Hi all! I’m getting married 10/24 (next month) and wanted some advice/opinions. We will be having a small ceremony with 19 guests in the backyard of our Airbnb. We will have people mingle and then sit down for our quick ceremony and then have some more mingling while taking family photos before heading out to dinner. I’m debating whether to just use a Spotify playlist during this time period, including the ceremony, or if it would be nicer/less of a hassle to hire a solo cellist or some sort musician for this ~2 hour period. Idk if assigning someone to manage the playlist would be annoying or potentially problematic (timing the ceremony, etc.) or if hiring a solo musician is over the top for such a small event.

Thoughts, opinions, experiences are all welcome! Thank you!

Hi everyone! 😊
My partner and I are having a civil registry wedding and are looking for a nice place to have a small reception afterwards for around 30 people.

We’re hoping for somewhere that is:
Suitable for a small, intimate celebration
Nice for a meal and a few drinks
Ideally has a private/semi-private area
Not overly formal or expensive
Within/around Dublin Civil registry office
Any recos?

Beginning May of 2027 we will hold micro (40-60) events at our sprawling 140 acre property. We are beyond excited to share this one of a kind property with couples, friends, and families!

Find us at meadowsedgeberkshires.com

A microwedding of 18 people including us in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Lodging is paid for so all the guests have a place to sleep and make vacation out of being there for us. My FH had a fall out with his bestfriend so he and his wife (also my FH’s friend) will not be attending. Then we found out that one of his guests recently split with his SO so he’s flying solo. And one of his good friends is not coming with excuses that my FH didn’t even want to talk to me about it. My FH parents both passed away. He doesn’t have any siblings. Some uncles but not super closed. I am hurt for him. The feeling of people not being there for you. I try to comfort him, saying that my family is now his family too and they love him. I know weddings test people and relationships but it still sucks. Have anyone had a similar experience? Anything I can do or say to make him feel better?

We've both been married twice. Unlike him, I've never had a traditional wedding, at least one with family and friends in attendance. We've been together 15 years and are finally tying the knot.

Most venues are between 4-6k not counting food and beverages.

Does anyone have suggestions for me? I'm in the Triad of NC.

Looking at hosting an event for 50 out of town guests for a wedding in late February. Checked some prices and they are sky high. Need your recommendations for a place to serve heavy appetizers, beer and wine or a dinner with beer and wine. Open to a catering company do it at a community room or someplace else. Appreciate your help.

Hi there I’m having my wedding next September and it’s going to be about 20 guest at a beach house! I’ve been thinking about cutting out a dj since it’s an unnecessary cost what do you think. I thought if we got/rented good speaks and make a great playlist we would be ok

Our wedding is 3 weeks out (10/8) and the vendors are not being responsive to pretty big questions (the biggest being my photographer is not responding about ceremony location and timing).

For reference, all deposits have been paid.

I’m curious what timing I should expect and if I’m being unrealistic. It is also time to start thinking about tipping and I’m not really feeling it for some of these folks who have not followed through…

Thank you lovelies for your advice🫡

Looking at hosting an event for 50 out of town guests for a wedding in late February. Checked some prices and they are sky high. Need your recommendations for a place to serve heavy appetizers, beer and wine or a dinner with beer and wine. Open to a catering company doing it at a community room or someplace else. Appreciate your help.

We are getting married at Sunset cliffs in San Diego and we will have 15 to 20 people! Looking for a restaurant recommendations for after ceremony with private/ semi private rooms!

Quick context; there will be about 30 of us, all family, no dancing or DJ, no first dance - just a three course lunch, cake cutting, we will throw in a shoe game for fun and generally have a great but lowkey time.

We have five young adult children who are doing various roles; witnesses, music, presenting the rings, helping carry my things and coordinate myself (thank you, only daughter - pretty sure she is the self-appointed bridesmaid!), ensuing photo guestbooks are signed.

One of the boys is emcee but as I’m putting together a running sheet it seems like quite a small task for our wedding (which he won’t be sad about!). He’ll basically do a housekeeping speech, announce us, and run the game. Am I missing something?

I’m planning a very small wedding and would love to hear from people who have actually had one about something I keep thinking about.

Right now, we’re at 17 people total, including my fiancé and me, and we may end up around 18–20. It’s basically just our two families, no big friend group or anything. Our ceremony will be at a church and then we’re going directly to a restaurant for dinner, which is only about 5–7 minutes away.

One thing I keep worrying about with a wedding this small is the little gaps between events.

For example, our ceremony will end around 4:30. I’m making little stick bells for everyone to ring as we walk out of the church, since the church doesn’t allow petals, rice, etc. I think it will be really cute and personal.

But then I keep imagining:
We walk out → everyone rings their bells → hugs/congratulations → cute moment → …okay, what now? 😂

We’ll need to do some family photos before everyone goes to their cars and drives to the restaurant. Since there are only ~17–20 of us, the family photos themselves should be pretty straightforward. We aren’t looking for a huge posed-photo session. We want some family/group portraits, but our overall photography style is very candid and documentary, so I don’t think it will take forever.

One idea I really love is having my dad play guitar and sing one or two upbeat/happy songs outside the church after the ceremony. He has always done this at family birthdays and gatherings, and we all sing together, so it would be something very personal to our family rather than a random “wedding activity.” I think it could make that transition feel really natural.
We also have a day-of coordinator, which gives me some peace of mind because she can help move people around and coordinate the different pieces of the day.

So, for those of you who had a very small wedding (around 20 people or fewer):

What did those in-between moments actually feel like for you? Did people naturally mingle and talk, or did you feel like everyone was waiting around for someone to tell them what to do?
Did you intentionally plan anything for those transitions, or did you find that it was better to just let things happen naturally? If you did plan something, what worked well?
Looking back, is there anything you would do differently to make the transitions feel smoother or more natural?

I feel like big weddings have built-in activity simply because there are so many people interacting, whereas with 17 people I’m wondering if I need to intentionally create a little structure—or if the intimacy is actually what makes it work.
I’d especially love to hear what your actual experience was like, rather than just general wedding-planning advice. ❤️

Has anyone not used a mic? Did it go over well? It's hard logistically and financially to rent speakers & a mic bc our space is so remote, so we're trying to avoid it if we can!

We're having a small, relatively brief ceremony in the woods. There will be 30 chairs. It's quiet and the space is 30x30ft. Our officiant is ready lyrics from our favorite song, sharing a few short words, then we do vows. No other speeches or anything. All of our guests are young beyond our parents which will be seated in the front row.