Intimate Wedding Photography

This will not be surprising, but Intimate Wedding Photography are trending right now! Since couples can't have big, traditional weddings with hundreds of guests, they're discovering how amazing it is to keep it intimate and focused just on the people they love most and the reason for the whole affair: their marriage!

SO WHAT IS AN "INTIMATE OR MICRO WEDDING"?

An intimate wedding, just like an elopement, can mean whatever you want it to mean. Generally, it's less than 50 guests (sometimes only 10-25!) and is all about making every moment special and what you want instead of spending a ton of money to please a ton of people you may or may not know very well.

Intimate weddings (or "micro-weddings") are the perfect solution for the tight-budgeted couple, or the couple who loves elopements in concept but just doesn't want to have their wedding day without their family or close friends. If any of this sounds like you, then an intimate wedding is the answer to all your wedding woes! (Well, maybe not all of them - but it sure does help!)

WHY YOU MIGHT WANT AN INTIMATE WEDDING

There are so many benefits to an Intimate Wedding Photography! You can keep it small and still basically elope somewhere adventurous and bring a few close friends along, or you can go a little bit bigger and have a more traditional wedding feel without the expense or the crowd. Your options for locations are open wide because you don't need room for a ton of guests, which can also save money that you can put toward more important things (like your honeymoon!)

HOW TO PLAN YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING

Okay, so you're convinced, right? Intimate Wedding Photography is the way to go! So here are some tips to help you get started and plan the best possible intimate wedding:

1. SET YOUR BUDGET. Like with any wedding, it's essential to know your budget before you start planning. Since you're going intimate, the budget doesn't need to be too big, and you can focus on a few essential expenses. Working with a smaller budget is one of the biggest perks of an intimate wedding. Fewer guests mean fewer mouths to feed, less space needed for your ceremony and reception, and therefore less cost! You can also consider different free or inexpensive venue options (more on this later) or going potluck style for the reception to save more. This makes it easier to afford the stuff that matters to you, like that dream wedding dress or the perfect photographer (p.s. It's me, in case you were wondering).

2. PLAN YOUR GUEST LIST. This can be the most challenging part of planning your intimate wedding, but it's also the most important! Start by talking with each other about your expectations. How many people total do you want? How much of that is taken up by family members (by the way, you do NOT have to invite every family member. Only the ones you WANT to invite)? Work together with your significant other on this to make sure you invite everyone who is important to you both (and no one who isn't!)

Also, make sure you agree on your "plus one" rules because allowing plus-ones can easily double your guest list. For example, some couples don't allow plus ones for their intimate wedding, while others let guests bring a plus one if it's a significant partner, like a fiancé or spouse.

3. CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION. Most national parks have ceremony locations that you can reserve, so if you have a specific park you dream of getting married in, take a look at its website and see what options they have! Usually, this costs are pretty minimal, like a special events permit for under $100. One of the benefits of choosing a venue like this is it gives you a strict guest limit, making an easy excuse for you to provide the friends and family you didn't invite! Here are some other cost-effective intimate wedding location ideas:

Family home or backyard
A local park
A nearby beach

A traditional wedding venue with a smaller guest limit (search for your location here and filter by guest size!)

4. CONSIDER A POST-ELOPEMENT RECEPTION. Another fun thing about intimate weddings is that they can combine well with an adventure elopement or a more traditional celebration! I've seen couples elope just the two of them for their ceremony and follow it up with an intimate reception. We've seen couples have an intimate ceremony followed by a bigger reception. If you haven't figured it out already...there are no rules! So if you still can't let go of that amazing elopement hike dream or big wedding you've always wanted, then making your day a two-parter is an excellent option.

5. PLAN AHEAD. Like with any wedding, be sure to plan ahead so you're able to book your dream vendors and location in advance! You don't want to miss out on something because you put off planning! Many photographers book a year or so in advance, so you'll definitely want to get on that first thing.

6. BE CREATIVE! When you have an intimate wedding, you can do so many fun things that you couldn't make work in a traditional wedding! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

Ask a friend or relative to officiate.
Have a talented friend perform the music for the ceremony
Ask guests to write a letter to you (instead of just signing a guest book)
Have one big table where everyone sits together for the reception
Don't have a wedding party, or have each of your best friends up there with you
Plan some fun games and interactive activities
Make it a weekend affair instead of just one day!

7. DO. WHAT. YOU WANT. Have we stressed this enough? We don't think so, so we'll say it again: THIS DAY IS ABOUT YOU AND NO ONE ELSE. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, and you get to do literally whatever you want! These tips are to help you think through what you want and start planning, but it's just to remind you that this is YOUR wedding day, so it should look how you want it to! This is the beauty of elopements and intimate weddings: you get to do what you want and don't have to try and please hundreds of guests. So make it special for you, and have fun!

If you're looking for an adventurous photographer with a lot of experience shooting intimate weddings and elopements, we're definitely your team!

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