Intimate weddings – 6 reasons to have one
Your love doesn’t fit into a box, and your wedding celebration doesn’t have to, either. Whether you’re planning a big ole’ hoopla with 200 guests, or a more intimate gathering, just know you should do it your way. On your terms. The way you want it to be.
For those who are more into a joyous celebration than a grandiose presentation, here is a list of reasons to indulge in an intimate wedding.
Togetherness.
A smaller wedding lends to a meaningful and relaxed experience for you and your guests. You won’t be pressured to entertain a couple of hundred people, so you can actually enjoy conversations with the people who mean the most to you. They are there out of love, not out of obligation.
Your friends and families can actually get to know one another! Conversations are welcome to linger. Feel free to encourage your guests to lend a helping hand so they can contribute to the day. Guests can circle around you during the ceremony and perform a ring warming ritual, in which the rings are passed from guest to guest and held for good wishes, or they can each read a line of a poem that you love.
Less stress.
Planning a large wedding can be stressful. Like, as in worse than “planning the potatoes and gravy to be done at the same time the turkey is ready on Thanksgiving” stressful. Logistics, transportation, catering, and general people herding are much easier to handle with a smaller wedding.
Budget.
An intimate wedding has fewer guests, therefore, less mouths to feed and wet. The best part about this is that you have more wiggle room to spend your money on the details that matter to you!
You might decide to use your savings on a celebration that lasts all weekend long, with activities that allow your friends and family to relax and enjoy themselves. Maybe you’ll splurge on a jazz band, a great photographer, an amazing dress, or some locally made goods to be served. The honeymoon you’ve always dreamed of could actually wind up on the calendar. You might decide to invest some money into that fixer-upper you just bought. Just make sure how you spend your money is meaningful to you.
Location.
Smaller weddings offer more unique options for locations. You might decide on a museum or a greenhouse, a winery or a farm. It may be your favorite summer camp or cabin on the lake. You may even choose Grandma’s backyard or your favorite restaurant!
Sustainability.
Intimate weddings are more green! Less people means less waste. The average wedding creates around 400 pounds of garbage to end up in the landfill. Mother Earth will thank you.
Freedom.
While I feel that “the rules” should go out the door for all weddings, they really seem to slide for intimate weddings. Forget about what you’re “supposed” to do, forget what that awful wedding planner checklist says to do, forget what your girlfriends did. Do what you want to do. And do so surrounded by the most important people in your life.
Jen and Zach opted for a short bridal session to allow for more time with their guests. Here are a few of my favorites from this intimate and joyous wedding. Celebrated with meaning and intention at their favorite restaurant, The Hill, surrounded by their families, their closest friends, and Albert.








































