Intimate Weddings
When considering your perfect wedding venue there are so many factors to think about. Do they hold more than one wedding a day? Can I choose a menu that I like from the packages? If the weather is poorly, do I still have the opportunity for nice photographs? How much scope do I have for my decorative ideas? All these questions are important, but the first thing to contemplate is your estimated number of day and night guests.
That first guest list can sometimes be intimidating with distant friends, plus ones and sometimes friends of your parents all aiming to make the cut. In order to find a venue that suits you, we will need to know your rough numbers to ensure that we can deliver on your expectations. At the House, we can offer weddings from 2-120 but given that this blog is associated with intimate weddings, I must say we do them well. In this blog I’ll discuss why I like intimate weddings and what to consider during the planning of them.
Intimate Wedding Ceremonies in the Dining Room.
This beautiful space will seat your guest numbers perfectly and numbers from 10-50 work perfectly. The dining room is completely unique within the Mackintosh suite due to the lighting and fireplace as a focal point for your ceremony backdrop, meaning that no matter what the time of year the light and dark shadows throughout the room are stunning for photographs.
Seating wise in the Dining Room, our in-house purple chairs look beautiful, but we have also seen chair covers and Chiavari chairs set-up and these can bring an extra pop of colour to the room. In terms of décor, this room doesn’t need much to provide a ‘wow’ factor. We have candelabra’s here at the venue which are perfect in the winter months, or if you hoped to have floral arrangements, we can organise our plinths for displaying them at the front. One last plus of the smaller ceremony guest list, everyone has a good view! Guests will just arms reach away, ramping up the personal levels to 10/10.
The Personal Touch
Having only your very nearest and dearest attending can make your day even more special as being surrounded by those closest to you, who have been around to watch your relationships grow, will definitely make for an intimate experience. You will be saying your “I Do’s” safe in the knowledge that you are surrounded by the family that will continue to be there for you both throughout your marriage.
Does it take the pressure off? Honestly, I don’t know. Each couple deals with the wedding planning process differently. It can however sometimes take the worry out of planning as you will have a better idea of your guests likes and dislikes when it comes to suppliers, food and drinks options. For example, you may know without asking that you will have a few vegan guests, a nut allergy etc attending. You will also be able to approach invitations and RSVP’s a little more leniently as your family will know the intimate details of your day throughout the planning and you will hopefully know if they are able to attend from an early time.
Table Layouts
Long top tables, round top tables, sweetheart tables are just some of the layouts that we have set-up before, with the rest of your party being placed on tables surrounding you. What I personally like about smaller numbers is the idea of having one large table where everyone can sit together.
Oval tables allow us to seat your guests together on table in the centre of the room for your wedding breakfast. They are fantastic as they allow us to create a less formal environment during your meal, with it becoming more of a large family dinner than anything too traditional or formal. Number wise, we can hold up to 45 guests with this set-up in the Music room. Recently, this option has become popular with our couples having a more intimate wedding package. There is also the possibility of changing the aesthetic of the room with options such as ivory linen for the table or Chiavari chairs, all of which alters the tone of the room.
Photography
In terms of photographs, group photographs can be lovely with a more intimate group of people as everyone can fit in the lens without their needing to be extra distance between you and the photographer. Here at the House you can make full use of inside and outside for images so when it comes to getting everyone picture ready, you can choose your preferred back drop.
Something Different
Many couples are now choosing to elope with just themselves and a few witnesses, believe it or not we have held two weddings like this now at the House. With just four guests in attendance we held a lovely ceremony in the Oval room, with background music playing and personal stories being told by the humanist and the chosen guests. Guests then moved to the main Mackintosh Suite for photographs and back to the Oval room for a sit-down meal, dining at one of our unique Mackintosh tables. The couple then finished their evening by leaving the House and going to the theatre - their kind of bliss!
While it’s not for everyone a wedding as pared back as this can be really lovely, please bear in mind it would be subject to our availability and weekends are not really going to be an option.
Packages and Budget
It is a given that with less guests to pay for, your overall wedding budget required will be lower. We do however have minimum numbers requirements here at the House of 60 adult day guests for our Saturday dates and 40 adult day guests for a Friday or Sunday. At the moment we have a mid-week package available for £2900, this can be offered for any available mid-week (Monday-Friday) dates in 2020 and 2021. This package caters for 40 day guests with an additional 40 evening guests. If you were thinking more intimate than this it’s not a problem, we can work with you to create a bespoke wedding package based on what you had in mind for your special day. The more intimate the wedding the more limited the date options may be, but we can look at all the possibilities with you, there are some fantastic winter wedding dates that we could offer.
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog.
If you are considering an intimate wedding and have any questions, please just get in touch to discuss packages and options!
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