Here at Chateau Challain, I’ve been lucky enough to host some of the most beautiful intimate affairs over the years. Today we’re imparting our experience and knowledge to answer some of your questions and help you plan your very own unforgettable intimate affair wedding. Nothing says hope more than planning, it’s our way of sowing the seeds of our future lives, today. So dare to dream, because tomorrow is made of dreams.
There’s no way to deny that things have been difficult of late, plans have been ruined, dates have been changed, and dreams of a perfect wedding seem to all too faint. But, if this pandemic has taught us anything is that life is indeed too short.
We need to celebrate every moment of this gift called life, and what better way to celebrate than with a wedding. That being said, we do have to look to more realistic wedding options for the foreseeable future. The Intimate Affair might be your perfect option.
What is An Intimate Affair?
Simply put, an Intimate Affair is a wedding with up to fifty guests, although generally, it’s thirty or less. In the challenging times we live in – with Covid 19 and social distancing – the idea of a more compact wedding has become increasingly more compelling. It gives you the chance to focus your budget, letting your imagination soar and be more creative when it comes to your big day.
Because let’s be clear about that, although you’re considering an intimate affair, it shouldn’t diminish the idea of your wedding being as simple or as grand as you ever imagined. After all, what could be more significant than getting the chance to share your love for one another with the people that truly matter in your life?
Who Make’s the Guest List?
One of the biggest appeals to having an Intimate Affair is you’ll get the opportunity to refine that unruly guest list. Take the time to focus in on the most important people in your life, be that your close family or real friends. Of course, we all love the chance to invite people that we haven’t seen for ages, to help celebrate our wedding.
Still, an Intimate Affair is more about the people who have been important to you not only throughout your life but also those that are most important to you today. It’s a question of stopping, looking around at the people who have stood with you through the good times, and the bad. People that have helped you get through this crazy thing we call life, and people you yourself have helped along the way. You’ll find that this list is smaller than you’d expect. By having an intimate affair, you not only share your special day, but you express your love to your friends and family by making them part of a select list of VIP guests.
What Makes the Perfect Intimate Venue?
A refined guest list opens up a world of choices a larger gathering would prohibit, therefore no longer making you choose between beauty and the practicality of logistics. Freed from the hassle and worries of getting together a large group, you have options you could only dream of before. You can hold an Intimate Affair wherever you would like, from your very own back yard to a private estate somewhere else in the world.
A destination wedding suddenly becomes a reality within your budget. When it comes to the reception venue, considering your amount of guests, you’ll want to look at a more cosy environment. Avoid cavernous halls, and large reception rooms, you’ll want to be closer with your guests, whilst taking into account social distancing.
Another point to consider is whether the venue offers exclusivity during your stay. An Intimate Affair is about keeping your wedding intimate with the special people in your life. Having strangers wandering about during your visit is unwelcome to say the least.
How to Hold the Ultimate Intimate Affair Ceremony?
Once again, I must stress that fewer guests do in no way mean smaller ideas. Yes, of course, you want to avoid your guests being lost in some empty church or a barely filled hall, but that gives you so many more options. You’ll want to be closer to these people, so consider that when choosing the location for your ceremony.
Be creative and think outside the box: a woodland clearing, a historical monument, a sunset beach, or perhaps even the place where you met. You’ll find it’s going to be a lot easier to get smaller groups to somewhere wonderful than trying to herd over a hundred people to that extraordinary place.
Because one of the biggest budget drains of a traditional wedding is the catering and intimate affair allows you to free up this cost, invest it elsewhere. Use it wisely. Floral statements go a lot further when they are not drowned out by a sea of chairs. Making even the smaller details seem more important or stand out.
Additionally, unfettered by the needs of amplification, why not choose the purity of an acoustic musician, often a lot more affordable than you’d think and makes the ceremony processional all the more meaningful and unique. At Chateau Challain, we are lucky enough to have a very talented harpist. Our favourite suggestion for use during your ceremony, although any professional musician will add that magical touch.
What Are the Advantages of an Intimate Affair?
Simply put, with an Intimate Affair style wedding, less becomes so much more. Even with a modest wedding budget, you can put it to great use. There’s no escaping the fact that often your budget will put constraints on how you want to express yourself, but that becomes lessened with an Intimate Affair wedding.
The simple fact that you no longer have to feed, accommodate, and transport a hundred or so people leaves you with so many options. Even then, with the extra cash at your disposal. Why not consider hiring a wedding planner? Their expertise can help your imagination reach new heights.
So grab that bottle of Rose you have in the fridge, open your phone and head to Pinterest. Let those creative juices flow, and start to plan for a better, brighter future, and the perfect intimate affair.
It is only by planning for the future that we can show the ones we love that with a little faith and hope, things are starting to get better.
An intimate affair is all about focus. Focus on the people you love, focus your budget on the elements to make your wedding truly special. Most importantly an Intimate Affair allows to you focus on your love for one another. Which is why you’re getting wed in the first place. The world might be changing at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we have to confine our dreams of the perfect wedding. Stay safe everybody, and love can’t wait, start planning your Intimate Affair today.
