AboutShannon M Mason Expertise As an accredited Professional Bridal Consultant, I can answer questions involving all aspects of wedding and event planning. From budgets and organization to menus and timelines, each part of the planning process is just as important as the next. Whether you are looking for answers to traditional wedding questions or you want to venture outside the box, ask away! If we don’t have the answer we will find it for you!
Experience I am the owner of New Beginnings Wedding & Event Management and have been planning weddings and events for 13 years. I attend networking and training classes on a regular basis to keep abreast of the latest trends and fashions.
Education/Credentials Professional Bridal Consultant - Association of Bridal Consultants
Expert: Shannon M Mason Date: 1/28/2008 Subject: small simple wedding
Question We are planning a small, simple wedding for 2009. I know we a lot of time and can plan it anyway we want but I am having a hard time making it VERY simple while still making sure it feels wedding-y :-) It seems like it will be more complicated than planning a traditional wedding! We will probably have under 40 people (maybe only 15-25) with one attendant each and would rather do a dinner at a restaurant than a hall if possible and the ceremony at a nice park or the same restaurant as dinner(?) Which traditional ceremony items can be left out (programs, prosessional, ushers, etc etc) ? Which make sense to keep in? Any suggestions? There doesn't seem to be a lot of planning sites that cater to the small simple wedding. Thanks!
Answer Deb:
Planning for a small, intimate wedding does not always mean less work. If you are planning on having the ceremony in a park, then you can still rent chairs and perhaps an arch to provide the "wedding-y" look you are after.
If you have the ceremony in the restaurant, then you need to be sure that you will have some type of privacy. Whether it be in a private room or an area sectioned off just for your party, you want your guests to be able to hear.
Either way, you don't need ushers, but I would suggest some music (a violinist perhaps) that could play while your guests are waiting. You don't have to do a traditional program, but you may consider doing a personal thank-you to your guests for attending. This can be set-up at their dinner setting if you are doing a seating chart or can be passed out by you and your groom during the dinner.
Try to enjoy and not get bogged down by everything. Tradition has actually taken a back seat with a lot of weddings lately. Make it your own and do what you want... and I'll work on a site for small wedding planning. 8-)
