Top Tips on Planning A Small, Intimate Wedding
You can be feeling overwhelmed by the thought of planning a smaller wedding but with even more reasons to plan a small, intimate wedding in these tricky times we have worked with a number of experienced and creative Surrey wedding professionals to bring our top tips on planning a wedding.
As there will be fewer guests attending it will mean that the guest experience will need to be high on the agenda and key for your inspiration for the day.
Photo Credit - Fresh Shoot Studios
REVISING YOUR GUEST LIST FOR AN INTIMATE WEDDING
Trying to figure out your guest list not sure how to cut it down - look at your text messages and calls and only invite those you’ve spoken to in the last 3 months - we speak to those who matter most – FACT!
Think about how your day will unfold, and all the touches that can be added to make it feel exclusive and intimate, that a bigger wedding party might not be able to achieve. This could be hiring a private chef and sommelier that offers private tasting as part of the day.
Alternative Venues - A small intimate wedding can open up a whole new range of venues which would have otherwise not been suitable because of the numbers so you can now start considering restaurants, private gardens, galleries, wine bars, your home - hire a small marquee from Inside out Marquees such as a sail tent if you are concerned about the weather, or even hire a large private house for the weekend - this is definitely the time to be thinking outside the box. Unusual places like Louisa Grace Interiors have some great event space for small numbers.
Photo Credit - Fresh Shoot Photography
· Smaller numbers mean you can introduce hand finished touches
Smaller numbers mean you can introduce hand finished touches such as personalised place cards, embroidered napkins with their initials - why not work with a stationer such as ERA Calligraphy to make a suite of stationary that will intrigue and excite your guests as to what's to come on the day.
Detail is everything so working with a Wedding Planner is key is ensuring the guest experience is exactly how you envisaged. Wedding Planners will ensure you have a seamless day from start to finish which is truly memorable. With smaller numbers, service is everything - you’ll want someone there to facilitate the flow of the day so you can enjoy it instead of worrying about whether alcohol is running low or when the food is being served.
A curated menu and the perfect wine pairings are something Two Many Cooks will look after for you to develop a truly personalised menu. You could consider adding some extra interest in having a live food station.
Think about every part of the guest journey and the ambience you want to create - music will be key to this
Photo Credit - Fresh Shoot Studios
Carefully chose your photographer - a small intimate wedding will require a whole different set of photography skills where your photographer will need to blend seamlessly into the background - Amelia at Fresh Shoot Studios is great at this.
Styling of the tables - Fewer tables and a smaller space means the only limit to your design is your imagination. You can make each table really stylish with the flowers and candles that you choose and remember to design the space not just the tables and ensure the floral designs that you choose still allow your guests to talk across the table - Mad Lilies can help you with this
Don’t forget about deluxe linens and tableware from Couvert Hire as these can really anchor a table. From elegant glassware to showpiece dining plates, Covert have some beautiful place settings to elevate your table design.
Instead of multiple tables seat everyone at a long estate table with spaces between households or at a U-shaped set up which will make everyone feel like family and don’t forget to leave room on the table for conversation - so one idea Mad Lilies recommends is lifting the flowers up and suspending from overhead as a canopy
· Personalise your place settings
Personalise your place settings with a micro cluster of wedding flowers on the napkin of each place setting.
Ester and Erik luxury candles at different heights running all the way down the table can create a beautiful atmosphere of twinkling light.
A wedding cake traditionally gets displayed on a separate table but why not incorporate it in to the table design as seen on our inspiration from Gaya Cakes and Confections.
Photo Credit - Fresh Shoot Studios
On the subject of wedding cake, why not incorporate your cake as a desert especially if you go with Gaya’s black forest gateaux style cake. You can then compliment it with espresso martini - a perfect combination!
Creating a signature cocktail for your guests would be a great ice breaker when or if numbers are small why not consider having each guest share what their favourite cocktail is so that they can enjoy just this! Tattam’s Cocktails are fabulous at creating cocktails with style and cane even create a new cocktail working with colours from your theme.
To help bring all the style together, working with Turmeric House to help you curate, create and inspire your space. Turmeric House will ensure you create a fully immersive guests experience through the style and design of the setting.
As you are determining the finer details of the day, decide what is important to you and your partner and remove things that are not important to you. It may be something like the traditional aspects of a wedding day such as the first dance or cutting of the cake.
perefct curated favours for an intimate wedding
Favours – with smaller, intimate weddings you have the opportunity of creating perfectly curated gift boxes with personalised gifts or maybe consider a unique scent for your wedding and have a candle made for your guests. The list is endless but there are so many options.
Having less guests at your wedding means you get to spend more time with each and every one of them. So many couples say they didn’t get to chat to everyone but when you’re having an intimate wedding, you will get plenty of time to chat with them all. If you’ve followed our first top tip then you’ll love spending time with each and every one of your guests!
Styling and Art Direction – @turmerichouse
Venue –@louisagraceInteriors
Photographer - @freshshoot
https://freshshootstudios.co.uk
Florist - @madlilies
Caterer - @twomanycooks
Cake - @gayas_cakes
Dinner Ware - @couverthire
Stationery - @eracalligraphy
https://www.eracalligraphy.com
Cocktails - @tattamsbar
Wedding Planner - @susieevans.co
Susie Evans wedding co is here to support you!
If you want to chat through your concerns or just need a friendly voice, I am here and offering complimentary calls to all wedding couples and wedding industry friends. It’s ok, I am not going to sell….it really is just some support for you.