Anyone else having a very small wedding?

suzcain · February 2014

I mean small... There will be 20 of us - just immediate family and our very closest friends. And we're on a budget. BUT I want to have the nicest wedding I can for $5,000. My first marriage was to my high school sweetheart at 20 - we had it at my parents' house and ordered in Chinese food. So I want a "real" wedding this time around - something ceremonial to kick off our "forever after." :-) But it seems like there are a lot of little costs that are adding up and killing my budget...

Do we really need favors? Is homemade cookies in a pretty bag acceptable (my FI bakes like you wouldn't believe - people tell him he should do it professionally)?

Do we really need a program for 20 people?

Are centerpieces a necessity? Will the tables look too bare without them?

Do I need to pay someone to do my hair and make-up? We're getting married on a Sunday - that's the only way we could afford a nice venue, and hairdressers don't work on Sunday. So the premium I would pay would eat up the savings on the location.

Do we need a rehearsal dinner?

It's not the first wedding for either of us - we're not young... Do we need to give gifts to our parents?

About 1/2 of our friends and family who will be there drink, and about 1/2 don't. Do we need to provide alcohol for a Sunday afternoon wedding?

With only 20 people, should we have attendants? Since everyone we're inviting is very near-and-dear, we could easily end up all wedding party and no guests. LOL!

I don't want to come off with a Kmart Blue Light Special wedding - but I need to figure out the acceptable places to cut costs. If you're having a small, intimate wedding on a budget (but not "cheap") where are you cutting costs?

The location we've found is a lovely historic home that is a full time wedding venue, and for $3100++ for a 30-person-or-less wedding they include food, soft drinks, flower allowance, photographer, tables with linens, china, cutlery and cake (we may end up taking the discount they offer for bringing your own cake if making our wedding cake isn't too stressful for my sweet man), and we can add $200 for an officiant (do we tip the officiant?). So I have all that down. But the (very inexpensive as far these things go) dress, veil, rings, invitations (buying the stock and printing at home), etc. are all adding up quickly, and I'm already over budget without adding all of the things I've asked about.

TheGrimReaper · February 2014

1) No. Cookies are more than fine.

2) Nope.

3) I'd do something to the tables, but it won't make you any less married if you don't.

4) Nope!

5) You need a rehearsal dinner if you have a rehearsal. Even if it's just ordering pizza!

6) Are your parents helping at all? You could get them something little?

7) Nope. But make sure it's just not available. You don't want anyone paying for anything at your wedding.

8) Only if you want to!

I'd rather have centerpieces than programs and favors.

I would tip the officiant, but others can weigh in on if it's NECESSARY.

MrsMarende · February 2014

suzcain said:

I mean small... There will be 20 of us - just immediate family and our very closest friends. And we're on a budget. BUT I want to have the nicest wedding I can for $5,000. My first marriage was to my high school sweetheart at 20 - we had it at my parents' house and ordered in Chinese food. So I want a "real" wedding this time around - something ceremonial to kick off our "forever after." :-) But it seems like there are a lot of little costs that are adding up and killing my budget...

Do we really need favors? Is homemade cookies in a pretty bag acceptable (my FI bakes like you wouldn't believe - people tell him he should do it professionally)?

I personally don't care for favors and don't think you need them to have a nice wedding as long as everything else is hosted properly. (bar, meal ect)

Do we really need a program for 20 people?

I think most will agree you only need programs if your ceremony has many parts, details or is complicated. If you are have a short straightforward ceremony that is self explanatory I think you can do without.

Are centerpieces a necessity? Will the tables look too bare without them?

This is really a personal preference, although I would suggest against not doing any decorations on the table. You don't have to do flowers which will cut costs. I would suggest something simple but elegant. Something like this probably won't cost much http://isa2.stylemepretty.com/wp-content/submissions/uploads/anthony@livenitup.com/16480/millermiller_livenitup_dunn_wed_44$!400x.jpg

Do I need to pay someone to do my hair and make-up? We're getting married on a Sunday - that's the only way we could afford a nice venue, and hairdressers don't work on Sunday. So the premium I would pay would eat up the savings on the location.

