Why You Should Ditch Your Big Wedding Plans and Have a Tiny Wedding
Written by Curator Lisa at lisa kathan photography
At CHI thee WED. we’re loving the trend of tiny weddings popping up all over Chicagoland. Ditching your plans to have a big, traditional wedding isn't for everyone. If dancing the night away is the only way to be married in your mind, perhaps holding off until you can have the big party with a dance floor is best for you.
But if getting married sooner is the dream, here’s a bunch of reasons why tiny weddings are best.
It’s safe...and legal
Starting with the most obvious, having a big party in the middle of a pandemic just isn't safe. Not to mention, the state of Illinois has a number of mandates that prohibit large weddings, including no open dance floors.
If you limit your guest list to a smaller number, you avoid risking having your wedding shut down (yeah, it's happened!), and limit the possibility of sending your guests home with the worst party favor ever...COVID-19.
You can interact with all your guests
A great bonus of a small guest list is you can spend actual time with those at your wedding. They will love being able to spend such a special time with you, and you'll love the memories you’ll make together.
You can spend your budget elsewhere
Sure, a smaller event can equal a smaller budget. Or you can take the money you would've spent on 200 people, and spend it on a much smaller number to create an amazing experience for your guests.
Focusing your wedding spends on fewer people opens up the possibilities to things you may not have been able to afford…
hire an event stylist to make your space look incredible
hire planner to help coordinate your day
hire a videographer to create a wedding film
have a photo-perfect custom-made ceremony backdrop designed
hire a small band to play background music while you dine
get the florals you REALLY want instead of what you could only “afford”
hire an on-site hair and makeup artist
upgrade your menu to something really special or unique
You can create an experience
Rather than hosting your wedding at a banquet hall or hotel, you have so many more opportunities to create a super memorable experience for your guests. Oftentimes couples travel out-of-town to create a small, experiential wedding; but you can do it right here in Chicago. Renting an entire B&B for a few days, getting married on a boat, or having a private chef experience at your favorite restaurant are just a few local ideas!
You'll have more time for photography!
The amount of time you spend going from activity-to-activity on a traditional wedding day eats into much of your photography time. Sure, you get photos with your wedding party, and formal photos with your family, and people doing toasts, and you cutting the cake, etc, etc. But all the “formal photography” cuts into your ability to have unique photos of just the two of you that express who you are. Hire a great, creative photographer and give them time to create photos that aren’t like the ones everyone else has from their wedding.
You'll probably be less stressed
When you have a tiny wedding, everything is just a little more relaxed. Trust me on this one. After photographing dozens of tiny weddings, the pace of a tiny wedding day is so much more relaxed and couples just seem less stressed out.
No more wedding rules
If you were looking for an excuse to dump those traditional wedding rules, having a tiny wedding is your opportunity! Once you break away from the traditional wedding pattern, you're free to create your own kind of wedding that is 100% you, with mom or your BFF telling you how it’s “supposed” to be.
You don’t have to wait…
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's to not take the future for granted. If you're in love and want to spend your lives together, DO IT NOW and make it memorable.
The #1 way to make your tiny wedding a success
Even if your guest list is small, don’t forget the wedding planner! Often with more traditional wedding venues you get some level assistance from the hotel or banquet hall. Frequently they’re full service with food, and also may provide a certain number of furnishings and decor. If you have your wedding at an “alternative” venue, you're on your own to hire a caterer and pull together the items you might need for your party.
A good wedding planner has dozens of industry connections, so they can often find you the best options for your day at the best prices. Making an investment in a wedding planner is a great idea because hiring one can not only save you money on wedding costs, they'll be there to guide and manage everything beforehand, and as well as as the day of if you need it.
