Help with small (~15 guests) intimate wedding in Sacramento area

I'm from the Sacramento area. There are many restaurants where you could have a private room for something like this. Here are some just to name a few: The Firehouse Restaurant, Blue Prynt Restaurant & Bar, Lucca Restaurant & Bar, Sterling Hotel, Le Provence Restaurant & Terrace. I recommend using the vendor tab here on WW to look for more venues. There are so many in the Sacramento area.

Also, this would be considered a "Vow Renewal" and not a wedding ceremony because you are already married. If you decide to skip having the ceremony and just decide to host a reception, then this is usually called a "Celebration of Marriage" and the invitation would say something like "John Smith and Jane Doe were married in a private ceremony on January 1, 2019 and now invite you to celebrate their marriage on February 1, 2019."

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Hello Earias,

Thank you SO MUCH!

Right, it would be a vow renewal! I guess my wife and I were still thinking of it as a wedding ceremony because neither of our family was present for our marriage license signing (and that's really all we did, sign the papers). We still wanted it to be a ceremony mostly for our parents sake, and to have the white dress, and go through the whole ceremony since our signing was rushed and had no type of celebration (due to money and time).

I appreciate your suggestions! This gives me a lot more to think about

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Could you clarify what you mean by just signing the marriage license - did you have the clerk perform the marriage at the county recorder's office after you signed the license? If not, then you are not married. If yes, then you are married. I just want to make sure because some people may think all they have to do is sign the license and they're married, but that is just the first step.

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The clerk performed the marriage after we signed the license. It was the clerk, and two witnesses (my cousin and his girlfriend).

Hi Jose! Your small vow renewal ceremony + private room dinner for 15 guests sounds lovely (we had 15 guests too and it was intimate yet also a fun dinner party)!

Have you used the “Venue” tab here? Helpful to find churches & reception venues in your area. Ideally, the two are less than a 20-minute drive from each other. Talk to the churches first. Sometimes they only do ceremonies at certain times which means you may need to do a breakfast, brunch or afternoon snack type of reception instead of dinner.

The great news is churches are pretty so no decor needed (and they’ll provide the officiant). A nice restaurant, hotel restaurant or winery with a restaurant will also be lovely and not need decor. Those types of venues may also have free candles for your table if they do events there (just ask). Restaurants will have tables, chairs & linens for you at no charge too which is helpful.

View Quoted Comment Okay that's good! The good thing about doing a vow renewal is you don't need an officiant to perform the ceremony. You can ask anyone to perform it since you're already married. It's just a symbolic ceremony for your family and friends.