Again personal preference. Are you good at styling your own hair and make-up? If I had to choose I would style my own hair and have my make-up done. I think you can get your make-up done at MAC for $50 and they work Sundays.

Do we need a rehearsal dinner?

Yes you must have a rehearsal dinner if you are having a rehearsal, but it does not have to be extravagant. This could be as easy as pizza and beer. I am guessing with a guest list of 20 people your bridal party is small so this shouldn't be a huge cost.

It's not the first wedding for either of us - we're not young... Do we need to give gifts to our parents?

I don't think this is necessary and could even be a nice gift after the wedding of a picture frame with a picture from the wedding and a nice card.

About 1/2 of our friends and family who will be there drink, and about 1/2 don't. Do we need to provide alcohol for a Sunday afternoon wedding?

Up to you if you want to have drinking; however if you provide alcohol it must be a hosted bar. Do not do a cash bar or a partially hosted bar. An option would be to do beer, wine, soft drinks, and water only. This is less expensive than a full bar.

With only 20 people, should we have attendants? Since everyone we're inviting is very near-and-dear, we could easily end up all wedding party and no guests. LOL!

I have been to weddings with no attendants and as long as it is self explanatory I don't have an issue with it, but not sure on the etiquette of it.

I don't want to come off with a Kmart Blue Light Special wedding - but I need to figure out the acceptable places to cut costs. If you're having a small, intimate wedding on a budget (but not "cheap") where are you cutting costs?

The location we've found is a lovely historic home that is a full time wedding venue, and for $3100++ for a 30-person-or-less wedding they include food, soft drinks, flower allowance, photographer, tables with linens, china, cutlery and cake (we may end up taking the discount they offer for bringing your own cake if making our wedding cake isn't too stressful for my sweet man), and we can add $200 for an officiant (do we tip the officiant?). So I have all that down. But the (very inexpensive as far these things go) dress, veil, rings, invitations (buying the stock and printing at home), etc. are all adding up quickly, and I'm already over budget without adding all of the things I've asked about.

WildMagelet · February 2014

We're doing small but not that small, but I have a large immediate family. Less than 50 people total including vendors.

IAW pretty much everything that TheGrimReaper said.

If you're wanting hair & make-up on a budget you can look into cosmetology students.

Personally I would tip the officiant or make a donation to his parish if he's a religious leader.

CMGragain · February 2014

Wedding = bride, groom, officiant, license, witnesses. You may also have guests, reception food and drink (cake and punch is fine for mid-afternoon) a wedding gown and veil, attendants, flowers, photographer, invitations, music. If you have guests, you must be sure that there is a seat for every guest. Anything else is just extra trimmings.

phira · February 2014

1) You never NEED favors. We're doing homemade candy for ours, but we're intentionally leaving it till the last minute. We figure we're not sure how long the candy will last and we have to make a LOT of it, so if the time to make favors rolls around and our recipe isn't working consistently, or if we just do not have time, we're skipping them entirely.

If you're going to do favors, cookies are great, as are basically any edibles. Think of it this way: what will you do with favors if there are some left over (not all guests take them)? EAT 'EM.

2) You never NEED programs. Most of the time, a lot of guests either don't take one or leave it on their seat after the ceremony. Generally, folks at TheKnot advise against programs if you're on the fence or on a budget, and the only time I think they're really useful is if you're having an unusual wedding, or if there will be traditions that a lot of guests won't get.

3) You never NEED centerpieces. In fact, I prefer small or no centerpieces. I get that some people have been dreaming of their wedding decor forever and ever, but the point of centerpieces is to pretty up a table where people are eating and socializing. If you can't swing 'em, people will not miss them.

4) You never NEED professionally done hair and make-up. Many brides do their own make-up, and a lot of them also do their own hair. I'm the type of person who gets her hair professionally done for special occasions anyway, but (for example) my sister prefers to do her own hair and make-up.

