mall weddings are a great option for many couples. Instead of focusing on entertaining hundreds of guests, you can focus more on smaller details that would be overlooked in a bigger event and spend more time enjoying your big day... after you get everything planned, of course.
To help make sure nothing gets overlooked in the whirlwind that is wedding planning, we've put together the ultimate checklist of things to consider. We'll start with the list for you, but keep reading for a deeper dive on what to consider for each item below!
The Ultimate Small Wedding Checklist
✅ Early Stages: Congrats, You're Engaged!
- Take some time to enjoy the moment!
- Discuss the timeline for your engagement + set a date! Do you want a long one? Or do you want to get married as soon as possible?
- Decide on a budget. Small weddings can be thrifty backyard affairs or extravagant events just like larger shindigs -- so make sure you and your future spouse are on the same page about wha you're comfortable spending.
- Choose your top priorities. When you'e sticking to a budget, you unfortunately usually can't get every single thing on your wish list. So decide together what are your non-negotiables for the big day, and make sure those things get planned first and allocated as much budget as necessary. Consider things like:
- Getting married at your dream destination or venue
- Saving money on the ceremony/reception to put toward a honeymoon or post-wedding purchase, like a house
- Serving a chef-approved multi-course meal
- Incorporating traditions from each of your families + cultures
✅ Start Planning: 12-18 Months Out
- Choose a theme or color palette for your wedding, if you'd like to have one.
- Find your venue. It can be surprisingly tricky to book a venue for 50 guests or less, so you may have to call around to local event spaces to find out who your options are.
- Start comparing vendors. You don't necessarily need to hire a vendor for everything, but it's good to decide whether you want to hire someone to handle or DIY each of the following elements of your big day early in the planning process:
- Wedding planner
- Catering
- Flowers
- Photographer/videographer
- Wedding band/DJ
- Attire (many wedding dresses take several months or even a year to order + alter!)
- Transportation
- Officiant
- Cake
- Wedding day rentals (chairs, linens, etc)
- Take engagement photos. You'll want plenty of time to get them back before sending out save the dates + putting up your wedding website.
✅ Getting Into the Swing of Things: 9-12 Months Out
- Set up your wedding website.
- Finalize the guest list.
- Choose your wedding party.
- Send Save the Dates so your guests have plenty of time to take off work + make travel arrangements, if needed.
- Finalize vendor decisions + book higher demand vendors, like:
- Hair and makeup artists
- Photographers + videographers
- Transportation
- Officiant
- Cake
- Flowers
- Purchase attire + schedule alterations.
- Book honeymoon + work on itinerary
- Reserve hotel room block for guests
- Register for gifts!
✅ Details, Details, Details: 6-9 Months Out
- Finalize vendor decisions + book:
- Entertainment
- Drink vendors
- Plan your rehearsal and book any necessary venues, food, and transportation.
- Confirm details with your vendors. This is the part of the process where you'll likely sign off on final designs for flowers, cake, etc.
- Plan the ceremony so your big day flows exactly the way you want it to.
✅ Getting Closer: 4-6 Months Out
- Coordinate with your wedding party to make sure everyone's attire is ordered + fits the theme.
- Plan + host wedding-related events like the bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, etc.
- Order your cake topper
- Order your wedding bands
- Purchase wedding insurance... just in case
- Research marriage license requirements and start filling out paperwork + making appointments. If you're getting a prenup, now's the time to do it.
✅ Finalizing the Big Stuff: 2-4 Months Out
- Send invites
- Meet with officiant to finalize your vows
- Finalize the seating chart for your reception
- Confirm headcount with your venue and caterer
- Schedule hair + makeup trials
- Apply for marriage license
- Purchase wedding day accessories like shoes, veils, jewelry, tie clips, cuff links, watches, etc.
- Create a list of must-have shots for your photographer/videographer
✅ Finalizing the Details: 1-2 Months Out
- Final dress fitting
- Confirm details with all vendors
- Schedule a venue walkthrough
- Confirm honeymoon details + packing list
- Send invitations for the rehearsal dinner
- Confirm ceremony songs with venue/musicians
- Send thank you notes for bridal shower gifts
✅ Finishing Touches: 2-4 Weeks Out
- Confirm guest RSVPs + finalize seating chart accordingly
- Coordinate vendor arrival times + timelines
- Print day-of materials, like place cards, programs, and menus
- Get wedding license + bring it to your rehearsal!
