Ideas on small wedding/reception at small home

There are lots of cost effective options for small weddings & receptions. How small are you talking though? At a small townhouse with no yard, you could probably only have 10 or so people. There's also options like event centers or public parks if you're looking at more.

The bigger issue here is that you and FH need to agree on a budget and guest list TOGETHER before you begin planning anything. If he wants a big fancy wedding and you want a small intimate one, you need to come to a compromise.

My MiL and her husband now, got married at FH aunts house, everyone collectively agrees it was an awesome wedding. They only had their closest friends and family, decorated everything really nice, and had a big party after. I think if you take the time to make it special, it will turn out great!

You could see if any local restaurants have a room you could rent. Cheaper than a full reception, but more space and less work for you and your family.

I attended a wedding at someone's town house, but there were only 8 of us (including the couple). I think they couldn't have fit more than an extra 6 or 7 people there. They also don't have a garden. They did decorate beautifully... When it's just a house, you can splurge a bit more on flowers

I attended a wedding at someone's town house, but there were only 8 of us (including the couple). I think they couldn't have fit more than an extra 6 or 7 people there. They also don't have a garden. They did decorate beautifully... When it's just a house, you can splurge a bit more on flowers

I agree with you Lucy lol. I'm just researching alternatives. FH originally always said a "courthouse" wedding but in our area that means the closest courthouse would be an outside wedding on their property and I don't want to do that bc of the history of selling slaves on the property ( we both are primarily of african-american backgrounds). Plus when i sat FH down to start a "bare bones, these are the people we have to invite or I can't live with myself" list....his side kept growing enough to where I felt our then new plans ( ceremony at korean bell garden and dinner at korean bbq restaurant since thats FH's fav food) wouldn't work and feel we would have to go a bit more traditional. Things in this area are expensive and our cheapest option so far ( FH is really picky about his food and I have dietary restrictions) is still more than I would like to spend specifically on a wedding, as there's other things I rather put that money towards. So, I'm just researching other options out there even tho it looks like we r headed towards the more traditional route, even though it still would be a smaller wedding.

I've been to a wedding in a house living room, the roof of a friends apartment in the city, at a apartments clubhouse, and at a restaurant. They were all beautiful because they were intimate and very special and great attention to detail was put in to it.

Check for art spaces and gallerias and museums- library?

We are going to an industrial wearhouse- it dresses up nice- but I like the raw space as is- so it's perfect and cost effective for me.

I know someone had theirs in an inside flower space- there's a "arium" word for it- and I can't remember- but neat spaces like that that usually don't cost as much.

I planned my mom's wedding in her home and we had about 30 people, and did a brunch buffet. Honestly it was a little tight and we didn't have proper tables but we made sure the food was all things you could eat without needing a knife and fork. I hung paper pom poms from the ceiling (she has really high ceilings so it looked pretty cool. I also used tulle and fresh flowers to decorate, It was very pretty and really great time. I kinda wish my wedding was small but our families are too big, lol.

A friend of ours had a beautiful simple ceremony with close friends and family about 25-30 people in the park and then we went to their small Chicago apartment where the guy grilled up some very tasty steaks chicken and salmon, they got a small cake from a local bakery and bought all the booze from costco. They pushed all furniture to the perimeter of the rooms and had fresh flowers throughout the apartment, they also had a small backyard where the rented 4 tables and 20 chairs, between their furniture and the rental there was plenty of room to sit. It was such a laid back and relaxed feel, the only draw back is there was only one toilet. When you have that many people drinking that much it gets a little annoying. Try looking into some odd places you wouldn't have thought of, town halls, local universities might have some really awesome and beautiful places to have your wedding. I used to live by Michigan State and they had all sorts of places people could rent, the botanical gardens were very popular.

Also look into nature centers and/or parks, you just might be surprised at what you find.

We had 34 people, got married in my Lutheran church, and booked a room at our favorite restaurant. In the end, even if you fh has more people than anticipated originally, it will probably be cheaper than going the "traditional route" because the room, waitstaff, linens, and food are one price.

We do a lot of small weddings; some in houses, some in tiny restaurants with private rooms (these are usually in the early afternoon) or unusual spaces like galleries, greenhouses, historic sites and concert spaces.

The last townhouse wedding I did had 20 guests for a ceremony in their living room and then an afternoon of heavy hors d'oeuvres and cake. It was lovely.

Our house is too small for that kind of thing, so we "borrowed" my MIL's house...lol...and it worked out perfectly! Maybe you could "borrow" a friend's house or something like that! =)

Also check with family and friends to see if they have a partyroom. You can have a local restaurant caterer and hire someone from mollymaids to clean up afterwards. Grocerystore cake and flowers, and a consignment store dress and you of course Celia to marry you!

You'd still have to keep it small (how large is your tentative guest list now?), but a lot of townhome/apartment complexes have clubhouses. Could you rent one of those? It would be cheap if you lived there. Or, does a family member or close friend live in a complex with a clubhouse?

ETA: Cheapskate beat me to it.

We are having our ceremony and reception in our backyard (under 40 people including us). If we didn't have a yard (small as it is) I would be looking at private room at a restaurant for dinner after courthouse ceremony, clubhouse or other small spaces like parks, gardens, museums, music venues/art houses or my FH's family cabin in the northern part of the state we live in.

I love doing these small intimate weddings. People's homes - sometimes a friend or relative of the couple's so they don't have to clean up - restaurants with a private room - art galleries. In the DMV there are a lot of inexpensive spaces owned by the local park services (i.e. Josephine Baker House in DC or Brookside Gardens in Montgomery Co MD or the Gateway Arts Center in PG Co MD). They are all DIY.

Thanks A.C. I'm originallly from nj so i dont know these little gems