5) Are you having a rehearsal? If you are having one, then yes, you need a rehearsal dinner. But it can be something super basic, like inviting people over for pizza at your house. The idea is that you want to thank people for practicing your wedding with you, so you feed them.

6) You don't NEED to give gifts to your parents anyway. I think that parent gifts are a thing from when people's parents were paying for their weddings (although someone can and should correct me if I'm wrong).

7) It's up to you if you want to serve alcohol or not. We're having a Sunday wedding, and we're having it late in the afternoon followed by dinner, so we'll serve alcohol. It doesn't have to be anything fancy: beer and wine are always good. But if booze isn't in your budget, then I THINK that those 10 people can go a few hours without alcohol.

8) Again, entirely up to you. If you want attendants, go for it. If you don't, don't have any. With a 20 person guest list, it would be awkward to have 5 attendants each, but I'm not going to show up uninvited and give you side-eye for it.

9) Some suggestions I can think of are ones you're already implementing: cut the guest list, have your wedding on a Sunday, have small or no centerpieces (ours are DIY paper flowers that I'm currently working on), do your own hair and make-up, ditch favors and programs, have little to no alcohol. Other ideas are to shop for an inexpensive dress (bridesmaids dress in white, or something you find at your local department store), wear shoes and jewelry you already own, get flowers from the grocery store (or don't have any at all), get a cake from the grocery store, make and print your own invitations.

If you come across a cost that seems frivolous, ask yourself: if we cut it, 1) will it prevent us from being married at the end of the day, or 2) will it make make us bad hosts? If the answer to either of those questions is, "Yes," then don't cut it entirely.

fionahalliwell · February 2014

My parents were 37 and 39 when they got married. It was my mom's second and my dad's first, and they decided to keep it small. I think they had 18 total guests, plus the rabbi and the guitarist. It was only immediate family and two friends with SOs.

They did centerpieces because my mom loves that stuff (my guess would be that she made them herself). She did her own makeup and had her hair done, which is what she did for pretty much every event until my cousin's wedding (she doesn't like getting her makeup done). She didn't do presents for the grandparents, and I highly doubt my dad did. I think they just gave them framed photos after the wedding. My mom's only attendant was her niece (who was not really a bridesmaid because she was really little at the time), and my dad's childhood best friend was his best man. That was it. And there weren't programs.

I really think that a 20 person wedding allows a lot of flexibility with things like favors based on knowing your audience. If it's essentially a family brunch on your dime, you probably don't need favors, but if you want to do cookies in bags, I'm sure it'd be amazing! It's all about your crowd, as long as you host everyone properly.

phira · February 2014

Definitely agree with @Schatzi13: veils are way overpriced at bridal salons. It's like ... a piece of tulle.

emmyg65 · February 2014

Regardless of the size of your wedding, none of the things you listed is necessary. You only need a rehearsal dinner if you have a rehearsal, but it can be something simple like pizza. You don't need to get your parents a gift, but if they helped with the wedding (either financially or otherwise) you should write them a heartfelt thank you letter.

Inkdancer · February 2014

My mom's wedding had a total of 19 people there, including mom and dad.

They were married on the beach. The only decor was a bouquet of sunflowers that mom held. They had no attendants, but I walked mom down the aisle. Afterwards, everyone went to dinner. No alcohol was provided but all food and sodas were hosted. There was a small round cake with not much decoration.

All in all, with wedding dress, hair, and makeup, it cost them $5000.

You can totally do this. You don't need favors, or centerpieces. (With 20 people you're probably only going to have 2 or 3 tables anyway.) You don't need a big poofy dress or airbrush-perfect makeup. You just need yourself and the people you love.

