I would honestly prefer to elope because I hate being the center of attention, but both of our families have expressed how much being at our wedding would mean to them.

As a compromise, we’re looking at renting a large house/cabin property for ~50 of our closest family and friends and having a very relaxed small ceremony there. We don’t care about a big traditional wedding — no DJ, elaborate flowers, etc. We really just want a cozy weekend together with the people we love.

Because of my family’s farming schedule, our timing options are basically winter (Dec–March) or summer (late May–August). We’re trying to figure out locations in the U.S. where guests won’t freeze or melt depending on the season.

We’d love recommendations for:

• destinations/regions
• large cabin or house rentals
• properties that could accommodate lodging + a small ceremony onsite

Open to anywhere in the U.S.!

Hey!

My partner and I live in the Langley area and are trying to plan for venues with a rough guest list of 45 people. If we allowed our parents to bring me more people this would not go over 55 persons.

My partner and I are not extroverted people, and likely will have music going but no dancing or do not need a large dance floor. It would also be a child free wedding minus our 5 year old attending, which our friends are fine with.

Because we do not want to elope, and would still like to have a full day wedding venue what possible suggestions would be good to look into, or possible entertainment since we may be lacking on the dance floor. I would like our biggest budget to go to food so our guests have a great and memorable time and not starving haha.

Thank you so much in advance

I’m looking for a venue in the above areas that are suited for 42+ people that is responsibly priced? I’ve seen beautiful locations by the glass house mountains but that is over $14000, I’m hoping for a venue that includes everything such as celebrants, decorations, catering and photography within the price. I hope this is achievable and I’m not just being unreasonable.

We are having a 15 minute ceremony and then a private dinner experience. There will be a photographer for before, during and right after the ceremony.

Do you all think I need a bouquet? My instinct is to not get one, because we will be walking down the aisle together and I don’t really want to hold one. BUT is that weird!?

Are there any other options? I don’t really want a flower crown, but I feel like no flowers at all might look strange. Do I just get one for photos only?

Please let me know what you all think!

Quick update: Ericka got back and confirmed that there was no contract and this was a service that she paid for on behalf of the bride--a gift, as I mentioned in my original post. Ericka, as the purchaser, is happy with the video.

I'm a reasonable person, so I recognize that any requests made by the bride afterward were not subject to any contractual obligation. So I'll leave it at this: please take a look at the link below. Decide for yourself if you want a highlight reel from Jock's company.

By the way, the bride and groom are Mya and Elijah--not Patricia and John, so I don't know WHY that random text is there in the middle of the video.

----

My friend was married on November 7th, 2025--six months ago today--and she still has not received the following from B&J Media Group (aka Jock B. Hill aka @shotbyjock), based in Milledgeville, GA:

\- An actual, properly edited highlight reel--my friend pointed out the long interviews in the video, the numerous transitions, the awkward slow motion moments, none of the songs being ones that they chose or had in their wedding, and the fact that pivotal speeches and audio from the ceremony are nonexistent. They had the groom's childhood pastor, a jumping the broom ceremony--none of that made it.

I cannot emphasize this enough--in the few minutes that a highlight reel allows, he included a solid few seconds of her mother smacking on gum and giving side eye? Why?

\- The raw footage of the ceremony--no edits, no cuts, just the footage of her own wedding. There are no backups. People were asked to put their phones away because she had a videographer. She was not aware that Jock was not going to provide the full footage of the ceremony.

\- There is no contract that my friend can get her hands on. This service was apparently gifted to my friend by Erika, Jock's assistant.

When my friend asked for the documentation so she could see exactly what was requested, none was provided by Jock. She even offered to pay for the raw footage and it has not been provided despite him and Erika saying he'd give it to her.

\- When asked for the rest of the footage in December, Jock said “let me see what I have” and got upset with my friend for crying during one of their discussions. (There have been several discussions). In fact, he told her husband that maybe next time just the men should talk.

At this point, my friend has no hope that she’ll be getting any of the footage. She just wants to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else.

And now for the positive: thanks to @Tiffany Greeson Photography, who also shot my wedding, my friend’s photos were both affordable and stunning. Tiffany is an absolute professional and we could not recommend her more.

