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We're having 20-25 guests. We're having a small intimate ceremony in an outdoor gazebo with a dinner reception following in a private small dining room (holds 36 people) at a nice restaurant. We're still doing cake and the toasts as well as meal choices. We're probably having favors. Also, we're still having the dress being cocktail at least to keep it nice. And I'll still make some small but elegant centerpieces although our restaurant offers candles. It'll be more like a dinner party I think but with the ceremony before, cake cutting, and the champagne toasts it'll keep it like a wedding. I love that the room is small so we can feel connected to everyone. It's coming together so well. What kinds of things would you like pictures on? I'll attach pictures of our venues and also a link to a small wedding in the same restaurant as ours.
http://sposabellaphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/washington-park-wedding-charleston-sc.html
wineroom.jpg (286.6 KB, 63 downloads) 1 year old hamptonparkgazebo.jpg (129.1 KB, 56 downloads) 1 year old
I will also say it has made it very enjoyable to realize that I can have everything I'd like that would normally be part of a bigger wedding, just downsized since at first I felt like I had to compromise. We're also having the elegant wedding then having an optional after party at just some area bars/clubs after we change to bring that element into the wedding but make it only for those comfortable with it (our dinner will end by 9:30ish probably).
Having 25 people, will give you an intimate feel, which can feel very formal and romantic. If anything I think that feeling is harder to achieve when you have 100+ people.
Do you have pics of your resturant?
make sure you ask, the restaurant about, what will they allow you to take for decoration.
a nice centerpiece, charger plate and napkin ring will light up your tables
My cousins had about 25 guests and a reception at a restaurant, much like you are doing. They had lovely linens on the tables (red for their colors), and small centerpieces about every 5 feet or so. They also used longer tables in sort of a square format, so that everyone was facing each other, instead of at different tables, which I thought was a neat idea.
They also had place settings and favors at every guest’s place setting. It was definitely still elegant – it was a private room, and there was a champagne toast before dinner.
I also will agree that it's been easier for me to make things romantic and elegant with 20-30 guests instead of 80.
I'm having the same questions! Our wedding has 47 on the guest list and I am expecting at least 40 to make it. We too are considering an outdoor ceremont on a pier and then treating everyone to dinner someplace nice downtown.
We may do it all on a boat too, waiting to get some numbers though, I'm sure it's out of our price range.
With only 40 guests we don't want a venue and d.j and everything, we feel like that's too much for such a small affair, but like you we want toasts and favors and I will be wearing my formal wedding dress that was bought before I knew what we were doing
Thank you @mandb122
Pictures such as venue location, inspirational pictures, actual pictures of small wedding reception/dinner with 25 guests and under, table settings etc.
Thanks to all in advance!
Look at http://www.intimateweddings.com/ for a lot of real weddings/inspirations/ideas too
Here are pics of Gazebo and a view of falls from Gazebo. We are renting the whole Gazebo for about 4 hrs.
View_of_falls_from_Gazebo.jpg (73 KB, 65 downloads) 1 year old Gazebo1.jpg (40.5 KB, 66 downloads) 1 year old
Love the gazebo!
I'm assuming you will be using thier tables, which are square. I would sit 4 per table, and place tables more in the center.
Or you could do one long table (giving it a intimate dinner party feel like the pic below.)
Play up the fact that this wedding is small & intimate. I would focus mainly on lighting. Have ALOT of candles, use lights on the ceiling or hang lighted paper lanterns. By the way that chandelier is awesome! Make that your "ceiling centerpeice" so to speak.
Keep it formal by adding nice place settings, and nice place cards. What are you colors/ theme?
one_long_table.jpg (200 KB, 51 downloads) 1 year old 
I would set the mood with music. I realize there may be restrictions with the restraunt, but you could probably work it out if it were a string ensemble or even just a violin.
Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I will put them to good use.
I am having a small wedding too, I am having trouble finding venue too...
Have you tried public parks /Gardens?
i too am having a small wedding....20-25 people. we are having our ceremony in front of this gazebo in the grounds of a hotel, then our reception will be inside the hotel.
This is one of my favorites:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/my-3000-wedding-did-i-use-my-budget-well
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Hello Bees:
I am in need of some inspiration and am hoping to get some help. My FI and I have decided to change from having a medium sized wedding to having a small but intimate affair of about 20 persons.
We have decided to go with a restaurant dinner after ceremony but thats all we have. We are stuck! We still want it to feel intimate and we still want the elegance of an evening reception, but it's hard to imagine this with 20 guests.
Any brides out there who had or will have less than 25 guests? Please offer some inspiration and possible pics on what you did or will do to make your dinner/reception look and feel elegant despite the number of guests.
Thanks in advance
Sign - a confused bride