Your dress, veil, and wedding rings don't have to be expensive. Think about attending a Brides Against Breast Cancer event (where you can get dresses for great prices) or shop the discontinued/ sample dresses at a local salon. My dad's wedding ring is a $20 stainless steel band and it's gorgeous.

antoto · February 2014

suzcain said:

I mean small... There will be 20 of us - just immediate family and our very closest friends. And we're on a budget. BUT I want to have the nicest wedding I can for $5,000. My first marriage was to my high school sweetheart at 20 - we had it at my parents' house and ordered in Chinese food. So I want a "real" wedding this time around - something ceremonial to kick off our "forever after." :-) But it seems like there are a lot of little costs that are adding up and killing my budget...

Do we really need favors? Is homemade cookies in a pretty bag acceptable (my FI bakes like you wouldn't believe - people tell him he should do it professionally)?
Favors are not a requirement. But if you want to do the cookies that would be lovely!

Do we really need a program for 20 people?
Depends on your ceremony. If you are having a simple, non religious ceremony then you can probably skip it. Honestly though, for my program I just designed it myself on my computer and am printing it on nice paper I got on sale off Amazon. It's not too expensive.

Are centerpieces a necessity? Will the tables look too bare without them?
Depends on your venue. If you are having giant round tables, then yeah it might look empty. But if you are having long rectangular tables you would probably be able to get away without them. Maybe you could just do a buttload of tea light candles? You can get them in bulk for crazy cheap and glass holders are super inexpensive as well. This is decorative plus it gives a romantic light.

Do I need to pay someone to do my hair and make-up? We're getting married on a Sunday - that's the only way we could afford a nice venue, and hairdressers don't work on Sunday. So the premium I would pay would eat up the savings on the location.
HECK NO! Google it. You will find piles of websites which give you tutorials on how to do your own wedding makeup. You may want to consider buying some nice makeup in preparation though.

Do we need a rehearsal dinner?
Rehearsal is a lot of work for the bridal party... maybe just invite your bridal party and then take them back to your house for pizza and wine?

It's not the first wedding for either of us - we're not young... Do we need to give gifts to our parents?

Are they paying? If no, then nope

About 1/2 of our friends and family who will be there drink, and about 1/2 don't. Do we need to provide alcohol for a Sunday afternoon wedding?
You definitely don't have to for afternoon. Although it might be nice to have a mimosa bar! Especially if you can bring your own alcohol. Buy inexpensive champagne and it wouldn't be very expensive at all for the 10 people or so who drink.

With only 20 people, should we have attendants? Since everyone we're inviting is very near-and-dear, we could easily end up all wedding party and no guests. LOL!

Again, you probably don't need to.

I don't want to come off with a Kmart Blue Light Special wedding - but I need to figure out the acceptable places to cut costs. If you're having a small, intimate wedding on a budget (but not "cheap") where are you cutting costs?

I did my own save the dates, programs, place cards, escort cards, and all other stationary with the exception of thank you cards and invitations. It's EASY. Even if you don't want to design it yourself on your computer go to etsy.com and find a printable file for sale (usually less than $20.. sometimes as low as $5) and then you can print as many as you need.

The location we've found is a lovely historic home that is a full time wedding venue, and for $3100++ for a 30-person-or-less wedding they include food, soft drinks, flower allowance, photographer, tables with linens, china, cutlery and cake (we may end up taking the discount they offer for bringing your own cake if making our wedding cake isn't too stressful for my sweet man), and we can add $200 for an officiant (do we tip the officiant?). So I have all that down. But the (very inexpensive as far these things go) dress, veil, rings, invitations (buying the stock and printing at home), etc. are all adding up quickly, and I'm already over budget without adding all of the things I've asked about.

I've heard that you are supposed to tip the officiant - but that's something I need to look into as well.

For wedding dresses you can buy a gorgeous full length Sue Wong dress off of Ideeli.com for like $250. They have a TON on sale right now. They are GORGEOUS.

Ditch the veil or borrow one from someone else.

Don't feel the need to buy crazy expensive rings. My FI really wanted a tungsten carbide ring. I looked it up on amazon.com and was initially turned off by how inexpensive they were but they are MUCH stronger than gold and wont scratch so easily. Do that.

