VERY small wedding - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

Marge129 · #1 02-20-2006, 04:13 PM

Hi Sharon! First I want to thank you for coming to our forums to give your advice!

Second... my question. This will be both of our second weddings. We both had the HUGE family shin-dig the first time around and don't want it again. We really just want something small and intimate.... maybe just us and our children (he has 1, we WILL have 1 together), or maybe just us, siblings, and parents. He doesn't really want to go to the court house or do something in our backyard. We have literally NO money to get married with (plus we'll have a baby), so a destination wedding is out of the question. Do you have any ideas for a memorable way for us to get married?

Thanks in advance!

TheaterDiva1 · #2 02-20-2006, 11:38 PM

I know this wasn't directed at me, but have you considered a simple ceremony/reception at home?

Marge129 · #3 02-20-2006, 11:51 PM

We don't have the space in our house to have it at home.

Sharon Naylor · #4 02-21-2006, 08:29 PM

Having a very small weddings actually gives you a LOT of options, moreso than most larger weddings. You can have your wedding at the following types of locations:

* The home of a relative or friend
* the *vacation* home of a relative or friend (like a ski house or beach house)
* An estate home, which is a very popular option. You can find these through your local historical society or tourism board (www.towd.com to find the one near you). For a very small wedding, you may be able to get the use of their library, which is a small space they may let you have for only $25 and you can self-cater. They may let you use their gardens as well.
* Arboretums also offer small party rooms, plus use of the grounds for a low fee.
* A bed and breakfast (www.bbonline.com), also another popular option these days. Some will let you use their common area without renting rooms for a small fee.
* A museum that has small gathering rooms; same for an art gallery.
* And check out the county park service Web site to see about getting a low-cost permit to have your ceremony in their park area, by a gazebo, etc.

Ask around for ideas; your friends may have the perfect location for you. It may be a party room in a restaurant where they work, or a meeting room at a community center [I just saw one in town here where I live and I was surprised at how pretty it was -- a big mahogany table, a fireplace, artwork on the walls...all for $30 for 3 hours of use.]

And another option is a brunch at a hotel. You'll get a section to yourselves, perhaps a private room, and the brunch buffet is usually way more food and desserts than most people have at their cocktail hours...all for $15 to $25 per person. Look into hotels and restaurants to see about their brunches.

Finally, another option for any space you find is a dessert and champagne party. All that's on the menu is cake and desserts, plus a good champagne and wines -- or you could go with coffee if you'd like.

I could go on forever with this, so if anything has piqued your curiosity, just let me know and I'll expand more.

Marge129 · #5 02-21-2006, 08:30 PM

Thanks... I'll look into all those options!