Very Small Intimate Wedding - Ideas?

Where are you located? For a wedding that small I would suggest finding a beautiful location (outside if its not too hot maybe?) For the ceremony, and then find a restaurant you love and rent out a room.

If anyone in your family owns property, you could do a backyard/garden ceremony followed by a reception at a nice restaurant. With so few people, that should be really easy.

Try state parks or community gardens for ceremony locations. However in August, it will be quite hot depending on where you are. I would recommend a small indoor chapel. You could rent a nice room at a restaurant for the reception. Destination Weddings are also nice for a small crowd. VMDIZZLE rented a beach house and had the wedding there.

Add your town/state to the subject line and more people will answer you.

I agree; we have a harder time placing our smaller weddings. Look at restaurants in your area; we have a list of about 30 in our area that are happy to do a private or semi private party for under 40 guests, but you may need to fiddle with the time or date. One of my fave places, Ninety Acres, in Peapack, will only to Saturday mornings; another, The Saddle River Inn does Sundays. They are both magnificent, but they have set boundaries,as most do.

You might also look at B&B's and inns in your area.

For that size of group, I would look at small inns or bed & breakfasts; many of these places specialize in elopements and small weddings and have packages that would suit your guest list.

Parks, nature preserves, and botanical gardens may be other good options for you, perhaps with dinner afterward in the private dining room of a restaurant.

Thank you so much for your responses, ladies! I am from Southern California, Rancho Cucamonga (close to Riverside, Pasadena, LA, or Orange County). I am contemplating an idea of renting a large house situated up in the mountains (Big Bear) with lots of trees and the lake surrounding it and do it there, but I am still in doubts lol

Depending on your budget here are some ideas Renting a smaller private estate, check out botanical gardens the one by me has a smaller house you can rent.

Congrats!!!

We had about a dozen people. We used a small synagogue for the ceremony, and the private dining room of a restaurant for the reception. It's actually easier to find a venue for a small wedding than a large one, because you can use any venue you'd use for any other kind of party, rather than needing something large enough to hold 200 guests.

You can also Google "elopement packages" in your area. Even though you're not actually eloping, many of those packages allow for at least a small number of guests.

Jennifer, do you know what venue your friend used in Big Bear? I love it there, it is so beautiful!

We have 15 people and where going to a restaurant that has a private area parks are also a good idea or a garden

Congrats! We are also getting married in a small ceremony (8 guests). I feel your pain - it was difficult to locate an appropriate venue! FH found a lovely small outdoor chapel. We are renting a house and having our guests stay, and in lieu of a reception we are having a personal chef prepare dinner for us. We also looked at the restaurant option but thought the personal chef would be a special touch.

Oxana, I'm currently living between Riverside and San Diego and have been having the same problem finding small venues. I have had a lot of luck looking into vacation rentals using AirBNB and VRBO. It's hit and miss with what rentals will allow you to have an event, but the ones that do have been so accommodating and genuinely excited for us it seems. Most require at least a 2 day minimum rental and some may charge extra to use as an event (most I've been quoted was $500, not bad!). Good luck with your search!

MoMo1125, that's exactly what I was thinking about with the house. I love the idea with personal chef!!!

Mrs. CK, somehow I forgot about the beach house! I will check those out!

Thank you all so very much for all your genuine tips and ideas, I am so glad I posted here

Hello Oxana,

I actually find planning a small wedding to be much easier than a big one - it's what I specialize in!

You can do a private rental - just be sure weddings or events are not excluded. I have done that before, as well.

Choose a great outdoor location, and have a reception at a restaurant. Or find a local caterer or chef to come to you. Lots of possibilities!

Best wishes.

I'm on the other side of the country but... I'm having 6 guests and I've rented a cabin and at the same location they have a chapel/gazebo/outdoor fireplace that I can use as ceremony space, small cake and punch reception (possibly dinner at a nearby restaurant not decided yet) pretty much all inclusive.. I found it perfect for us. A b&b was runner up.. all had great packages and I pretty much built my own. Happy planning!

We are going to have our ceremony and reception on a train (4 hour ride through the Wilderness). We have rented out a first class car and have invited 22 people. We are super excited about our small wedding!