So we had the smallest most intimate wedding we have ever had yesterday with 6 guests and it was great! They are a lovely American couple who came over with two family and two friends and got married in the middle of their trip here to Ireland.

And the Bride wore vintage

They had never been here before and after planning their wedding and organizing their Ireland itinerary, I met them {for the first time} in Dingle to show them around a bit. Because I had worked so closely with them on everything, it was like waiting for friends to arrive and I was quite excited.

I love small weddings and while some people just don’t get it we met more on their travels that said they wish they had done exactly the same. Not only that but the suppliers and wedding vendors that I hired gave each one of them so much more personal attention and extra effort to make the day special that it was a joy.

The Priest felt closer to them to say some more personal words and let them say words to each other, the hairdresser, Tricia from Munster Mobile Hairdressing did all of the girls’ hair even though she was just meant to be there for the bride, Leona from Every Occasion Florist who did the  two beautiful bouquets added  some extra  special touches to the church that were over and above the call, Eoin Duignan, the musician is sending on one of his CDs as a gift {and we very nearly talked him in to coming to the pub with us after the ceremony!} and Weibke Schmidt from Murphy’s ice Cream in Dingle put so much love and care into baking the bride’s requested Strawberry Shortcake cake that I think she nearly didn’t trust me with it! Not to mention everyone at Ballyseede Castle who helped them {and me!} at every turn and served up a fantastic meal giving them all of the attention that they would to a larger wedding spending 10 times as much.

So if that isn’t enough to convince you to keep things intimate, here are 10 more reasons to take up this new trend of smaller weddings! This list is Intimate Weddings Blog which is a great resource.

1. You get to celebrate one of the biggest days of your life surrounded by people who love you.

The Bride's Bouquet

2. You can feel more relaxed on your wedding day. Because you’ll be surrounded by friends and family and putting on more of a celebration than a production.

3. You can save money by having an intimate wedding but still have all {if not more!} of the frills.

4. You can splurge. Some couples choose a small guest list not necessarily because their budgets are small, but because they can pull out all the stops and have a truly lavish wedding. You get more ‘wow’ for less wallet with a small wedding.

5. You have more options when choosing a venue. Since you won’t need a large space to accommodate your guests you will be open to more creative venue options like Guesthouses, great restaurants, art galleries or even a pub!

6. You have more freedom to customize your wedding to your own tastes, make things unique and more of a reflection of the two of you.

7. You get to spend time with your guests. How many weddings have made you feel like a stranger fulfilling a social obligation? Small weddings aren’t like that. The bride and groom can spend time with each of their guests.

8. You can make your guests feel at home. Because you will be able to spend more time with your guests, they will feel more at home at your wedding and they will all know each other or  have a better opportunity  to get to know one another.

9. You can get your guests involved. A small wedding will give you the opportunity to get your loved ones involved in your special day. Also, it’s a lot easier pulling off a DIY wedding with a guest list.

10. You can have a wedding that people will remember. Because your wedding won’t be typical, the kind your guests have been to over and over again, – your wedding and your time together will be remembered.

Now that you know the benefits, discuss and consider it for your own!

PS I’m not publishing pictures of them yet because they are still on tour/holiday/honeymoon and they need to see them first!

Annie

Live, Love, Laugh and Dream!