Considering an intimate wedding in 2021? Here are 10 reasons why you should do it!
We get it. You’ve been dreaming about this day for years — when all your friends and family will come together to celebrate you (and your boo). So it’s understandable that you’d rather delay the event altogether than compromise on your vision of a large wedding celebration.
But if you’ve been pushing back your wedding waiting for restrictions to be lifted, it may be worth it to consider the alternatives. That’s why you’re here, right?
If you’re an adventure seeker, you could always elope! But if having your family and friends there is important to you, an intimate, or “micro,” wedding is a totally underrated alternative.
While weddings with 150-200 guests have been the norm for decades, couples who choose to go ahead with 10-20 person weddings are absolutely raving about the results. These smaller weddings have many bonuses — they’re generally cheaper, easier to plan, more intimate and on the whole just a lot less stressful. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Are you open to the idea of a micro-wedding? Well, read on, because we’re here to convince you that they deserve better than to be your backup plan!
1. It’s all about what you want
Because intimate weddings are often simplified versions of traditional “big” weddings, there’s a lot more freedom to do what you want! With a more flexible timeline and budget, you’ll discover so many more ways to celebrate your union that reflect your unique relationship.
Some ideas: you can lengthen the ceremony with special ceremonies, such as handfasting or ring warming, and have members of your family read notes from the special people who aren’t able to attend. You can get catered food from your fav local restaurant rather than hire a caterer and create your own playlist for some dancing in your backyard!
Basically, the whole day will be about you — not about hosting a slew of guests, making the rounds and doing all of the things people expect you to do!
2. Only the most important people in your life will be there
Because your wedding will be confined to close friends and family, you can toss drama and small talk out the window. These are the people you love more than anything, and they know you better than anyone, so you can really enjoy the company of your guests the whole day.
3. You can streamline celebrations for a shorter day with less stress
Many modern weddings go about 10 hours, from getting ready in the morning to the last dance in the evening. With a micro-wedding, you’ll be able to start later, spend less time in-between events corralling people to the next part of the night and really just relax into the day.
This alleviates wedding-day stress because you don’t have to worry about being a host for 10 hours! You can sleep in, eat lunch (this is important folks!) and take it easy. And when the ceremony comes, you’ll be able to take it all in stride, with a more intimate, casual ceremony and a fun, lively dinner, if that’s what you decide!
4. Save money
This may be an obvious point, but it’s important to mention. The fewer people you have at a wedding, the less you’ll spend. Though, if you’d like to splurge on your wedding, intimate weddings are great for that as well!
You could decide to spend more on the venue, or food, or even your dream dress! Just make sure to sit down with your betrothed and talk over what is most important to each of you — that way if your partner really wants a popular jazz band to play at the reception, you can plan everything else around that expense. You can keep track of your budget with our wedding budget checklist, available here.
5. More venue options
One of the best parts about having a micro-wedding is that a whole realm of new venues is at your disposal. All wedding venues have caps on the number of guests they’ll allow, so as your guest count dwindles venue options will skyrocket. But that’s not all — with anywhere from 10-50 guests, you’ll be able to book non-traditional venues such as your favorite bar, restaurant or local garden & nursery
6. More time with guests
Instead of making small talk with near-strangers as you make the rounds at your reception, your guests will get to be participants at your wedding. They can make snacks for the morning, help set up the ceremony — and even do the florals! Plus, they’ll be able to handle the tear-down as you and your beloved dance the night away.
Having fewer guests makes the day more fun and memorable for the people who are chosen to attend. Also, you’ll have an easy way to tell acquaintances why they weren’t invited.
7. Easier to plan
Intimate weddings are often easier to plan due to their more simplistic nature. For many micro-weddings, there’s simply less to juggle! That makes it possible for the couple to plan it almost entirely on their own, or hire a wedding planner at a reduced cost to manage a few elements of the day.
This isn’t true in all cases — such as if you’re redirecting your big wedding budget to an intimate lavish occasion, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if the whole wedding planning thing stresses you out.
8. More time/money for the honeymoon
With less cost required for your wedding day, you’ll have more money for other things, like your honeymoon!! You could splurge on your dream resort stay or extend your trip by days — or even weeks.
Plus, you’ll have more brain space to devote to dreaming about all the excursions — we’re thinking helicopter ride to a glacier, zip-lining, couples massages, etc!
9. Your wedding will be memorable
While most weddings will become a blur over time, your distinct approach to this traditional binding of two families will stand out. If you’re considering a group hike to your favorite spot or a party at your favorite club, but wondering whether it’s “wedding-y” enough — let that anxiety go. Because you can do anything you want to! Your close friends and family will get on board eventually (they love you after all!).
And because your intimate wedding will be uniquely you from start to finish, your guests will remember it fondly in the years to come. So just do the thing, you won’t regret it
10. You can enjoy your day completely
When planning a big wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in the traditional schedule and forget that it’s your day. With an intimate wedding, you can forgo all the in-between parts you’re not looking forward to and just do you! Doing this will allow you to enjoy your day completely — from start to finish — and get your marriage started on an amazing stress-free track.
