Planning a Small, Intimate Wedding in Ireland
Intimate & smaller weddings have always been around, but due to restrictions we have seen them grow in popularity as more and more couples are opting to go ahead with smaller wedding days. Over the last year I have witnessed and photographed weddings with anywhere from 2 guests up to 50 guests, and each and every wedding has been filled with just as much love, laughter and fun regardless of the size of the guest list.
If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that love, friendship & family are the most important things we’ve got. So I’ve been delighted to see so many of my couples opting to celebrate these things and go ahead with their wedding days regardless of restrictions at the time. And one thing that has really shone through with all these weddings is that you really don’t need large guest numbers to have one of the best days of your life. The smiles on the faces in the photos below in the blog post will attest to that!
bride and groom in black and white leave the Dublin City Registry office holding hands and smiling
Bride and father of he bride share a moment at the top of the aisle in a stephens green club small wedding
So, lets talk about some of the bonuses of smaller weddings (of which there are many!)...
Wedding Budget
This might be stating the obvious but smaller guest numbers means more money to save OR more money to splurge on bigger ticket items you may not have been able to justify before restrictions came in. Having a bit of extra money in the budget means you can really spoil yourselves and your guests on your wedding day.
Here are a few ideas for areas you might splurge :
Food & Drink
Go all out and plan the menu of your absolute dreams with your wedding venue! Up the 3 course menu to a 5 course, add in extra canapés or late night food, splash out and get the wedding cake of your dreams...have champagne instead of Prosecco or create some custom cocktails with your venue...the options are endless!
dried flower wedding cake with flowers at a small, intimate wedding in Ireland
Wedding Flowers
Flowers can absolutely transform a venue so talk to your florist about any ideas they might have for decor (floral arches, installations, flower crowns etc) or supersize your bouquet! (Big fan of giant bouquets here)
Bridal bouquet with peonies and delphiniums at Borris House
Wedding Decor
If you have a smaller number of tables to decorate then go all out! Rent your dream glass-ware or plan elaborate centre pieces. For your ceremony you could get a custom wedding arch built or invest in fun ribbon wands or bucket loads of confetti as a fun way for your guests to interact.
Reception Music
Go all out and have music for your ceremony and wedding reception (and evening time if allowed)!
Hair & Makeup
If hair and makeup are allowed under your current restrictions and your guests numbers are lower, then consider treating not just the bridal party but some of your bffs to some pampering on your wedding day. The more wonderful people you are surrounded with on your wedding morning the better :-)
A dining room set up with beautiful candles for a small Tankardstown wedding
More Time on the Wedding Day
Having lower guest numbers means you really will get to spend quality time with all the people who are there on your wedding day. Often at large weddings you spend the whole day running around trying to chat to everyone and you only get brief hello’s with a large portion of your guests. With more intimate weddings you get time for one on ones with everybody and get to celebrate fully with your nearest and dearest.
Another bonus of not running around trying to say hello to a large number of guest is that you can, if you want, spend a little longer taking your wedding photos. Is there somewhere near your venue that you would love to go to for photos but had previously been worried it would take up too much reception time to get there? Well now we have that wiggle room and can go off exploring together creating some amazing photos, and still get you back to your reception in plenty of time to mingle with all your guests. Over this last year I’ve had a lot of my couples opt to go to places which hold meaning for them for their photos as we’ve had the extra time and it’s made for some amazing photos!
Bride and groom embrace on the great south wall on their wedding day
Bride and groom cheers with champagne on a green couch at the Little Museum of Dublin
bride and groom walk together in a corn field on their wedding day in Ireland
bride and groom pose for photos at their small, intimate wedding in Ireland with Autumn colours
Two Wedding Parties!
While some of my wedding couples are happy to go ahead with a smaller wedding as their full celebration, others are opting for a smaller celebration now and are planning a big blow out next year to celebrate all over again! I mean who can say no to two opportunities to gather all your very favourite people in one room…?
Myself and my husband actually did this a few years ago for our own wedding as we had limited numbers at our venue. We had a wedding in Connemara prioritising our families and then the following weekend had a big blow out wedding party up in Dublin with all our friends. It was AMAZING!!!!
Two brides twirl during an outdoor first dance at Tankardstown
Birde and groom kiss at there ceremony in MOLI
guests cheer for at a small intimate wedding in Tankardstown House
Two grooms hold hands at a Dublin City Registry office wedding
black and white photo of the hands of a bride and groom dancing
So whether you set out to plan a smaller wedding or find yourself altering plans with restrictions, I hope the above gives you hope and gets you excited to know that your day is going to be absolutely amazing no matter what. And just because you are potentially downsizing in numbers, it doesn't mean you have treat yourselves any less! Your wedding day is a day you will never forget so lets make it a memorable one :-) . To contact me for a quote for your smaller wedding please do so here