Guide to planning a small and intimate wedding in Belfast

Planning a wedding is a momentous occasion in everyone’s life, and choosing to have a small and intimate wedding in Belfast is a fantastic choice. Our extensive guide will walk you through the process step by step, ensuring that your special day is everything you have ever dreamed of.

While Belfast weddings are typically large events with 100 plus guests, small intimate weddings are also quite common. In recent years, smaller more intimate weddings have become a trend.  There are lots of reasons why couples choose smaller weddings. They allow couples more room for more personalisation, are typically more eco-friendly and as an added bonus decrease planning stress. If that sounds good to you and your future partner, read on to learn more about what's considered a small wedding, who to invite and where to have your wedding and more!

What is a small intimate Belfast wedding?

Smaller more intimate wedding are sometimes known as micro weddings. Based on our own data from weddings we have photographed a typical Belfast wedding has 120 guests. Small intimate weddings in Belfast usually have 20 or less guests. Usually, these smaller weddings will have a similar structure to a larger more traditional wedding day, just on a smaller scale, typically with a more relaxed, chilled out vibe. The less people invited, the more intimate the day can be, but it's entirely up to you.

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Who to invite to your intimate Belfast wedding?

This is the most important first decision you will make when planning your intimate wedding. Just like with any wedding you will need to choose your guest list. Most couples will invite parents, siblings and grandparents and possibly a few of their besties as well. Some couples decide to opt for no plus ones in order to ensure that only their very nearest and dearest will be there to share the moment with them. Typically, extended family members and co-workers etc. are excluded from the guest list.

Where to have your micro Belfast wedding?

With a smaller guest list, your options for choosing where to have your ceremony and celebrate after open up tenfold. This means that you can choose a non-traditional wedding venue as well.

One of the drawbacks of having a smaller wedding is that in terms of cost a traditional wedding venue may not be the best option. Often Belfast wedding venues have fixed pricing which means even if you are have less guests the costs remain the same. Some venues do cater for smaller weddings though.

Ceremony locations for a small intimate wedding in Belfast

The easy choice is the registry office or your local place of worship. Many couples who are planning a smaller wedding have their ceremony at Belfast City Hall’s registry office or at other near by registry office’s like the one at Bangor Castle or Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn. Of those our personal favourite even though we are based in Lisburn ourselves is the registry office at Bangor Castle. This one because of its close proximity to the walled gardens at Bangor Castle has much better photo opportunities than the others.

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As an alternative to a registry office wedding some couples will choose to have their ceremony in a more traditional way at their own place of worship.

If a registry office or a place of worship isn’t for you don’t worry, there are lots of other options available. If you choose to have an independent celebrant perform your ceremony you can have your wedding anywhere you like. You could choose one of the many parks, lakes and areas of outstanding natural beauty that surround Belfast, just ensure to get permission from whoever owns the land or even opt to get married in your own home. Humanist celebrants are a popular choice for couples who decide on this type of wedding. They can legally marry you anywhere and will provide a tailor-made ceremony for you excluding any religious elements.

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Where can I celebrate with my guests in Belfast after the ceremony?

With having a smaller wedding your options are greatly extended. Many of the bars, restaurants and social clubs in the Belfast area have function rooms that can be hired out just for you use. So, you can choose just to hire a room and bring in caterers and entertainment or use the facilities provided by the venue. Popular choices include places like A.M.P.M and the Malmaison hotel.

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How to Plan a Small Wedding in Belfast

Planning a smaller more intimate wedding in Belfast is absolutely much easier than planning a larger wedding but just like any wedding will still take some planning and thought.

Set a budget

Just as you would for any wedding wedding, you need to create a wedding budget based on what you guys want from the day. The vibe, number of guests, venue choices, photographer, videographer and things like catering and entertainment will all need to be carefully considered. Allocate your budget towards the things that are most important to you like photography off course!

Personalise your wedding day as much as possible!

One of the main advantages of having a smaller more intimate Belfast wedding is how it can be personalised to you and your partner. A smaller wedding allows you much more freedom to have the day you always dreamed of and due to lower costs, everything is much more attainable. You could for example include small touches like personalised favours and handwritten notes for each guest making the day even more special for your guests. You can make your wedding ceremony more personal by writing your own vows, involving close friends and family, and incorporating meaningful rituals that represent your love story.

Choosing a wedding photographer in Belfast to document your micro wedding

We love all wedding large or small but we have a special affinity for smaller more intimate weddings. We have photographed weddings all over Northern Ireland at all of the biggest and best venues but often enjoy smaller more intimate weddings more. With smaller guest lists and a more relaxed atmosphere these wedding always tend to be a lot of fun. From a photography point of view, smaller weddings usually mean for us getting more time with the couple to produce amazing portraits which we love along with things like first look which sometimes isn’t possible to fit in the timeline of larger weddings.

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These type of weddings because of all the personalisation the couples can have, often are very different from the typical hotel style wedding which we love as well!

We have a package option designed for couples choosing to have a micro wedding that best caters for this type of wedding day. You can check it out here.

MICRO WEDDING PHOTO PACKAGE
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