- Prepare final payments for vendors
- Put together a wedding day emergency kit with safety pins, bandaids, bobby pins, and anything else you might need day-of
✅ The Fun Begins: 1 Week Out
- Final beauty treatments like haircuts, manicures, etc.
- Pack wedding day bag
- Pack for honeymoon
- Delegate any remaining tasks
✅ Last Minute: 1 Day Out
- Rehearsal dinner
- Re-confirm timelines with vendors, wedding party
- Drop decor, favors, etc. at the venue
- Prepare wedding license + rings
- Get some shut eye!!!
✅ Wedding Bells Are Ringing: The Big Day!!
- Fuel up with a healthy breakfast
- Get ready. Hair, makeup, and get dressed.
- Take photos with bridal party
- Give rings to the best man
- Ensure ceremony site is set up
- Enjoy your big day!
Okay, Now Let's Take a Closer Look at Some of the Biggest Items on Our Checklist.
Whether you thought you did it months ago, or completely forgot about it. Whether it is a big detail or small one. Whether your partner said they did or didn’t do it, a checklist is a very handy tool in getting ready for your wedding.
Make a Budget
If you have not already, this should be your first step. Figuring out how much money you can or can not spend is absolutely crucial. The worst feeling someone can have is overcommitting financially and being forced to sacrifice a feature that could have been beautiful.
We all want our big day to be everything that we dreamed of and the numbers prove this. Around 56% of weddings go over budget and even a small service’s price can escalate quickly.
A great deal of people can forget about the smaller necessities and costs that go into a wedding. Of course there is the venue, the caters, a band or DJ, but many expenses get overlooked:
- Tips
- Marriage license
- Transportation
- Dress storage and preservation
- Overtime
Budgets can be scary and get on your nerves, but developing a strong financial estimate will take some of the edge off.
Pick a Date
Although obvious, picking a date can be easier said than done. The date can be often dictated by your venue’s availability, and an outside wedding in November can be on the chillier side and not to the best interests of your guests.
One of the reasons why small weddings are so great is because you know everyone there. You don’t have to be introduced to your third cousin twice removed or your partner’s Mom’s friend’s college roommate and there are more quality moments with whom you are closest to.
That begs the question: don’t you want them there to witness your big day? As much as it is your wedding, it would not be the same without some specific guests and they have their own lives, too. Therefore, it is important to make sure the event does not interfere with any major conflicts.
Choosing a Venue for Your Small Wedding, Micro-Ceremony, or Elopement Style Wedding
Smaller weddings open up more opportunities for your dream venue, as different locations will have different maximum capacities. If you found a small church or beach or whatever, it could be awkward if one of those closest family members or friends gets left out.
You also want to communicate with your fiancé on what you are both looking for. Some important questions to consider when choosing a venue are:
- Destination or local?
- Outside or indoors?
- Are potential weather conditions a deal breaker?
- What is the lighting like?
- Will the venue be accessible to all guests?
- Does it fit into our budget?
By discussing these questions and preferences with your partner, your expectations will be aligned. The venue will set the tone of your wedding so it is worth your time to plan accordingly.
When everyone is on the same page, it does not matter if you are planning a wedding or a middle school science project, everything will flow more smoothly.
Keeping the Guest List *Small*
Some of the most important, and hardest, decisions when planning a small wedding is the guest list. As close as you used to be to your high school or college friends or distant relatives, your partner has just as many. If you want your wedding to be intimate, then some people are destined to not make the cut.
This is not to discourage you from having a small wedding, but even in a larger service, there will be people who will not receive an invitation. Another thing to consider is that for every person on the fringe that you have, your partner could have just as many and if not more.
You also need to think about plus ones. Perhaps you could be close friends with Taylor Swift but you also hate the Chiefs and can’t have Travis Kelce at your wedding. On the other hand, maybe your cousin is Jay Z and your fiancé has always dreamt of meeting Beyoncé.
Plus ones can cut your guest list in half at a wedding that is already intended to be small, but can also be deal breakers for whether or not some guests attend. That is why your invitations need to be on your small wedding checklist.
Invites + Communications
Once upon a time, all wedding communications were sent via snail mail -- but these days you can choose to go with traditional paper invites, go the paperless/digital route, or use a combination of the two to make sure all of your guests are on the same page.
