Weddings are exciting. The music, outfits, jewellery and food! Having a big fat Indian wedding is most brides’ dream. But there are a few who prefer a small intimate wedding. Getting married in courts and having a small celebration with near and dear ones. And that is also a great way to go! As long as the bride and groom choose that path and are happy, every wedding is a beautiful one. But how much do we really know about weddings, marriages and the legalities to be exact? Even with court marriages, there are papers and procedures to follow. Here are the important legal processes that one needs to know when planning a court marriage.
5 Ways To Host The Intimate Wedding You Want
Intimate weddings might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it sure is a beautiful celebration. Especially now with pandemic and social distancing on the headlines, having a small wedding with your near family and friends is the right and safe thing to do. Here are 5 ways you can host an intimate wedding.
1. Choosing Your Venue
When selecting a venue always remember to keep the number of guests in mind. You do not want an overcrowded venue. And finding a small venue to have your intimate wedding is easier than you think.
- Use Your Terrace Or Clubhouse: Plan all your events in your house, terrace or clubhouse. With a small guest list, this can be easily achievable. Plus with your terrace or clubhouse wedding, you don’t need to splurge on the venue.
- Choose An Outdoor Venue: Use the excuse of having a small wedding to look at spaces outdoor. Be it a park, or the beach, or even your society garden. Getting an outdoor wedding might be tricky with the formalities and permission but it will be worth it. You can have a simple yet wholesome wedding.
- Make Sure The Venue Adheres To The Rules: Currently, there is nothing more important than following the rules of the pandemic. While choosing the venue, make sure rules and regulations are put in place to maintain the safety of the guests as well as the staff.
2. Upgrade The Menu
Everyone attends the wedding for the food. And with fewer guests, you can have a wide and detailed menu. Now that you don’t have to worry about your phupa’s bade chacha’s dietary restrictions, you can experiment as you like.
- Try Local Restaurants: With the pandemic hitting the food business, especially local ventures, you can hire them to cater to your wedding. Choose a local business with high standards of hygiene and great quality food.
- Go Lavish And Indulge: Instead of planning a four-course meal, you can upgrade to an indulgent seven-course meal with a variety of appetisers and snacks doing their rounds on the table. You can also choose to have open bars, artisanal drinks and food.
3. Make Elaborate & Personalised Invitations
Invites are tedious, time-consuming and wasteful. Also, this task is often handed over to professionals or done by another member of the family. In the case of intimate weddings, you can spend more time designing elaborate and meaningful cards.
- Experiment With Artistic Invites: Handwritten templates and handmade envelopes can make your wedding invitations stand out from the crowd. Impressive watercolour designs or plantable cards can be on your list.
- Evite: Although not popular you can ask an illustrator or graphic artist to design a card as per your vision and send it across via email. This way there is no waste and it is also economical.
4. Get Into The DIY Frenzy
It is always fun to include the whole family in an activity. You all are laughing and teasing, and spending quality time with each other. During wedding season, take advantage of this and have them help in DIY decorations for the venue. Unleash creativity and you would probably develop a new hobby.
- Upcycle, Recycle And Reuse: From reusing those bottles and cardboard boxes to creating DIY wall hangings, dreamcatchers and more, there’s a lot you can do. You can add fairy lights in mason jars to make cute table pieces.
- Make Your Own Accessories: If flower jewellery is your go-to mehendi or haldi look, then make it yourself. A few YouTube tutorials, art and craft supplies and some creativity and you are good to go!
- Make Your Own Bouquet: Have your local florist order your favourite flowers or visit the flower market and create a customised bouquet. You can also use these flowers to decorate your venue.
5. Make It Customized & Memorable
However big or small your wedding is, it needs to be a special, unforgettable event for you and your family. And you have a bigger chance of getting this done if a small crowd. With intimate weddings, you can meet and greet everyone, creating special memories.
- Go Nostalgic: Plan those old school wedding games which are much loved by our dadis and nanis to the little ones and make the most of your wedding celebration. Plan old school music to the latest tracks so everyone is included in the celebration.
Have your friends bring in speakers and curate a list of your favourite tracks. Having a specially curated playlist is a cherry on top for every wedding.
People often mistake intimate weddings for modest or low budget weddings. But more times than often that is not the case. Intimate weddings provide a certain charm that says in your memory. It’s unforgettable because you are with your closest friends and family and get time to spend with them.