As a Wedding DJ & MC based in Phoenix, Arizona, I tend to be “in the know” about the newest wedding trends. Not because I spend hours poring through magazines and websites, but because I get to see them firsthand. The naked cake? Mason jars? Ice cream bars? Yeah, I’ve kind of seen it all.
Lately, a lot of the weddings I’ve worked have been in smaller venues with less guests. It soon dawned on me that this wasn’t just a weird coincidence, but yet another wedding trend: the small wedding.
Downsizing your wedding is becoming more and more common throughout the industry. At first, as a Wedding DJ & MC, I wasn’t the biggest fan. I’m used to packed dancefloors and large crowds. However, it wasn’t long before I started to see the benefits of downsizing your wedding. While there were less people on the dancefloor, those who were there knew each other and were more willing to have some fun with their dance moves.
I’ve decided to write this post for all of the naysayers out there when it comes to downsizing your wedding. Once I found one benefit, it didn’t take me long to see many others!
Top 5 Reasons to Downsize Your Wedding
1. A Smaller Wedding is More Budget-Friendly
This seems pretty obvious, but saving money is definitely a good reason to consider a smaller wedding. According to a CNN article, in 2016 the average wedding in the United States cost around $35,000. For most people, that’s…a lot.
Wedding-Venuessaid it best, “While your wedding is an experience you certainly won’t want to forget, it doesn’t mean you need to spend all your life savings on just one day.” I definitely agree with this. If you don’t want to spend all of your savings, downsizing your wedding is a great way to cut costs.
Maybe go on an amazing honeymoon? Or save it for later. Whatever you choose, you’ll have a lot of options.
2. Downsizing Your Wedding Lets You Add Personal Touches
If you have 500+ guests, there comes a point where you make decisions based off of necessity, not desire. Did you want everyone to get their own personalized pizza? A dinner performance? Well, if you have a legion of guests, this isn’t really possible. Especially if you don’t want dinner to last for the entire event.
Each additional guest adds to the amount of work your vendors need to do, and in turn will add to the time it takes for each event to finish. And trust me, receptions tend to be action-packed anyways, so being able to move things along is essential. Here’s a taste of what your reception might look like.
3. A Smaller Wedding = Less Stress
Can you imagine the amount of work that goes into planning such a big event? The amount of stress? This is why so many couples hire a wedding planner.
And you may think that once you say “I do” all of the stress is over, but that’s not necessarily true. You still have to play the role of host for 500 people and tackle any problems that may occur. If you downsize your wedding, everything is less overwhelming, and people are more willing to step up and help you out if there’s a “wedding emergency”.
4. Less People Means a Fun, Unique Venue
When you’re expecting less guests, you don’t have to worry about the size of the wedding and reception venues. Many couples don’t realize how limiting a big headcount is until they start looking for these locations.
According to Evening Standard, “Small, intimate weddings…offer plenty of choice and a whole range of hidden gems.” And Phoenix, Arizona has a lot of hidden gems. I may be biased, but I think Arizona has some of the best wedding venues. In fact, I’ve already made a list of my favorites!
5. You Get a Day with Your Closest Friends and Family
With all of the stress and anxiety that comes with planning your wedding, it’s easy to forget that this is supposed to be a day that you celebrate you love with your closest friends and family. You get stuck constantly solving problems, and in the end, you just want it all to be over with so you can lay back and put your feet up.
I don’t like this. I don’t like that some couples don’t enjoy their big day because they’re so stressed. Sometimes, they don’t even get to spend any quality time with their loved ones because they’re too focused on spending time with everyone.
If you think this could happen to you, then I recommend downsizing your wedding. Some people prefer a larger wedding, but if this isn’t you, don’t do it. Plan a wedding you’ll enjoy, not one you have to endure.
Do you prefer a big wedding, or a small one? Why? Comment below and let me know what you think!