Smaller, more intimate wedding ceremonies have become popular in recent years.
Ariana Grande recently tied the knot with her beau Dalton Gomez in what has been reported to have been an intimate wedding ceremony with no more than 20 people.
This is a massive difference from what traditional white weddings used to be. The unwritten rule for weddings in the previous years has always been the bigger the better, with guest lists including as many as 200 people if not more.
According to reports in the Financial Times, an average wedding in the UK would cost roughly £24,000 (R470 7000) and that is excluding the honeymoon.
In South Africa, it is reported that an average wedding would cost upwards of R70 000.
Apart from the financial aspect of things or the fact that we are still in a pandemic, there might be other reasons why young people might be tempted to have smaller more intimate wedding ceremonies.
Whether it’s because they want a more private ceremony like Grande, or want to plan the wedding in their own way, we are bound to see more couples opting to have smaller weddings.
The founder of Rock My Wedding, Charlotte O’Shea told Glamour that the benefits of a smaller wedding include couples feeling more relaxed and having more time to actually enjoy the wedding (rather than catching up with relatives they may not have seen for years).
“The nature of a smaller, less traditional wedding has enabled couples to really think outside the box when it comes to what they wear and how they style their day: rather than having to potentially consider a dozen centrepieces, couples can now have one long table with a statement floral installation, for less than their original floristry budget for example,” she told the publication.
If you are on the fence about whether or not you should have an intimate wedding, here are some of the advantages to having a smaller ceremony.
Intimate moments
Unlike a wedding with 200-300 guests, a plain and simple intimate wedding will make room for more meaningful moments, where you can spend time with your partner and fully enjoy your day without feeling any kind of pressure to entertain hundreds of people.
The guests will also have the opportunity to bond and get to know each other and form authentic bonds.
Your wedding can be your own creation
Most people spend a chunk of their lives planning their wedding, even if it’s just pinning ideas on Pinterest. Unfortunately when the moment finally arrives most people end up having to change their plans in order to accommodate others.
That will not be the case if you plan an intimate wedding, because your wedding will consist of a much smaller group you can book unique venues, experiment with the menu, and just have fun with the whole planning process.
Splurge on things that matter to you
The guest count usually affects all other decisions you make when it comes to your wedding. Catering food, beverages and transport for 20-30 people is considerably different to doing the same for +200 people.
Because you will be saving from having less guests, you can splurge on other elements that matter to you and your partner. You can book the best photographer in town, go overboard with decor or even hire the best entertainment for the ceremony.
You get to pick the traditional elements you want
Since you and your partner will be the main decision-makers, you can pick and choose which traditional elements you want to keep. There is no format to intimate weddings, whatever the couple wants goes, which gives you the opportunity to start your own traditions.
Intimate weddings are making this special occasion more accessible to couples that can not afford to spend an arm and a leg on a wedding. The only challenge would be the process of cutting people down without offending them, but once you jump over that hurdle, you will be able to plan one of the best days of your life.
