Planning A Small Wedding? Read These Tips!

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In today’s wedding planning advice post, we’re talking all things intimate weddings! Whether a small wedding is your dream wedding or you’re considering keeping your guest list small to make your budget go further, we’re rounding up our top tips from Chancey Charm Wedding Planners + debunking some myths about small weddings. Cheers, friends!

-The Chancey Charm Team

WEDDING PLANNING TIPS FOR YOUR SMALL WEDDING

Couples often think since they are having a small wedding, vendors will be less expensive. Keep in mind a photographer, band, DJ, etc. can only do one wedding a day, and it’s the same amount of work for them no matter the size of the party. If you think small always means savings, just know that with most vendors, that is not the case.

Just because your guest list is small doesn’t mean you can skimp on guest experience. You should still make your wedding day comfortable for everyone who has taken the time to be there. That means don’t eliminate things like guest transportation. Keep in mind how far away accommodations or even the airport is from your chosen venue. Make sure their time with you is full of convenience so they can enjoy this sweet day with you.

One of the hardest things to do is making your wedding feel intimate. With a smaller guest list, that’s even harder. When choosing your venue, bigger isn’t always better, so choose a space that won’t drown your guests in extra space. Create seating arrangements that bring everyone closer to the action. For dinner, channel an intimate dinner party with family-style servings, candlelight, and seating arrangements that encourage communication.

That said, consider non-wedding venue spaces. A smaller guest count can mean greater flexility for your venue. A private home with an open floor plan, the intimate private dining-room at a five-star restaurant, or a small gallery full of eclectic and unique art all offer a different vibe and experience than your traditional event hall.

A common mistake with small weddings is having the reception go too long. Consider a dinner party, and not an all night dance party, as asking 15-20 people or so to dance for three hours is a lot, and could make for an awkward empty dance floor!

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Chancey Charm

Behind this blog is a team of experienced destination wedding planners. With over 350 published weddings and editorials under our brand and over 400 five star reviews collected, we’ve served 800+ happy couples since 2011. We’ve been named a top planner by Southern Living Magazine and featured on Martha Stewart. We’re an affiliate of Jet Set World Travel and love seeing our client’s destination dreams come true. This is our place to trusted planning advice with YOU, so you can plan without the stress. We also have a heart for educating new planners through the academy, so you’ll be sure to see some of that content here as well. Cheers!