to you and your guests.
  • Taking vows can be done publicly in front of witnesses or privately between the two of you.
  • Having guests at your wedding ceremony doesn't require any changes, but it does provide a fun opportunity to involve them in the ceremony to whatever degree the couple desires.
  • You may do more than just exchange vows at your wedding by including some of these creative suggestions.
  • You can have a buddy who is not an ordained minister perform your wedding ceremony if that's how you're able to get legally married in the state where you obtained your marriage licence.
  • An enjoyable approach to include loved ones in your wedding is through a unity ceremony, such as handfasting, planting a tree, mixing sand, hand laying, etc.
  • Members of your family and friends can participate in the rite by putting the ropes across your hands and/or by saying some kind words over your new life together.
  • A unity ceremony is a great approach to include your guests in a meaningful event without requiring them to take part in any way.
  • You can either incorporate this into the ritual itself or discuss it with those involved in the ceremony afterwards.
  • Having a real letter from loved ones to cherish throughout the years is a lovely way to remember your wedding day and the love and support you have from friends and family.
  • Having live music at your ceremony is a great way to incorporate friends and family in the celebration and provide a memorable experience for all.

FAQs About Intimate Wedding

An intimate wedding is more about spending time with your loved ones; by keeping it modest, you can prioritise the guests you have while also ensuring that your day does not become a sea of plus ones and distant relatives. The location of the ceremony is another significant distinction between elopements and small, intimate marriages.

If you send out 100 invitations, you should anticipate having 85 people attend your wedding. That makes sense! At a wedding with 200 guests, you can anticipate that between 80 and 85 per cent of those people will show up. There is no question that some people who attend your wedding will be from out of town, but most attendees will be locals.

An intimate wedding is an ideal way to celebrate your union without being burdened by the responsibility of inviting far-off relatives you were unaware of. Instead, an intimate wedding provides you with the opportunity to celebrate your union with a small group of your closest friends and family members without having to worry about putting on a show. Usually, the people you're with, not the things you do, end up being the most memorable parts of any experience.

The celebration of a wedding in a small venue is not necessarily synonymous with a low-key event. However, when commemorating a meaningful marriage, having just the couple's closest friends and family members present to bestow their blessings on them, a small wedding can provide the perfect balance of seclusion and exclusivity.

There are many reasons for the rise in popularity of intimate weddings. They are an exceptionally friendly and intimate method of commemorating your big day with the people closest to you, including members of your family and closest friends. In addition, intimate weddings offer some benefits, including the ability to get the most value for your money and the facilitation of creating a wedding budget.

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