At Jodi Raphael Events, we’ve worked with many clients over the years, all with different requirements, tastes, and wedding party sizes. With COVID restrictions in place this past year, we saw intimate weddings dramatically increase in popularity as a smaller yet festive way to celebrate. As our country and the state of Massachusetts emerge from last year’s restrictions, we’re finding that intimate weddings in Boston are still very popular. In this article, we’re going to share some essential wedding checklist items to help give you intimate wedding ideas!
While intimate weddings are smaller in size, they require just as much attention to detail as their larger counterparts. You’ll need a plan in place and a checklist to help you stay on track. Our experience as intimate wedding planners and wedding coordinators in Boston has helped us create the helpful checklist you see here. Use it as a guide (think: wedding treasure map) to help you plan a successful intimate wedding filled with moments you’ll remember for years to come!
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Intimate Wedding Checklist – Foundational Decisions
Lots of the heavy lifting and foundational planning of an intimate wedding happens long before the actual wedding day.
Here are some of the foundational wedding planning details that need to be worked out in advance:
- The Time of Year
The first detail to consider is your wedding date. Do you want to get married during spring, summer, fall, or even winter? Are you looking for something within the next year or a few years from now? When you close your eyes, in which season is your wedding taking place?
- Budget
Wedding planning starts with budgeting. Understanding your current budget will guide the rest of the decision-making process. Once you have a budgetary estimate, everyone helping to plan the intimate wedding can make appropriate suggestions to help you stay within those limits.
- Venue Options
As intimate weddings have small guest lists, typically no more than 50 in attendance, the options increase for spaces to hold the celebration. These venue options can be unique and personalized to the couples’ tastes, sometimes requiring less budget than a larger event.
- Guestlist
Creating the guestlist for an intimate wedding is where most couples run into difficulty. It’s hard to pare down a wedding guest list and still be considerate of your friends and family. Think through whose presence matters, those with whom you may have the longest history, and those in a position to help you celebrate your special day.
Intimate Wedding Checklist – Talent, Logistics, and Creativity
Once the foundational decisions are made, talent can be hired, logistics settled, and creative decisions made. Don’t be overwhelmed – we are here to help!
- Talent
What exactly do we mean by “talent”? It is the individuals or groups hired to make your wedding day special. This includes but is not limited to caterers, photographers, videographers, bands, mixologists, lighting experts, linen vendors, and so on. And don’t forget the planner! The planner can show you all the options available and help you choose among them.
Reserve these vendors as far in advance as possible. The very best talent gets booked up for months, if not years, ahead of time.
- Logistics
Logistics concern everything from lodging, guest accommodations, transportation, scheduling events, food storage, gifts, and so forth. Typically a wedding coordinator will help figure out all of the logistics ahead of time to relieve the couple of having to devote time and energy to some of the more taxing planning details.
- Creativity
It’s your wedding! Inject your own personality and inspiration into your intimate wedding to create a warm and inviting ceremony and an event that is a unique experience for you and for your guests. The creative choices range from styling the wedding dress or groom’s suit to choosing a wedding theme to music selection, food selection, and decor. Use this checklist to create intimate wedding ideas of your very own.
If you’re looking for guidance and advice on planning your wedding, please reach out to our friendly and experienced Boston wedding planners!
