An intimate wedding can be deeply personal and special. It allows you to spend your important day with just those who matter to you the most. Intimate wedding celebrations mean you get real quality time with your guests, provide a bit more wiggle room with the budget and it also provides opportunities to get creative. Just because it’s smaller doesn’t mean you need to ditch traditions, unless you want to of course. You can still have speeches, you can still have a cake, you can still have a first dance, and yes, you can still wear a fancy wedding dress / outfit.
YOUR GUEST LIST
How small and intimate you want your wedding is up to you. It could be just the two of you and a witness and a photographer, or it could be your close friends and family.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BUDGET
Smaller weddings can be as simple or as extravagant as you like. With fewer guests, you can put your budget towards what truly matters to you. For some, that might mean a registry ceremony followed by fish and chips by the river; for others, it’s an intimate dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
YOUR GUEST EXPERIENCE
When your guests find out they’re among the select few invited to be part of your day, they’re going to feel really special. With a smaller group, you can get wonderfully creative — maybe hire a tuk-tuk to take you to your venue, go as formal or as casual as you like, and add your own personal touches. You could send guests home with unique favours, play a board game, go punting, or sit around a fire pit at the end of the night toasting marshmallows. You might even invest in some amazing entertainment, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or a beautiful meal to remember — the list is endless.
With fewer guests, the day becomes yours to shape. Whether that’s a relaxed riverside feast, a home-cooked dinner, or a private chef creating something special just for you, there’s no rulebook — only what feels right.
FLEXIBLE LOCATION
One of the best things about having a smaller wedding is how creative you can be with the location. You could choose a licensed venue where numbers aren’t an issue, or opt for a simple registry office or town hall ceremony followed by a more unconventional reception, perhaps at a favourite restaurant, your home, a campsite, or anywhere that feels perfectly you.
Oxford has so many unique and characterful places to celebrate, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
There are so many benefits to having a smaller wedding and one of the biggest is that they’re much easier to plan. Don’t get me wrong, they still need organising, but because the guest list is smaller, it’s far more manageable. This means you can focus on the details that really matter to you.
For more inspiration on intimate weddings, take a peek at this: A super cute outdoor Oxfordshire wedding