Small Wedding

[Hallo12345]

I’m looking for opinions and advice from those who have been to or had a small wedding? Our budget is £1000 😂 we got engaged and planned a wedding pre-pandemic, since had another baby and life has been a whirlwind so only just getting around to thinking about it again. Neither of us want a big wedding but we’d also like immediate family there + couple of friends, around 20 people in total. Would be either a ceremony in our church or ask our pastor to marry us next to a Loch. And then a lunch (not a wedding breakfast type thing, just a lunch in a normal restaurant, or maybe afternoon tea maybe, and if the budget allows, we’d like a night away in a hotel afterwards.
Has anyone done anything like this ? Do you think our budget is unrealistic? Any tips/anecdotes?
Last question - small wedding - big dress (I still have my wedding dress from previously planned wedding - or do I get dress altered to shorten it and make it less dressy?

We had a cheap wedding.

Local church - paid donation (I was a regular attendee)
Church hall with sit down buffet.

Everything including dress, suit, rings, clothes for DC, donations, food £1k but 13 years ago - 50 people.

Wear the dress. You are only doing it once.
I don’t think the budget is unrealistic for wedding fees and a meal. As long as everyone understood that for bar drinks they need to order and pay for themselves. I’d have no problem with that.
Not sure about a night away too, could family chip in and that be your wedding gift maybe?

We had a small wedding for 16 people with a similar budget to you a year and a half ago.

We’d already had the registry office part six months previously but delayed the family celebration until Covid had calmed down a bit.

We hired a small venue room at a local hotel and redid our vows with a family member leading us to avoid having a celebrant, seeing as we were already legally married.

Then we had a three-course sit-down meal at lunchtime, with red or white wine or soft drinks. They were happy to serve the wedding cake we’d brought for desert. And we had champagne for toasting.

We did our own flowers and they decorated the room as part of the cost.

No evening component so the whole thing lasted about 4 hours which was perfect, and then we changed and had drinks in the hotel bar with a couple of family members who stayed out.

If you like your big dress, I say wear it and enjoy it. It’s still your big day and you’re still the bride even if your wedding is intimate and low key. Congrats and hope you have a great day. 💓