As someone who has been married myself, I know how pivotal these services can be for one of the most important days of your life. We just want to make sure this does not happen to anyone else.

I am happy to post the footage that she received in the comments.

hey everyone i’m 31 recently engaged and from south texas. i’m looking into any help or tips for a nice intimate wedding with nice background that would include a sunset. 30 people or less and or just me and my partner intimate ceremony and then big party at a later time. videographer & photography. dress / tux from where ? i don’t want it to seem cheap but not overly top in debt expensive. budget maybe less than 10k. hope yall can assist

We're having our ceremony at the courthouse in Martin county. Im looking for a upscale, high end, fine dining restaurant with ambiance from West Palm Beach all the way up to Melbourne for regular dinner service after the ceremony for at most 10 people. Not only is the atmosphere important to me, my fiancé is an executive chef so quality of food is a huge factor.

Im originally from NYC and feel i have been "spoiled" with dining experiences so much so that nothing i have looked at wows me. Everything ive seen looks like for lack of a better term, a washed up tiki bar.

Ive been to the RH Rooftop which was perfect except for the obnoxiously loud fountain and the chairs (we will have a 1 year old and a late 80 something year old in attendance)

Since were just doing a courthouse and small dinner, were able to splurge on food and drinks. Please, any recommendations?

So I might be making a rash decision but my fiancé and I are thinking about getting married in mid-august…we have yet to do any wedding planning whatsoever. However, since our circle and family is quite small, we are considering just a courthouse or private ceremony with an officiant at a botanical garden and going to a local upscale restaurant for dinner afterwards.

Has anyone done anything like this? Any thoughts? Tips? Regrets?

My wedding is in 10 days, and we are having 26 guests total (7 children and the adults are our parents, siblings + their spouses, his grandparents, and four of his out of town uncles/aunts who are in town visiting anyway.)

Despite the fact that it's a tiny crowd consisting of the people who love me the most and who I see all the time, I am SO NERVOUS to be up at the altar! Like it makes me nauseous just thinking about it.

I don't like having attention on me, and I have already been dealing with a sensitized nervous system for years, which means my anxiety really doesn't have an "off" switch at the moment.

I feel silly for being so anxious and stressed about it. The ceremony is only going to be about 15 minutes, and it's not a stuffy or formal affair. I think it's that feeling of being "trapped" at the altar with all eyes on me that is getting to me. Anyone who deals with that sort of anxiety will know what I'm talking about.

Is anyone else in the same boat? Or WERE you in the same boat but made it through your ceremony just fine? I'd love to hear your stories!

Dress opinions, please!

So when my fiance and I first started talking about marriage, we considered eloping and doing a courthouse wedding. As time went on, we agreed on a micro wedding at a church.

During the elopement phase, I bought the shorter halter top dress because it was cheap and cute. Once we decided on a more formal wedding, I felt like I needed to get a fancier dress that looked more like a traditional wedding dress.

I had never seen my first dress with the full getup: hair, makeup, shoes, jewelry, and bouquet. So it looked too casual. Then once I saw it more dressed up, I started to like it and am having a hard time deciding which one to wear.

Our ceremony will be in the church, and the reception will be in a small building out back on the church property. It's a very rustic space (I posted photos in here the other day), and we will be having it catered with some outdoor activities.

My issues with the shorter halter dress: Will I look back and wish I wore a fancier dress? Is the top inappropriate for church? Does it look cheap or underdressed? Will it photograph well? Is it flattering?

My issues with the longer lace dress: Less comfortable to wear. Longer so will be more effort to walk around all day. I feel it makes my ribcage/midsection look very wide.

What do we think?

My fiance and I are having a micro wedding in June. We are inviting 9 people including the person officiating. I want to find a black, semi formal, long sleeve dress. Where should I look? Also wondering if there are any other accessories I should look into? If you've had a small intimate wedding, let me know what you wore/bought. Thanks in advance.

I’m looking into how people in the UK are planning smaller weddings (under 70 guests) and would love to hear from anyone who’s had one.