Good luck, Have fun!

golden1215 · February 2014

We had a 30 person wedding and these were our rough costs:

Food: $2,800 for appetizers, top shelf bar, steak dinner and private room for 30 at a steakhouse

wedding ceremony: free- had it inside the steakhouses courtyard

officiant: $400ish- could have gone cheaper but this guy was wonderful (our ceremony was all of 14 minutes)

dress: $199 off ebay and tux: $200 from mens warehouse

invites with calligraphy: maybe $100 total? we didnt do RSVP cards with postage as it was small enough we just talked to everyone

cake: $100 with delivery fee

flowers: $300 or so for my flowers + husband, BM and MOH

Photography: $1,700 for 3 hours of coverage. We could have gone cheaper but I'm a photographer so that part was important to me.

After party: $700ish (was at an Irish bar, we bought some booze, guests bought some booze, we paid for late night food)

hair and makeup: $200 with tip (my hair and make up and my MOH hair)

All told it came to about $6,500 and we could have had less expensive food, a cheaper photog, no after party etc. We didnt have programs, musicians or favors. We had no rehersal dinner and didnt do parent gifts.

Long story short: you can have an amazing wedding for 20 people on a $5k budget. You could rock it on a $2k budget- it's all about the food, booze and photographer IMO For a Sunday wedding a limited alcohol list would be fine.

http://www.erinjohnsonphotoblog.com/2010/09/jax-cafe-rebeccah-jason.html

short+sassy · February 2014

Your wedding sounds absolutely lovely. I agree with all the other PPs that none of the things you have listed are necessary, with possibly the exception of a rehearsal dinner IF you have a rehearsal. Though I don't think rehearsals are usually necessary if it is a small wedding with none or few attendants.

I had a small, intimate wedding with about 35 people. My DH and I each had one attendant. No rehearsal, no programs. We did have favors...edible ones (pralines)...but it was just something I wanted to do, didn't feel it was necessary. I did my own make-up and WISH I had done my own hair...would have saved me $100 and come out better, lol. Although centerpieces are not necessary, there are a lot of pretty and inexpensive DIY options that I do think add a nice touch.

FYI, I got a new and sealed GORGEOUS fingertip length veil, with pops of rhinestones for $12 on Ebay. David's Bridal version of a VERY similar veil? $250. Um...no.

csuave · February 2014

The location we've found is a lovely historic home that is a full time wedding venue, and for $3100++ for a 30-person-or-less wedding they include food, soft drinks, flower allowance, photographer, tables with linens, china, cutlery and cake (we may end up taking the discount they offer for bringing your own cake if making our wedding cake isn't too stressful for my sweet man), and we can add $200 for an officiant (do we tip the officiant?). So I have all that down. But the (very inexpensive as far these things go) dress, veil, rings, invitations (buying the stock and printing at home), etc. are all adding up quickly, and I'm already over budget without adding all of the things I've asked about.

To the bolded, if staying in budget is important then do not add these extras if you don't have to.

My opinions:

Cookies are awesome and it sounds like they are also a personal touch. But if you don't have the money to spend then don't do any favors.
Programs are not needed
Centerpieces are not needed
No. But this is up to you and how you want to balance achieving your desired look vs. your budget. If you practice doing it on your own then you may be able to decide your confidence level with DIY.
See number 8
No. A card or thoughtful note is a nice option. A framed photo after is also a nice gift that doesn't need to be paid for right away.
If you are already over budget, I'd stick with soft drinks only.
If you want to have a WP that is great, but this is a very easy thing to cut. If you don't have a WP there could be savings on gifts, flowers and eliminate the need for a rehearsal dinner.

Your plan sounds elegant and lovely. Not at all like a blue light special!

What does the flower allowance include? Are the flowers important to you? You might be able to get a credit for them or use them for centerpieces.

If getting the cake money back is appealing because it will help your budget then you don't have to let the DIY route be intimidating. As long as the cake tastes good the design is secondary. For 20-30 guests a simple sheet cake design or cupcakes can still look very nice without having to be too elaborate looking.

