How to nail a small wedding celebration
Small wedding, live streamed so no-one misses out completely. Photography by Kirsten Walsh.
Considering a small wedding or elopement? Here’s why, and how to nail it!
We’ve been fortunate to get together with the team at Perfect Little Weddings, to talk more about small weddings and elopements and how to nail one, so if you are considering down-sizing your wedding celebration and keeping things simple, read on!
For some it’s an easy choice keeping things small…but for others who maybe had to cancel a big wedding, it takes a bit more consideration around what will be different and whether they will be happy with a smaller wedding.
reasons why having a small wedding is awesome:
Beautiful set-ups
Save costs
More time with guests
Cute as venues
More eco friendly
Less stress
The beauty of having restricted numbers is you don’t have to invite those relatives that you only see from time to time, and having a limit on your guest list makes it easier to say no to parent pressure! More and more couples are choosing to have an intimate wedding realising that it can be a great option. Saving thousands, yet still having an amazing celebration!
Inside Ruth Pretty’s Springfield - Small wedding dinner.
Wedding photography by Jenny Siaosi.
Tips to help nail that small wedding:
Remember it’s YOUR day to do exactly what you want (also applies to any sized wedding).
Use family & friends and any of their skills to help you with the planning/ doing.
Use a fun online planning tool such as Trello or Airtable to get organised.
Council halls and parks are great affordable options for a tight budget.
Remember your guests are simply happy to come and to celebrate with you.
It’s good to have everything planned out, but more important to be flexible!
A fun and stress free way to get married and celebrate with your closest family and friends is to hold a two hour wedding, which consists of a ceremony and cocktail style reception. Simple yet elegant!
Many couples will also go on to an after party (backyard bbq - family dinner, or small reception at their favourite bar).
Image by Fairlie Atkinson.
Image by Fairlie Atkinson.
Image by Kirsten Walsh.
And even better, when you hire people who plan small weddings for a living 😉… Then not having to plan and manage your wedding day can remove months of potential stress and anxiety.
As an example: We had a couple who had planned a destination wedding in Scotland. Their kiwi family were to travel over for the wedding, but Covid restrictions meant the wedding was cancelled and they returned to New Zealand. For them the ease of using a wedding planner and booking a small wedding package at short notice felt right, they booked in and were happily married within 6 weeks!
Lovely small wedding ceremony in the garden.
Beautiful wedding ceremony moment - Photography by Andie.
If you are more of a DIY person, make sure to get your friends and family on board to help. They can help so you don’t feel like you are alone dealing with everything. Think about which of them would be perfect to help you with the styling. Is one of them great at baking cakes? Do you have a friend who loves flowers and might like to help with that? Do you know someone who has event or project management experience? Including your guests is also a great way to beat stress and make the planning more fun. Have planning evenings over a bottle of wine or coffee and enjoy putting together your big day – share the load!
Another tip, and you have probably heard this already - decide on a budget and stick to it. Escalating costs are one of the main sources of stress. Agree on a maximum spend together – whether it’s $5000 or $10,000 – and spend time at the beginning getting several quotes for everything before booking. As a rough guide our Perfect Little Weddings 30 guest package is $5600. This includes everything you need for a 2 hour wedding.
Wedding planners, including us, use professional suppliers that have been vetted so there are no disappointments on the day. Another bonus is that we get preferential rates with them due to the repeat business. That helps create a luxe micro wedding. DIY micro weddings can be cheaper, especially if held at home. But do consider using a company like us who will do it all for you – also priceless 😊
Whatever you decide, have a wonderful wedding day!
Bride and groom add a personal message to the live streaming of their wedding day. Photo by Kirsten Walsh.
Thanks so much to Frances & Karolyn from Perfect Little Weddings, for sharing some of their wisdom and experience with planning small weddings.
Visit their website to find out more about what’s on offer! Also big thanks to the wonderful, talented and lovely photographers:
Kirsten Walsh , Andie Noon, and Fairlie Atkinson for the use of their images.