Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium is so excited to present to you Susannah Parker, the founder of Couture Events. A thoughtful and empathetic luxury events planner, Susannah has established a name in the events industry for her creativity and client centred approach. I have had the pleasure of working with her on a number of occasions, and she is a joy to work with. She has kindly written an article on how to make your intimate wedding memorable which I am sure you will enjoy.
Intimate weddings with exclusive guest lists are all set to be the new normal for the foreseeable future – but whether this is the kind of wedding you’d always wanted or if this is the kind of wedding you are now having to plan, I’m on a mission to educate couples that small is most definitely beautiful and a luxury intimate wedding will be just as exquisite and unforgettable as one with an extensive guest list, and in all likelihood, even more so.
Hosting a small intimate wedding is the perfect opportunity to design and create a wedding day which fully immerses your guests in your unique story, to offer extra thoughtful touches throughout the day as well as sharing more of your precious time with them, while also allowing you the time and space to truly experience your once in a lifetime occasion. In addition, smaller guest numbers gives you an opportunity to indulge your guests in experiences which simply wouldn’t work for larger numbers, such as more personal entertainment and bespoke dining.
Here are my top suggestions for how to guarantee that your intimate wedding is remembered by your guests as the best wedding ever!
The venue
An exclusive wedding calls for an exclusive destination!
We have a number of highly recommended luxury venues up our sleeves which are just perfect for smaller guest numbers, and not just for the day either. We encourage our couples to invite their guests to their exclusive venue for a full wedding weekend so they can really relax and connect over a longer period. Our favourites include Cliveden House, Cowdray Park and Wilderness Reserve. Your guests can then share not only in the emotional intensity of your wedding day but also in the excitement and anticipation of the night before at your rehearsal dinner and all the fun of relaxing and sharing stories the following day. Depending on the venue and your numbers, we can arrange pre and post wedding activities and entertainment for your guests whether it be spa therapists coming to the venue, a range of country pursuits or a skill masterclass given by an expert.
The details
The way to ensure that your wedding remains etched in your and your guests’ memories for years afterwards, is to focus on the details, and to make them personalised to each of your guests as much as possible. Whether it’s personal handwritten notes from you both with the welcome hampers in the bedrooms, bespoke personalised tableware at your wedding breakfast, or keepsakes from the day such as monogrammed knee blankets or umbrellas or fabulous framed portraits of them taken by your wedding photographer, making your guests feel super special and showing them your appreciation of their attendance is a sure fire way to show them how much you value them.
Budget
Finally, hosting an intimate wedding means that rather than allocating a large portion of your budget to food and drink for lots of guests, you can instead invest it in framing key moments during more of the day – whether its setting the tone for your day with an exquisite 3D laser cut invitation, having an epic floral installation as a focal point during your marriage ceremony, making a feature of a showstopping opulent 6 tier wedding cake, keeping the dance floor jumping all night with a high profile club DJ, a firework display to your favourite music or departing in style by helicopter, these are the meaningful moments which you’ll cherish forever.
Here at Couture Events, we are specialists in the creative design and immaculate management of luxury weddings in exceptional locations. For more ideas and venue recommendations for your exquisite intimate wedding, do contact us at info@couture-events.co.uk.
Photo credits: Kate Nielen Photography
Wedding Planner: www.couture-events.co.uk