I only wear my e-ring and I consider it to be my wedding ring since I didn't want a band. If you want a band, is it something you can postpone buying to help stay in budget? It might be fun to pick it out at your first anniversary.

suzcain · February 2014

I'm so glad I put this out there. You guys all have fabulous ideas! :-)

I think checking out a cosmetology school (we have a really good one nearby) for hair and makeup is a great idea - I'll be honest... I'm terrible at hair and make-up. I own a tube of lipstick. But I'm not really sure where it is.

I'm definitely not even going to worry about a program.

And if we do have to have a rehearsal (which we may not need - it didn't occur to me that we might not need one), I like everybody's suggestion of pizza for the rehearsal dinner. Which will also appeal to my FI's 2 teenage sons who would eat pizza or tacos every night if we let them.

If I can swing some DIY centerpieces budget-wise, I may do that just because it would be fun - but glad to hear the general consensus that I won't have to hang my head in shame if I don't.

And reading about the crazy expense of veils made me think - my closest friend, who is dying to help me with this wedding - is an excellent seamstress. I think she'd be thrilled to make my veil.

I am planning on getting my dress from SimplyBridal.com - there are mostly rave reviews and a lot of legit endorsements about the place, and I have a really good tailor I can have take my measurements. Since I want to look like a princess, but I don't have Princess Kate's budget, and I'm 5' tall, so I need to have something custom made to my height, I think this is my best option.

I like the idea of a letter and a framed pic to my parents if they chip in anything - I think they'd appreciate that more than a gift. They're old. They already have all the stuff they could ever need and tend to get grouchy if anyone adds to their stuff.

The venue is giving me a $250 flower budget, so even after my bouquet, my FI's boutonniere, and a small bouquet for maybe a MOH (if I have one) and boutonnieres for my soon-to-be stepsons (I want them to be part of it in some way), I may have a tiny bit left over for a few flowers to add to centerpieces - as Inkdancer said, I'll probably only have a few tables anyway with so few people.

Huge thanks, everybody! I think I'm going to copy and paste everything you all wrote and save it into a Word doc for quick reference.

Inkdancer · February 2014

Good luck! I think it will be gorgeous.

csuave · February 2014

@suzcain if you have an empty vase you can put your bouquet in it for the centerpiece at your table or a decoration.

Bubblegum5586 · February 2014

2 more ways to save;

I purchased my veil on Etsy. I got a headband birdcage but there is a wide range of options and prices (be sure to read reviews on the seller though!)

My officiant was my uncle. In my state (MA) it is a $25 fee to be officiated for the day. That also gave me the opportunity to write me own ceremony completely from scratch (although scary at first, so happy I did it!)

JennyColada · February 2014

I am having a small wedding (but mine will only be about 8 people: me, Fi, mom+dadx2, fsil+fbil) too!

I am skipping most of what you've asked, because it just seems silly for a group so small. I am definitely getting my hair/make up done (but that's just because I want to feel extra pretty) and am not having a rehearsal (I mean, I've been standing and walking for about 28 years now, and I'm not having a bridal party so I think I can manage without rehearsing it!).

We are planning on an outdoor garden location in the back of a restaurant, so I am not paying for any decorations or flowers (other than my own bouquet). We are not doing flowers or programs (pretty sure everyone there will know who's getting married and there isn't anyone else to list!). Since it's so small, we're not having dancing or music, we're just having a nice dinner (or lunch, depending on what time we decide).

lovesclimbing · February 2014

I bought my dress from Simply Bridal and I really liked my dress. I didn't pay the extra to order it according to my size, but I had a good seamstress who tailored it really well. There was only one little issue with dress construction. The waistband was stitched down on both the top and the bottom, which caused it to pucker. So my seamstress ripped the stitching on the bottom and ironed it flat. It looked perfect.

For centerpieces, candles are pretty cheap. You could buy a few pillar candles, tie a ribbon in your colors around it and sprinkle some glass pebbles (they're pretty cheap at Joanns or Michaels, probably any other craft store would have them as well) in your colors on the table.

This is what I did.

