Small Wedding

We are doing a small wedding too - under 50. I would say pick a theme for your wedding and find a venue that fits. Then look on here or Pinterest for ideas and contact vendors. Happy planning!

I would start with a budget. Once you have a budget, I would make a guest list so that you know exactly how many people you plan on inviting. Your budget and guest list will ultimately determine where you decide to get married because you will need a space that can accommodate the number of people that you plan on inviting. Your budget will also determine what venues you can afford because most venues charge per person. Our venue and all of the venues we looked at had a food and beverage minimum. Some also had a guest count minimum so that is something to keep in mind.

First, a budget. Figure out how much money you can spend and if there are any family members that plan to help, and how much they would be willing to spend.
Then you want to think of what your vision is: what season do you prefer? Is there a specific date you’d like? What kind of theme or color palette would you like? (You can Google wedding themes for ideas)
Based on that, your budget and the amount of people you can start looking for venues. WeddingWire is great for that, in the Vendors tab you can look up a bunch of vendors and venues in your area and check their prices/pictures. There are other websites like The Knot that have the same search tool.
Hope that helps!

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Thank you I am so new at this I didn’t know places have a minimum.

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It is pretty common. It's how the guarantee they make a certain amount of money per event.

Welcome Kala! Since you have your guest list I’d also recommend setting your budget first. Venue will be next.


Yes, venues often have a minimum. But the good news is with a small wedding (20 or fewer) you could score a beautiful venue (winery, hotel, restaurant, even Disneyland) that would normally have a minimum ($10K) for a great deal. Ask for their elopement/private wedding deals. You may need to choose a Sun-Thur day but if that works for you, you can have a beautiful yet affordable wedding at a beautiful venue.

We’re planning a wedding for 30 and had to get creative in finding venues. We’re renting an Airbnb for lodging, getting ready & the ceremony. If you hi this route check with the hosts before booking to see if they’re willing to accommodate. We’re having our reception/dinner at a local bakery/cafe which is part of a larger hotel & venue that closes in the afternoon and we can reserve after hours. They also cater which is nice.
The main hurdle we ran into is that most wedding venues wouldn’t/couldn’t accommodate a wedding our size.

Where are you thinking to have your wedding at?

I would try to find a restaurant with a private dining room

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much

View Quoted Comment We aren’t sure at all. We said we wanted to wait a while (a year at least) but I don’t want to wait till the last minute to start planning. We through the idea of maybe a peaky blinders style wedding because we want it to be very intimate.

Get a budget first - do not do a guest list until 8 months or so before. People will come in and out of your lives by fall of 2022.

For a smaller wedding I would suggest a private dining room at a favorite restaurant! Enjoy!

You all are so very helpful. Thank you so much.