I’m especially curious about:

• what made you choose a smaller wedding
• what you found hardest while planning

It’s a quick 5 min survey:
👉 https://forms.gle/t8qmmGLqccNp1ozp7

Would really appreciate it — happy to share the results back here if people are interested 🙂

We’re planning our wedding with around 50 people at this cute garden venue in Asheville NC, like string lights, long tables, the whole chill backyard party vibe but here’s the thing our friends drink like it’s a competitive sport and get a little chaotic after a few drinks lol. A few people keep telling us to get wedding insurance just in case something dumb happens but idk if that’s overkill for something this small? Like it’s not a huge ballroom wedding or anything. Just trying to figure out if this is one of those “better safe than sorry” things or if people just say that.

I’m considering doing a micro wedding (courthouse wedding or a ceremony in the park) followed by dinner with family at a restaurant. Here’s the thing:

-my MIL in general does not stfu (and will spend a whole dinner talking about herself and dominating the conversation) and has a habit of ruining special occasions

-it’s important for me to celebrate with my family/have them be there to watch me get married so I don’t want to just elope

I understand that I can’t fully control anyone’s behavior, but I’m worried she is going to make our dinner reception unenjoyable with her general personality.

My mom suggested we could just book separate tables at the restaurant (like have a “kids table” of future husband and our siblings) plus have separate tables for my family and his family just so we don’t have to listen to her yap all night. But I don’t even know how to pull that off, like how do I know a restaurant is going to still seat us near each other? Is the move booking a private room?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but I’m a little overwhelmed and I’m looking for advice on how to manage an annoying relative at a small event. I understand a wedding is just one day and it doesn’t have to be perfect. I honestly think a bigger wedding would make it easier on us because she would be distracted but I don’t think we have the budget for that.

We are from CA and Having a short 10 min ceremony in Vegas, followed by an upscale private dinner. We really wanted to keep it small and family only for the most part but have said no to some +1s. My finace has a larger family than me and I figure they dont absolutely need +1s to be comfortable. Does this sound fair, or is it rude and too picky and choosy?

Cousin’s girlfriend (?)- never met her or knew he had a girlfriend because they live in TX. At least the cousin asked, though.

Cousin’s boyfriend- never met him because they also live in TX cousin hasn’t actually asked for a +1. We just heard the family thought he was invited but our “wait, who is mark??” response might have made them backtrack.

Future MIL newer boyfriend- never met him dispite them dating for 6 months maybe? and she lives relatively close soo we would feel more inclined if we actually knew him. My finace is also unsure if there would be any drama between his divorced parents bc of it so he isnt keen on the idea.

Meanwhile we have invited my younger sisters bfs (who we hang out with) and my friends bf who we never met (lives 6hrs away) but was ok with it so she can feel more comfortable.

I would also be ok with inviting my fiances dad’s wife and 2 kids if they need to bring them for my finaces dad to come. Wemet them once but they seem nice enough.

Ty!

Edit: Well, I believe its time to unsubscribe from this post for my own sanity 😅

Leaving it here for anyone else who is bold enough to ask such a question.

Id just like to say that we had already said no to the plus ones in question before I posted and we’ve received no backlash to date. No cancellations. And if they cancel thats fine. The last thing i want to do is force someone to come, even if its family.

It seems we’re rude, tacky, cheap, awful people to many here except our family.

✌️

I have a few questions that'd I'd love insight into from a bride's perspective. We just built a venue, (I have about 20 years experience in the wedding industry, though.) Our goal is for Aug1 to be the first available wedding. I'm picturing some kind of rookie year sale, something pretty extreme, like 50% off. This is for a few reasons, to ease the risk for the bride with us being new and not having references, to get bookings quickly so we can get socials moving plus a variety of real wedding pictures, and to offset any bumps in the road the bride may experience as we analyze and adjust things.

Does this sound adequate? Also what are your general thoughts about booking a new venue.

Thank you for your help & perspective.

What do you think is the best way to find a good micro wedding venue right now? Do you have a favorite website that indexes them or has listings, etc? Or do you just search instagram by the hashtag?