 Leigh Margaret & Inwook’s Intimate Maryland Wedding | An Endless Pursuit
This morning we have a lovely guest post from By Brittany Goldwyn – a super DIY maven that is taking on all things simplicity when it comes to life. I am in awe of her talents and mad writing skills and I just couldn’t help but share her amazing blog post today on 5 Non-Financial Reasons to Have a Simple Wedding. Take it away Brittany!
5 Non-Financial Reasons for Having a Simple Wedding
The most obvious reason to have a simple wedding is to save money, so let’s get that reason out of the way. Saving money is great; you can use the extra cash for a honeymoon, a house, a new car…whatever you want. But, since the perk of saving money is a given for most people, I want to talk about the other reasons you should consider having a simple wedding. Your wedding should be an amazing, unforgettable day, and you should do what makes sense for you and your significant other. But too often weddings are stressful, tricky, and diplomatic landmines. By having a simple wedding, you can cut the noise and keep the things that matter most to you.
Quentin & James’ Intimate DC War Memorial Wedding Ceremony | Robin Shotola Photography
Here are my top non-financial reasons to have a simple wedding.
1. You’ll cut out the stress.
Saving your sanity is a close second to saving money. Big events with multiple moving pieces—not just weddings—are stressful. Even if you love event planning, planning a big event at which you’ll be the co-star will put a wrench into the enjoyment. Why? Because you have other things to worry about on your wedding day. And even if you are able to hire a wedding planner, you’ll still spend a lot of time reviewing and choosing options, coordinating the needs of family and friends, creating seating charts, and stressing over the weather and whether or not your wedding party will be on time. Speaking of wedding parties…
Maggie & Shahul’s Intimate MD Lakeside Wedding | Photography by Anna Clark
2. You can ditch the wedding party.
I know that having loved ones close by is important to a lot of people. But guess what? Your friends and family can all be a part of your big day by attending your small, simple wedding. No wedding party means not worrying about other people’s schedules, not having a rehearsal dinner, not offending anyone by excluding them from the party (or putting them in the wrong spot in your lineup), and, for many women, not having to find a bridesmaid dress that meets everyone’s needs.
3. You can get married almost anywhere.
This one is simple. The more people and requirements your wedding has, the fewer venues you’ll have to choose from. Having a simple wedding expands your options. We got married on a deck overlooking the Rocky Mountains. A big wedding with a bridal party, an aisle, and lots of guests simply would not have fit comfortably.
Even & Jimmy’s DC Courthouse Wedding | Stephen Bobb Photography
4. You can devote resources to what matters most.
Even if we wanted one, we can’t all have a wedding fit for Brides magazine. Think about what matters most to you, and then concentrate on that. For me, it was finding a location that would be amazing to travel to, a reasonably priced wedding dress with sleeves, and a good photographer. I did not care where or what we ate, if we played music from a iPod, if we had any decorations or flowers, or if we had pretty invitations. You can only divide your focus among so many things before quality starts to suffer. Pick what’s most important to you.
Sarah & Dave’s Modern Fathom Gallery Wedding in DC | Sweet Tea Photography
5. You’ll have a more meaningful experience with the right people.
I’m not saying you don’t like some of your old acquaintances, past coworkers, or distant family members, I’m just saying that they don’t fill you to the brim with joy. If they did, you would make them a regular part of your life. A simple wedding allows you to include only those whom you care about the most, which will create a more meaningful and memorable day.
Deanna & Rikki’s Heartfelt, Intimate DC Wedding | Douglas Pettway
For the full post & other amazing DIY tutorials and posts on simplicity, please visit By Brittany Goldwyn’s blog. If you had a simple wedding or are planning on having a simple wedding – let us know your reasons here in the comments! We’d love to share more.
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3 comments
Thanks Bree!!
We ultimately decided on an intimate wedding because I’m too type A to enjoy myself if I am stressing about other people and extensive logistics. And I know that I can’t just not stress about other people or logistics. If we were inviting everyone, I’d be freaking out over if so-and-so will know how to get to the venue, or if an uncle and aunt are going to arrive late, or what happens in case of rain or the metro is delayed or someone can’t find parking. I’d find a ton of things to worry about if given the opportunity. But with 8 guests I feel much more free to change things if needed and really just have a low-stress, go with the flow type wedding that doesn’t feel as much like a show to put on in front of others. We’ll do our little short and sweet ceremony, we’ll take some pictures, and go to dinner at a delicious restaurant where everyone can order whatever sounds good. Perfect. The next day, we’ll invite our extended family and friends to join us at a huge lunch to celebrate. I like that the wedding day and celebration day will be completely separate, that my day as a bride will be easy and allow me to really focus on us instead of worrying about other people and the logistics. The next day I can get happily swept away by a whirlwind of family and love and celebration — a family party instead of a wedding reception.
Love this Sarah – thank you for sharing :)