I don't like weddings.

FutureMrsR and Angie are right about elopement venues. They are becoming more and more popular per the marketing stats I reviewed before starting mine. My venue would be considered an elopement/ceremony venue. I do ceremony only, ceremony with cake and punch and full ceremony and reception. The amount of people can be just bride and groom or up to 50 plus the bride and groom. Google elopements and intimate weddings for your area. My guess is some B&B's and small venues will show up.

I recently officiated a wedding with about 40 guests in the private room of a restaurant. They had receptions there before, but never the ceremony, too. Staff hung around the door to watch!

It was a family-oriented, casual, relaxed ceremony that suited the couple perfectly.

I'm doing a destination wedding because it was the easiest way to keep the wedding small. I did not want a wedding but I fall into the only child club so I felt obligated for the sake of my parents. My FH and I enjoy traveling especially when sunshine and waves are involved so it seems like the perfect fit.

We are doing a 25 person wedding. Ceremony on a cliff on the ocean (as long as the weather is nice) and dinner with super fabulous food and wine and three desserts (cake, beignets and Creme brûlée!). Only decorations are flowers (i love flowers) and only people there are family and a few close friends. So excited!!

I am so appreciative of all the great ideas! Thanks, everyone. I read them to Tim, and we mulled it over. We discussed everything from traveling to Israel (where my family is from), to Napa, to the restaurant idea. Right now, we're leaning toward a morning back yard wedding with a catered brunch and obviously lots of cake. Our list is hovering around 12-15 people, so that would be perfect. Intimate, and low-key. My family has been using the same caterer for events for 20 years, so there's no real debate on that front, and we have more than enough room at our house.

You can definitely elope or have a small wedding. There's no rule that you need to have a big reception. All you need to get married is you SO, an officiant and a license. Everything else is optional!!

My FW and I are getting married in a beautiful outdoor chapel. We are having around 30 guests to a big rental home (Stellar House @ The Liney Moon in Dripping Springs, TX) Essentially it's a big dinner party. We are having a caterer, cake, photographer. No wedding party, just us and maybe our kids. Then most of the family will just stay at the house after the wedding, so no one has to worry about drinking and driving.

View Quoted Comment I love this idea but, I dislike the traditional exchange of vows in front of everyone. Were there vows at this wedding? I'm wondering because my mom is already mad at me about it but, if you guys were happy maybe we can be too.

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Hi Cheyenne,

Our wedding is still a few weeks away (early September), but we are planning to exchange vows. We were originally planning to skip town and have a private wedding, just the two of us, but my mom laid on the guilt, so we decided to compromise and invite 16 guests to our home for a back yard wedding. There were so many moments during planning when I regretted that decision, but as the day grows near, I think I am actually starting to look forward to it! The thought of exchanging vows in front of people definitely made me uneasy. I hate the idea of being sappy in front of a crowd. We haven't written our vows yet, but I generally use humor to diffuse situations that make me uncomfortable, so that is likely what we'll do during our ceremony. My mom will accuse me of not taking this seriously (again), and then we'll eat, drink, and be merry.

For what it's worth, I decided pretty early on in the planning process to hate it and complain every step of the way. I held fast to that decision and whined as much as possible. I am not entirely sure I would recommend my method. It's probably more fun to enjoy the planning process.