Romantic Elopement and Small Wedding

4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings | Houston Wedding Photographers

Huge weddings with hundreds of guests are amazing for so many reasons, but there is also something really special about a wedding with only your closet family and friends. Each year we capture a handful of weddings that include a small selection of close family and friends of the bride and groom, and we love them! A smaller wedding can lend itself toward a more intimate and authentic wedding environment.

In our current pandemic age, many suspect that weddings will need to evolve and will often look smaller than a wedding that might have taken place last year. According to a study by The Knot, the average wedding size in 2019 was 131 guests. Yet in the wake of the pandemic, it seems wise to reconsider the size of the wedding celebration you are planning. As many couples are considering the best way to celebrate their marriage, we wanted to share 4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings: 

 
4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings in Houston

5226 Elm and Brennan’s of Houston Wedding

1) More venue options

Space and capacity is a large consideration when selecting a wedding venue. When planning a smaller and more intimate wedding, many more venue locations are available to you! From a quirky museum to a formal restaurant or even a destination wedding, there are an abundance of options to choose from!

4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings - Rocky Mountain Destination Wedding

Rocky Mountain Destination Wedding

2. More budget flexibility

“It’s simple math, you can do more with $40,000 for 40 guests than you can for 100 guests. Because you are spending less on the necessities (food for them to eat, places for them to sit, etc., etc.), you can focus more of your resources on creating really intentional personal touches that you’re guests will love.” —Skylar with Chancey Charm Events

Intimate weddings can help not just save money, but can give you the ability to allocate more of your budget to other areas that are important to you. Want to splurge on an amazing photographer and videographer for your day? Or go on an epic honeymoon? Want that incredible heirloom wedding album with duplicate parent albums? Intimate weddings allow you to play with your wedding budget and focus on the items that are most important to you.

3) Less Overwhelm
A wedding can be an emotional day for many reasons. For some people it can be overwhelming to get married, and then have to “work the crowd” making small talk with people that they don’t know very well. By keeping the guest list limited to only the essential people in your lives, you can feel comfortable knowing that you are surrounded by people that truly love and care about you the most.
4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings - Brennan's of Houston Wedding
4) More Time

A common sentiment we hear from couples is that they weren’t able to meaningfully connect with more of their guests on the wedding day. If you have 200 guests and a limited amount of time between the end of a meal and the exit, it is nearly impossible to greet each guest. An intimate wedding, however, gives you more quality time with your family and friends. In addition, we find that intimate weddings have more flexibility in the overall wedding day timeline so that you can spend more time with your besties getting ready, more time with your new spouse enjoying your wedding day, and more time to make amazing couples portraits!

4 Advantages of Intimate Weddings in Houston

Lindsey & Nathan opted for colorful, fun wedding with tacos & donuts surrounded by their closest family and friends! Check out their wedding featured on Boho Weddings!
For some ideas on intimate Houston Wedding Venues, check out some of our favorites below:
Erin & Brandon's Christmas Houstonian Hotel Wedding-1451B
Whitney & Nick's Iron Manor Wedding in Houston
Emily & Mauri's Briscoe Manor Wedding
Catherine & Vince's Houston Hotel WeddingNate Messarra Photography
Peter & Matt's Modern Wedding at The Astorian HoustonNate Messarra Photography