Intimate weddings had their rise to fame during the pandemic, with restrictions in many parts of the world allowing only limited numbers of guests at the nuptials. In my wedding videography work I categorise anything under 50 guests as an intimate wedding, and for the purposes of this blog an elopement falls under this bracket too. Although many couples had smaller weddings out of necessity rather than choice, I truly believe that intimate weddings shouldn’t be viewed as a ‘plan B’ or as any less special and meaningful than traditionally sized ones. Let me tell you why an intimate wedding might be the perfect choice for you, even when you have the choice to fill a marquee with 300 guests…

If the last sentence of the previous paragraph made you shudder too, it’s probably a good sign that you might be more aligned with intimate weddings. If you really listen to your thoughts and feelings as a couple around wedding planning, you might notice emotions such as anxiety, dread and feeling pressured coming to the fore. It doesn’t feel authentic, and you’re starting to realise you want something different. Luckily it is now easier than ever to have a beautiful alternative to the traditional, and more and more couples are choosing intimate weddings because they want something small, meaningful and truly personal. 

Intimate weddings are not inherently non-traditional, of course, but very often they are the first step towards a more authentic feeling day. Being selective about who attends your wedding means you spend your special day with only the people you really want to witness your union. You can have complete freedom over who attends and what roles they play, doing away with top tables or bridal parties or rigid speech requirements. Once the first step has been taken, making further choices that align harmoniously with your perfect vision becomes much easier. 

Wedding traditions

Wedding traditions have been around for a long time and have their place; some couples love them and couldn’t imagine their day without ‘something blue’ and being ‘given away’ by their dad! I’m here to tell you that if that’s you, that’s wonderful and you’ve found your wedding vision! If that doesn’t feel like you, be reassured that wedding traditions are no longer a requirement or a necessity. If your idea of the perfect day is not to throw a wedding at all, instead exploring the great outdoors with your partner and having a simple ceremony along the way…you now have complete freedom to do that. I’m championing marrying who you love in the way you love!

Choices for ceremonies are now so much more varied and flexible than they once were, too. You don’t have to stick to the script or go by the rule book. Intimate weddings are for putting your own personal stamp on, and this could mean choosing a humanist or celebrant wedding ceremony that is completely personalised and tells your story. I eloped myself and we chose a humanist ceremony, because it felt so much more true to what we believe in. If you want to find out more about what humanist wedding ceremonies are, you can visit this web page.

Intimate weddings and elopements allow you to step outside of external pressures, embrace having a day that represents and feels like you, and start to feel excited about your wedding planning journey again. If this is all sounding perfect and you’re nodding along, you may also want to consider capturing the whole experience with a keepsake wedding film; click here to contact me about telling your unique story.