Paper Invitations
Paper invites are the most traditional way let the guest list know they've been invited to your wedding, but they come with some pros and cons. It's nice to have a physical memento of your wedding, but by the time you print and mail save the dates, invitations, response cards, and thank you, paper invitations can take a big bite out of your wedding budget. Many factors influence the final price tag including options like foil, engraving, beveling, type of paper, and more.
According to The Knot, the average couple spends $300-$600 on stationary items like invitations and programs for their wedding.
You can save some money by going the DIY route, especially if your wedding is a smaller affair and your hands won't be cramping from stuffing hundreds of envelopes. Plus with tools like Canva or DIY wedding invitation kits, you can put together a beautiful finished product even if you're not a pro graphic designer.
Wedding Websites
Wedding websites have become pretty standard in recent years, with a The Knot's Real Wedding Study finding that a whopping 89% of couples used a wedding website to share details with her guests. Before you start to panic over how much designing + hosting a site for your big day will cost, let me set your mind at ease: there are actually some very cost effective options out there, including Joy, which is FREE.
Yes, you read that right -- $0!
You can choose from a variety of beautiful templates + customize to make it yours. And your Joy wedding website has everything your guest needs, all in one place -- accessible online or in the Joy app:
- Informational pages with your story, venue information, and more
- An all-in-one registry that pulls in items from everywhere you've registered
- Exclusive hotel room block booking that gets you up to 30% off
- Guest list database to keep you sane
- Free online Smart RSVP system
What's Better for a Small Wedding: Band or DJ?
A highly debated topic in wedding planning discourse is deciding between hiring a wedding band or a DJ. Both sides have their pros and cons, but a great deal of the time this choice comes down to a pure preference or budgeting.
Why a DJ is the Right Choice
Considering the budget, the cost of bands can range from four to ten times more expensive than a professional DJ. You want your first dance to be perfect too and for that to be the case, the song must be perfect. If your song is already chosen and you want it played just like Taylor Swift sings it, then a DJ is the right choice.
Bands can also have a limited selection of songs or genres to play from, whereas you can jump from Sam Cooke and “Bring it on Home to Me” to PSY and “Gangnam Style” with a DJ.
Why You Should Pick a Band
Despite the cost, there is something special about listening to live music. Live bands can create unforgettable memories through their audience engagement, high volumes, and a stage presence that no DJ can ever replicate.
There is an additional charm with bands when hiring within the community as it adds a hint of local culture and flavor to your wedding. Bands also offer an aspect of visual entertainment. While DJs can dance their hands behind a turntable and laptop, live bands will move all around the stage creating a more immersive experience.
Caterers vs. Other Options
The food and beverages at a wedding can make or break your big day. When setting up a small wedding, there is a lot more leeway because your attendance will be smaller.
Some things to remember before you pick your vendor are:
- Style
- Tastings
- Availability
- Venue
- Price
- Trendiness
- Bar?
Your menu can be very dependent on the style and location of the wedding as a whole, as it will be preferred that everything fits together. The style may not be as important, however, as the tastings. An absolute must when preparing for your small wedding are scheduling tastings with your top three options because you, of course, want to enjoy the food that will be served.
Similar to venues, the availability of a potential vendor must be considered and align with your save the date. Some venues will only allow catering through themselves, and consequently, this may change your decision on a venue.
For a very small wedding with just your closest family and friends, you can also consider going a more casual route and asking your guests to pitch in their favorite dishes for a potluck. As the hosts, you should still provide enough of the main fare to feed everyone -- but this is also a nice way to involve your loved ones in your big day and keep your wedding budget under control.
If you (or your fiancé) like to cook, you can also request guests fill out a recipe card with the dish they're bringing so that you can start your newlywed lives together with a one of a kind recipe collection co-authored by all the people closest to you. What could be a better way to reminisce than making grandma's famous cream puffs or your besties show-stopping salad for years to come?
Make a list and check it twice for the small wedding of your dreams <3
At the end of the day, the true ultimate key to planning a successful small wedding is communication with your partner. It is crucial that you both can agree and collaborate together so that your wedding day comes with as little disruption and chaos as possible. As long as you have and go over your small wedding checklist, everything will turn out beautifully.
Originally posted: 07/05/2024
Last updated: 05/21/2025
