There’s no doubt about it, the pandemic has well and truly changed the way weddings are designed and delivered, that’s not news to us or to our couples!
We are seeing the need to change plans with short timescales, and be flexible with the options available to us – making the absolute best of an amazing day, despite any restrictions.
Whether it’s just for the two of you, your guestlist of thirty, fifteen or six (or anything in between!) your wedding ceremony (and celebrations) will be incredibly special. The wedding industry, and indeed couples, are really seeing that you don’t need a huge guest list to have the best of all days.
Why have a small wedding?
First of all, not everyone wants the big wedding – that’s nothing new, but for the moment there’s not a huge amount of choice on the matter, unless you wish to wait of course. And for some couples waiting for the big day means the world, to have all their loved ones there and the day of their dreams. But some of our couples have chosen not to wait, and so things move into a more intimate affair.
One of the biggest benefits of a smaller occasion is that it’s going to give you more precious time with the most precious VIPs that attend your wedding. And small doesn’t have to mean any less special or any less beautiful. They are filled with the same sheer joy and are equally stunning. You can take advantage of many special things that may have not been possible with a larger occasion. Whether it’s that super cool venue that couldn’t host big numbers – or even that doesn’t typically host weddings! Maybe it’s that you wanted to really elaborate with your décor but budget wouldn’t stretch to adorning that large space. Perhaps you’d wanted a particular chef that wouldn’t cater for a large occasion. All these these become easily achievable with a smaller occasion.
Take a look one of the small weddings we worked on last year
The year of the intimate wedding
We think 2021 be THE YEAR of the intimate wedding. 2020 set the tone of course, but understandably lots of couples wanted to wait. It may be that larger weddings can go ahead later in the year, but it may also be that we see some amount of continued restriction, even if more minimal than 2020. We’re getting the sense that couples are done waiting, and we believe there will be lots of stunningly beautiful smaller occasions to behold. Perhaps inspired by the likes of the ever so romantic floral filled marriage of Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi who opted to go ahead with their wedding albeit with a much smaller guestlist.
So, what do we recommend for a stress free small wedding? We’d suggest;
Hire a Wedding Planner
Just because it’s smaller than planned, it doesn’t mean you don’t need help. A wedding planner will help you enormously. As always, we act in the best interests of our couples – we’re engaged as your ‘crisis limiter’. We have all the tricks up our sleeves, trusted suppliers on speed dial (and we really mean that – we’ve done weddings with 10 days’ notice), and we have your dream as our absolute end goal. We can make the tough decisions, the last-minute changes and tweaks, and will go above and beyond to deliver – whatever the circumstance. We are the dream-makers, and that’s even more necessary with guidance, legal requirements and ever-changing goalposts swirling around.
Making it personal & detailed
Complete personalisation, and absolute attention to detail – we bring all things together with multiple threads and strands into a day that best represents you. This is down to the canape choices and the colour of the napkins. But it’s also about you having time and headspace to make your own wedding favours if you would like to, or to spend some time writing that amazing speech. If we can support you on all the ‘stuff’ and ‘faff’ then you can focus on the extra bits – the moments that really make it special. With a smaller number of guests to impress, lets go the extra mile – taking the time to get into the detail and the personality your small wedding deserves.
Alternative, One-off or Support with larger locations
We can help you get creative with your venue choices – we have all the expertise and ideas to transform a space. Whether it’s hiring in a small forest filled with twinkling lights for that barn that’s meant for 100 guests, or hiring a closed art gallery safe in the knowledge that with all of our Covid secure operations, personal license for alcohol service and public liability insurance to satisfy even the most rigid of venues – we can deliver something spectacular. So, whether you’re looking to reduce the size of your chosen venue down to make it more intimate for your small wedding, or looking for some really fun and fresh options that aren’t the usual wedding venue – we can help.
Taking the stress off
This is a difficult time for everyone. Weddings are also filled with heightened emotion. If we can help take the stress off, and provide you peace of mind and support throughout – all the better. Don’t be afraid to ask for support and assistance – we are used to jumping into half-finalised plans too! You are planning your wedding day as a celebration of two lives coming together – despite there being a pandemic backdrop – be kind to yourself, and each other, and let us help create a truly spectacular celebration.
If you’re looking for a partner to take the pressure off, to pull together a day where you can fully relax, enjoy and take in every single moment then get in touch and we’d be delighted to help you.