15 guests for wedding, advice?

[Stardust35]

Hi, I've recently got engaged and both me and my partner know we want a small, intimate wedding. Both of us only have small families and a few close friends. We are stuck though about what to do on the day. Most wedding venues cater for larger groups... would it be fine to have a registry office wedding then go somewhere for a nice meal and some drinks? We have a couple of friends who would be travelling some distance and so would my partner's mum, so I'm not sure if this would work.

Or do we book a small venue, like a hotel that caters for small ceremonies, and have the ceremony plus wedding breakfast? Is it strange to do this with no reception or party afterwards?
Would love to know what some of you did for your small wedding to gain ideas and reassurance.

Thank you!

I recently went to a wedding with 18 guests, so 20 in total. The couple got married at a lovely country hotel and most of the guests booked to stay the night afterwards, as did the bride and groom. The ceremony was held at 4 pm, deliberately as late as possible to allow some guests to travel quite a long way in the morning then time to get dressed etc. After the ceremony, we stayed in the same room for drinks, photos etc before the meal was served at 6 pm. After the meal and just a few short speeches, the tables were cleared away and we were able to sit in comfy chairs in small groups and get drinks from the bar. There was background music and we were happy to chat until about 10pm when the bride and groom left along with some other guests. Myself and three other people ended up getting out some board games from a cupboard and playing them until much later.

in the morning, those who had stayed the night had breakfast together before leaving. I think this arrangement only worked because of the late ceremony and the fact that most of the guests stayed the night. I even slipped away to my room after the meal for half an hour to have a bit of quiet time and change into more comfortable clothes! The bride and groom paid for all the food and drink up to 10 pm when they left and we got a special reduced room rate.

My mother booked a hotel meal and didn’t tell them it was a wedding. Half the price of a ‘wedding’ meal and just as nice.

would it be fine to have a registry office wedding then go somewhere for a nice meal and some drinks?

Yes, of course.
If you want it to be relaxed, you can just book a meal in a hotel room or a table at a restaurant - it will cost a lot less if you don't mention the word wedding, although it will probably make it a more special day if you can have a separate room just for you and your guests.

I went to a tiny wedding that was held at the Manoir de Quatre Saisons (may not have spelled that perfectly) which is a fantastic fine dining restaurant. Total of 24 people and it was the best meal I have ever had.

Google for "private dining" to find places that are set up to create wonderful memorable meals for a more intimate occasion than the mass-catering hootenanies that the main wedding industry is used to.

I went to one that was 16 inc B and G. It was in a hotel, wedding service was in the reception room, drinks on the terrace whilst the table was set up for the wedding breakfast and it was great.
decorations were simple but and there was some lovely touches like photos instead of name cards at the table (I think with fewer people it’s easier to make more effort). The service was early afternoon which was great - more time to get ready and everyone still had time to talk to everyone.

We decided to have a small wedding, 20 including us. We had ours at venue/reception that can cater for smaller weddings, and I'm so glad we did. I still have the full works, wedding hair, makeup, photographer all day, full sit down meal, big dress. I loved every minute and wouldn't have had it any other way. Just because your guest count is small doesn't mean you can go big on the other bits 🙂

I would just book a lovely restaurant. How lovely.

We got married in the registry office, then booked a meal in a private room at a small country hotel. They were about 5 miles apart, so that worked well and gave everyone a little bit of downtime between the two events. And for us to spend a while with our young goddaughter counting rabbits on the lawn...

We just got married with 28 of us, 4pm ceremony then photos/drinks/canapés, then a meal and couple of very short speeches and before we knew it it was around 10.30pm and some started leaving however at least half of us were still chatting, drinking and dancing to the Spotify list at midnight. It was amazing!

Some of the loveliest weddings we've seen have been for 15 -35 guests. This number allows you to include your closest relatives and a handful of your dearest friends.

Many of our intimate wedding venue partners can also accommodate your dogs - but be warned, it's the furry friends that usually steal the show!

At some of these intimate wedding venues, you can add a small marquee which can accommodate up to 40 and this can provide a lovely festival feel to your special day.

So whether you are considering a small wedding for 20 or a wedding for 30 guests you'll find some lovely options here.

We recommend a purpose-designed wedding venue for these sized weddings as it's not so easy to have a wedding day adventure with this number of guests.

It doesn't rule out a picnic in nature or dipping your toes in the sea, but will ensure that everyone is comfortable and well looked after on your wedding day.

Take a look through the best intimate wedding venues for 15-35 guests here.
-Treseren
-The Cove Cafe
-Higher Holcombe
-Casterton Grange
-Riddles Court
-Knightor Winery
-The Manor, Bratton Clovelly
-Camel Studios
-Roman Baths
-Alexander House

If you have any questions or require more information you can contact the venues via their profile page when you're ready. We hope you enjoy looking through these options.

For further assistance, you can visit the Camilla Boniek Events website and take free consultation from a wedding planner about your event.

I'm getting married next week, there will be 15 people in total. Having a small registry office ceremony and then have booked a private dining area at a local restaurant for a meal afterwards. It's been so lovely to plan without the stress of a bigger event 😊

This would be my idea of perfection, but long time married and not doing it again!
I’d spend whatever money is leftover on staying on the wedding night, sheer luxury. In fact I’d just get married in a registry office and go there, just the two of you.