Boring speeches, unpleasant pleasantries, and all the mandatory motions…
If you’ve always dreamed of having a huge wedding full of traditions at an unremarkable venue, then stop reading here. This article is not for you.
But if you’re a romantic dreamer who wants to make their wedding a truly one-of-a-kind experience, then please, keep going.
While there’s nothing wrong with giving in to tradition, there’s a certain magic to doing things your own way. Especially if it’s about the happiest day of your lives…
So, if you want your wedding to be truly intimate, profound, and special…
…here are my top 3 tips to help you bring it to life.
1. Find A Hidden Gem As Your Venue
I’ve already talked about this in my other articles…
…but why have your wedding at a typical wedding venue?
Why not get creative – and a bit adventurous – and find a location that’s truly yours?
Or even better: find a place where nobody in the history of weddings has ever said their vows before?
Okay, okay… I might have gotten a bit carried away with that last one.
Still, find a special place that warms your hearts. A place that feels like home to you.
And imagine how you’d decorate it. What you’d do there. What photos you’ll take for your wedding album. – Do you like what you see?
Now, if you’ve imagined a traditional venue – that’s great.
But if you’ve pictured your own backyard – that’s also great.
And everything in between is also amazing. A picturesque garden, a romantic Airbnb, a scenic hilltop, or a charming cottage. Your special place could be literally anywhere.
Once you break the chains of limiting yourself to a traditional venue…
…the whole world becomes your oyster.
So find the courage to be creative with your location.
And make sure your location actually is: Your location.
2. Invite Fewer Guests
Okay, your family’s gonna hate me…
But do you really want 150+ people at your wedding?
I mean, what’s the point in inviting people that you won’t even notice are there?
Or are you really planning on spending quality time with 150+ people? Like, really??
Sure, having your closest friends and families witness your special day is meaningful…
…but inviting the previous owner of your aunt’s neighbor’s cat is not.
I know, I know – this is hard. Because no matter what you do, feelings will get hurt. But you still have to draw the line somewhere. And some people just won’t make the list. If someone’s not a “heck yeah”, then they’re a “no”. There’s no “maybe”. Sorry.
After all, you can’t have an intimate wedding with near-strangers roaming around your venue. Nor can you let go and be truly yourselves, if you have to focus on keeping your hordes of guests entertained and happy.
So, how do you solve this?
By inviting only the people you truly want there with you on your big day.
Which means having fewer guests.
And fewer people = less of everything.
Fewer expectations, fewer guests to entertain, less pressure if something doesn’t turn out perfectly, a smaller budget, less time spent planning, and – unfortunately – less champagne.
3. Travel Far To Kiss The Bride…
This one is my favourite, because if you decide to elope or have a destination wedding…
…you’ll automatically make the most of my first 2 tips!
First of all, you can go anywhere you want for a destination wedding. Literally anywhere.
You can find a special place nearby or go to your dream destination far-far away. You can even kick off your honeymoon with your elopement. Imagine how romantic & special that would be…
And you’ll also invite less guests. Naturally. Without having to explain yourselves.
Instead of saying: “we’re going to the venue nearby, but you’re not invited”…
…you can say “we’re going to a magical Greek island with our families and closest friends”.
Sounds a lot better, doesn’t it? – which is why everyone will understand it. No hard feelings.
But despite all its benefits, eloping might sound scary at first. I mean, it’s soo unconventional that it might have not even crossed your mind up until this point. And I agree: eloping isn’t for everyone. And trying to force it upon yourselves will only cause more stress that it solves.
So, it might make sense to book an Engagment Session first – just to dip your toes in the water before diving in. If you end up enjoying the experience, then great – you’ll love eloping too. But even if you don’t – at least you’ll know for sure and you’ll still get an album full of your newest romantic adventure.
I hope you enjoyed my article about the best ways to make your wedding a truly special and intimate experience.
