4 Tips For A More Intimate Wedding Reception

Weddings are great. Unless you’re the one getting married, that is. While celebrating your love is a time to remember, the increasing external pressures for it to be perfect in every way possible often takes away from the couple of the hour being able to actually enjoy it themselves.

One way to ensure you actually have fun on your wedding day? Opt for a more intimate and personal celebration - and throw the word perfect right out the window.

So, with that being said, here are 4 top tips for an intimate wedding reception that you and your betrothed will actually be able to enjoy. 

Be Selective with The Guest List

Not to say that we’re encouraging you to pick and choose just a small group of wedding guests and entirely forget about friends you have had for years, but rather when considering your guest list, start with the overall dynamic and be selective of the characters and personalities you decide to share your special day with. 

Great Uncle Alfie, who is always the most miserable or overly-critical person in any situation may well not be the best person to invite to your happy, relaxed and intimate wedding reception. Or your cousin who struggles with the closed-bar concept (and with cutting herself off) might not be the vibe you’re going for. So while you might feel pressure from your family or friends for inclusion, remember that it is your wedding and it is entirely up to you who you include. And while it might sound stressful to explain why certain people are not invited, the smaller the wedding, the easier it is to explain your reasoning and for people to take it less personally.

Personal Wedding Favors & Decor

Contrary to popular belief, personalized and customized wedding favors and gifts for your own parents and your new parents-in-law need not be overtly expensive. As for decor, a little goes a long way for a more intimate table aesthetic. 

One brilliant example of this is to order a personalized engraved champagne bottle for the centerpiece of each of your tables and naturally, for a smaller and much more intimate wedding reception, you will probably need only four or five at the most. 

Choose The Evening Entertainment Carefully

For a wedding reception, whether or not there are hundreds of attendees, or just a handful of the most important people in yours and your fiancés life, the type and style of music has a huge impact on the atmosphere. 

When designing and planning a smaller and more intimate evening wedding celebration, look to hiring a band, rather than a music DJ, who is much more likely to plan a standard ‘wedding’ musical set. 

It is All About the Venue

Naturally, you and your fiancé will already be fully aware of the importance and significance of choosing the venue for your wedding reception and the significance that the size and style of the location will have on the atmosphere of the evening. 

Making sure that the size of the venue complements the size of your guest list is a lot easier with a smaller wedding party. The scope of possibilities open up for some really fun and creative options, let alone more affordable ones to boot.