How to Have a Small Wedding // Eight Examples
How to Have a Small Wedding
We have officially marked a year anniversary of a global pandemic that changed almost all aspects of our lives, including weddings. 2020 was the year of Elopements, Intimate Weddings, Minimonies, & Microweddings, but smaller weddings have always been more than just a trend to me. It’s how Hanna & I chose to get married & it’s how so many of our couples planned long before regulations or directives forced anyone’s hand. Small weddings are a viable option for anyone who hesitates at the thought of planning a big, modern wedding. Couples have ventured out alone with only us to witness their day, we’ve hiked with 25 people for a sunrise ceremony, or we’ve filled the first few pews of a chapel in the woods. The resiliency of our couples over the past year can not be overstated, & thanks to their creativity & willingness to go with the flow I’ve put together eight amazing examples of how you can pull off a smaller wedding!
First & foremost— the guestlist. This is the most troublesome part of wedding planning for almost every couple we work with (including ourselves). Saving yourself the trouble & going straight to Elopement planning is always an option, but some people feel much more need to honor those closest in their life & want to celebrate with them. Cutting the guest count to at most 40 can still have the appeal of a small wedding, but 25 & less is where we really step into Intimate Wedding territory. Narrowing down that much can be difficult, so just know that your family & friends who truly support you will understand! Especially if you include them in an anniversary celebration or other reception event later.
Option 1: Living Room Elopement
The circumstances that let to this unique elopement will hopefully never be replicated again, but I feel like this would be a great idea for anyone far from their family or even just wanting something more private & affordable in a pinch. Lindsey & Chris’s original wedding date fell less than a month after quarantines & lockdowns, but they had just moved into a new home to share & wanted that date to stick, so we had a Zoom wedding with their pastor in their new living room! This was complete with a small bouquet from their planner, Most Joyful Day, a small wedding cake, & even a first dance & champagne toast. The best part was at the end when we heard honking outside. A big number of their Zoom guests used a virtual background of their living rooms so they could secretly drive to their home for a honking parade outside. We’ll never forget it! These two had a larger wedding celebration later including a ceremony that more of their family & friends could witness. I think their “big” day was even better because their “small” day took all the pressure off!
Option 2: Family Only Ceremony & Reception
Allison & Rob were another couple who wanted to keep their original wedding date & plan a reception later for their friends to attend. With their original wedding date we had to change venues, so they had incredible & sweet ideas to get ready & wind down the day at Allison’s family property, but hold the ceremony at the summer camp where they met working as counselors! Their immediate family was in attendance & they treated us as such with a seat at the table & everything. It was SO touching to see them tie the knot at a spot they spent time while dating & then have photos on the property where Allison grew up.
Option 3: Adventure Elopement
This adventurous elopement day was technically Jill & Bret’s fourth wedding day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan a similar elopement from day one! They first spent a year engagement planning a wedding in Florida that shut down as most everything else in 2020. Second was when they Vegas-style eloped at a strip-mall to take care of the legal matters. They thirdly planned on an intimate minimony that got cancelled due to a family emergency, so finally they ended up on these sandstone bluffs with us! I don’t know if the photos quite make up for all the wedding planning that didn’t work out, but I think we came pretty close! We got to share this special place & had it all to ourselves in the mid-afternoon to take our time & fight the heat. They are another perfect example of resilience, willingness to push back against the traditional, & a the ability to relinquish control.
Option 4: An Intimate Microwedding
Microweddings are being defined as a cross between an elopement & a big traditional wedding with 50 or less people, but still including more traditional elements of a wedding day. Elizabeth & Austin stuck with their plans & venues, but downgraded the guest-list significantly to make something safer & more intimate! These two had a cute little AirBnB rented to get ready in Bella Vista, AR, we then had a ceremony at Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel (my favorite little cabin in the woods), then headed down to Fayetteville’s University of Arkansas campus for a reception outdoors with a long family table at The Inn at Carnall Hall. It was a beautiful day with beautiful people, & much more laid back than most larger traditional weddings!
Option 5: Adventurous Intimate Wedding
Rebekah & Daniel planned from the beginning on having an intimate wedding in the Ozark Mountains with a more adventurous feel, but 2020 had their guest list stripped down to their immediate family & closest friends to be there with them. Only 11 people, their Best Dog, & Dog of Honor in total, one member of the wedding party serving as the officiant, an outdoor wedding with no decor aside from nature, & some amazing cabin & ceremony location accommodations from the Buffalo Outdoor Center. We worked with our friends at the Buffalo Outdoor Center to plan a perfect little wedding day for Bekah & Daniel complete with a first look & gift exchange at the cabin they’d be staying the night in, a hilltop ceremony spot with amazing views, & a trip down to our favorite Buffalo River campground for some photos. We were even able to take some time away from the reception for stargazing in the incredibly dark skies near the Buffalo National River. On any given weekend Ponca, AR is where we want to be, so it is even better if we get to be there to serve others on their wedding day!
Option 6: Family Cookout Wedding
Ashley & Phil planned their outdoor, lakeside, family cookout wedding before we had any idea the world was about to change & weddings along with it. It was difficult not having Phil’s family in from Canada, but the day beautifully honored the couple & I’m grateful his family has these photographs to share in the experience! Ashley wore her mother’s wedding dress (her lifelong dream!) & most of the decorations were DIY at this amazing lakehouse rental on Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. Planning a wedding like this relies a lot on keeping the guest list manageable so everyone can navigate the property without feeling overcrowded, but my favorite part was how they built a platform over the firepit for central stage auditorium-style seating of their guests around them. Ceremony concluded with a biodegradable confetti tunnel (remember to Leave No Trace!), then they had their cookout reception complete with the firepit. It was perfect!
Option 7: Old Fashioned Courthouse Elopement
Megan & James are both practicing lawyers in Northwest Arkansas, so when 2020 thwarted their larger, more traditional wedding plans, they found it only natural to call their favorite District Court Judge & have him meet them at their favorite county courthouse to get married right there on the front steps with a few of their closest friends. All in all I think the ceremony was less than 5 minutes, the day just a few hours of getting ready, getting married, & spending the rest of the day celebrating with their friends. It was so “them” & it was so sweet to be a part of. Your wedding day is about YOU & there are plenty of other ways to honor your family & friends’ roles in your relationship like a future event or reception. All in all, I’m so proud that their families get to see these photos & share in the pure joy that they shared on that day in December in Eureka Springs, AR.
Option 8: At-Home Family Wedding
This last addition brings us full circle back around to a living room wedding! This was our first wedding of 2021 on Valentine’s Day weekend. Anna & Jacob’s wedding plans went through several iterations before ending up at her family home in central Arkansas. Even then, we hoped to have a ceremony spot set up on their back deck, but the weather covered it in ice then covered that in snow. The weather may have pushed us back inside, but it also provided some beautiful snow for photos around the property & an overall fun atmosphere for a winter wedding! These two had amazing friends & family that came to celebrate the best they could in the circumstances, complete with a catered meal, first dances in the living room, & a flower petal exit that Anna has always dreamed of. We’re so thankful we could be a part of it!