FJS PHOTOGRAPHY | ELEGANT, ROMANTIC WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Of course, no-one can ignore the impact the pandemic has had on the wedding industry. It has changed the landscape of weddings for the last year, and for an unknown time going on. However, one benefit of it is that it has rekindled a love for some people of a small wedding. Small weddings are deeply intimate, with only your closest friends and family there to witness those sacred vows, and an experience entirely different to lots of weddings that have previously taken place. However, just because intimate weddings are different, it does not, in any way, take away from the magic and significance of your day. Read on below to find out four things I believe are benefits of having an intimate wedding.
“When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”
Look, I know what you’re thinking… “well duh!”. But what I mean is, think about the reason you are planning a wedding. I’m thinking that it is because you have found someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with, someone you adore enough to make sacred vows to them to be together, for better for worse. So of course, if you have an intimate wedding, you will end the day married, just as you want to be. If a really important part of your wedding to you is the big party and celebration with lots of people, then that’s absolutely fine, but if all your wedding is to you is ending up married, why delay just because its smaller than you first thought?!
2 More time for… well everything!
With less people there to speak to, you have more time to speak to each person on an individual basis. You can have really deep and meaningful conversations with your most beloved friends and family, catch up if you haven’t seen each other for a while and really spend quality time together without feeling rushed. If you have hundreds of people attending your wedding, that is amazing, but it can be quite difficult to get round to speak to everyone for any decent length of time. So that’s a really lovely part of an intimate wedding, so much time.
Something else you have lots of time for is couple portraits. With less people to speak to, we can afford a little more time away to find the absolute perfect location, perfect light and subsequently even more incredible photos. I will always strive to get the most beautiful photos possible for my clients, however this is made so much easier by having more time! The more stretched we are for time, as can happen with larger weddings when you get caught up speaking to everyone, the less time we have to perfect those photos, and also less time to get a range of poses and photos. So with the less people to mingle with and speak to, there is more time for go for a walk, just the two of you, absorb the day and get some beautiful photos along the way.
When you have less guests to cater for, your budget for your meal will be able to go further and get you more luxurious food. Let’s be honest, if there is one time in your life you want to have incredible, decadent food, which makes your mouth water every time you think of it, its going to be your wedding right?! Most people report their wedding as the best day of their lives, and that should be matched by the best food!
Another benefit of less guests is less tables and table settings, which means you can really go all out on your tablescape and floristry. As you can see on some of the photos above and below, you can absolutely fill your table with beautiful floral arrangements such as these from Queen and Eden, creating a full and luxurious tablescape for yourselves and your guests to enjoy whilst enjoying the gorgeous food we talked about above! And not just your tables, but your bouquet as well. Beautiful flowers are not inexpensive on your wedding day, due to the cost of the flowers themselves and the skill of arranging, so with the reduced cost elsewhere by having an intimate wedding, you can splash out on a true incredible bouquet like the one below.
Another thing you may like to treat yourself on is small details, perhaps such as an amazing pair of shoes such as the Louboutins above, or a intricate and elegant hairpiece such as from Rachel Sokhal Bridal as seen in some of these images.
There is definitely no reason why an intimate wedding can’t be just as beautiful and just as special as a larger wedding, even if it is not what you had planned in the first place. Of course, smaller weddings aren’t for everyone, some people just can’t get their guest list down that far or that incredible afterparty is super important to them which I totally get. However, if that isn’t you and you can whittle down your guest list, then I would strongly advise you to consider a smaller, more intimate wedding, because ultimately you can make it an incredibly luxurious, decadent day which at the end of, yourself and your new husband or wife have vowed to be together forever.
PS. If you need to check the current guidance on weddings and numbers allowed, you can check on the gov.uk website here. At the time of publishing, we are in lockdown and subsequently no weddings are allowed except in exceptional circumstances, and only up to 6 people in those situations.
Suppliers in these images:
Floristry and table styling: Queen and Eden
Floristry (photo above quote and bouquet in sunset photo): The Flower Boutique
Bridal Accessories: Rachel Sokhal Bridal
Dresses: Ivory and Lace Bridal and Lisa Lyons Bridal (sunset photo)
Venues: The Farmhouse at Redcoats, Kirby Farm Barn and Offley Place
Stationery (gold detailing): Olive and Millicent
Stationery (on burnt orange tablescape): Pink Peony Weddings
Intimate wedding cake: Erzulie Cakes
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