My sister did something similar with candles except she wrapped a 3" wide ribbon around the candle and pinned it in place with pearl-headed pins. Kind of like this:

I repurposed my wedding candles with colored rhinestones for Christmas. I made mostly geometric shapes, but also a couple snowflakes on the candles. This is really time consuming though!

Fairyjen1 · February 2014

We are only having 17-20 people including us. We are doing a Package at Disneyland Resort. Immediate family only. We aren't doing favors, although I may do welcome bags since it's a destination wedding and I would only have to make up about 6. Centerpieces and floral are included in the package.

I'm doing my own hair and makeup, although my Brother-in-law (sister's husband) has mentioned several times he wants to pay to have someone do it day of for me. I can't decide if this is his way of being generous or if he's hinting he doesn't think I do a good enough job of mine (I like him a lot, but he's hard to read sometimes).

For Disney's small package you don't get a rehearsal. However, my FIL's want to put on a welcome dinner the night before for everyone. We will probably just do this at a restaurant in Downtown Disney or someplace near the resort. I'm told if you don't do a rehearsal you don't need to provide a rehearsal dinner.

We are both older as well and it's his second marriage, but my first. We are getting our parents a couple days tickets to the theme parks and a wedding album once we get our pictures as a thank you. Both sets of parents have already planned on going into the parks so the ticket idea isn't something we are forcing on them.

We are having beer, soda and wine and are doing a plated 3 course lunch. The lunch and non-alcoholic drinks come with the package and we are paying for the beer and wine option.

I have always said if I have 5 guests or 500 I'm having my sister and my adult niece as my attendants. Besides my mom, these are the two women I am closest to and I want them to stand with me. I realize this could get the side-eye having two attendants with so few guests but I don't think I'm technically breaking etiquette, so it would only be strangers on this board side-eyeing as my 13 other guests are cool with it.

I love your idea of favors! When we were talking about having larger local wedding, favors were something I was going to cut, but if I did them, I think I'd steal your idea of cookies! I love cookies! I may think of that for the welcome bags.

When we ran the numbers for all of our wedding possibilities, Disney was surprisingly reasonable for what we wanted. I could certainly do cheaper if I did it at home with a lot of DIY, but I am the bride that just wants to show up in the dress. Disney takes care of everything so I'm okay paying the extra so I can do that. It sounds like your venue is similar to what I was looking at locally.

However, there's nothing wrong with an inexpensive wedding as long as everyone is properly hosted. Some of my favorite ones have been backyard BBQ's. We did that for my sister and catered it ourselves. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work!

LDay2014 · February 2014

FI and I are also having a small wedding...26 people invited including us and here's our answers to your questions

Do we really need favors? No you don't need favours. We however opted to put quite a bit of money into ours because these 24 other people are so very important to us. Each of our favours is about $20 and we will be doing one per 'invite' (ie per couple)
Do we really need a program for 20 people? Only if you have some sort of religious or cultural celebrations that most people will not understand.
Are centerpieces a necessity? Nope, but it may look nice to have SOMETHING on the table. We are having our reception at a restaurant and the decor there speaks for itself so we're not having to add anything else.
Do I need to pay someone to do my hair and make-up? No one will know (or care) who did your hair. If you are happy with your own abilities then absolutely do it yourself!
Do we need a rehearsal dinner? Sure don't! But if you want to, something as simple as a bbq or pizza would be a good idea.
Do we need to give gifts to our parents? No, What we have decided to do is write a thank you letter to each guest and have it with their favour.
Do we need to provide alcohol for a Sunday afternoon wedding? Nope, nothing wrong with a dry wedding. But, it might be nice to have maybe a signature drink available? People aren't likely to drink too much on a Sunday afternoon but they might like the option to celebrate.
With only 20 people, should we have attendants? Only if you want to! There's no rule . We opted to have two each (our best friends, and our siblings), plus my two daughters will walk me down the aisle.

Hope that helps!

Anyone else having a very small wedding?

Re: Anyone else having a very small wedding?

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