Intimate wedding or grand celebration?
How to know which type of wedding is right for you
Choosing the type of wedding you want may seem easy… until you actually start planning it. Once you get engaged, a thousand decisions come up, and among the most important is this one: do you want an intimate wedding or a grand celebration? There is no right answer or better option. What truly matters is that this choice reflects what you genuinely want as a couple. In this blog, we’ll help you make that decision from a sincere, conscious, and deeply personal place.
If you’re still unsure whether to have an intimate celebration or a grand wedding, this article by “Velas Weddings” offers a clear guide to help you choose the option that best reflects your love story.
What do we mean by an intimate wedding?
An intimate wedding doesn’t have to mean a small or simple one. It refers to a type of celebration with fewer guests (generally between 10 and 50 people), where the emotional connection, attention to detail, and the shared experience with each person are the priority. In many cases, intimate weddings are held in natural settings, private venues, or villas, and often include personalized experiences such as long banquet-style dinners, symbolic ceremonies, or tailor-made activities.
And a large celebration?
Here we are talking about weddings with more than 100 guests. These are lively celebrations where festivity, music, collective joy, and large-group moments take center stage. They usually have a more dynamic pace and are ideal for couples who have a big family or a wide circle of friends and want to celebrate their love surrounded by everyone.
How to know what type of wedding is right for you
How do you imagine the “I do” moment?
Do you picture it in front of a small group of loved ones, in silence and emotion? Or in front of a large crowd that bursts into applause?What do you value most in a celebration?
If you prefer depth, intimate conversations, a calm and close atmosphere, an intimate wedding might be for you. If you dream of a full dance floor, big toasts, and hugs all around, perhaps a large celebration is right for you.How do you handle attention?
Do you feel comfortable being the center of attention in front of many people, or do you prefer a smaller setting where you can connect better with each guest?What kind of budget do you have (and how do you want to allocate it)?
Intimate weddings usually allow more investment in details such as decoration, cuisine, or experiences, while large weddings spread the budget over broader logistics (more food, more space, more staff…).What’s your social circle like?
Do you have a large family or a close-knit group of friends that you can’t imagine excluding from your wedding? Or do you know you only want a few people close to you on that day?
And what if we want both?
It’s possible! Many couples nowadays choose an intimate ceremony followed by a large party the next day or even on another date. It’s also common to split the wedding into two moments: an elopement or small celebration for the closest people, and a larger, more open celebration afterward.
Listen to your intuition
Don’t let yourself be guided by what a “wedding should be,” by others’ expectations, or by what you see on social media. What matters is that the celebration feels true to who you are as a couple. Ask yourselves: What excites us? How do we want to remember this day in 20 years? What kind of energy do we want to experience?
Whether it’s with 15 people on a mountain or 200 dancing under a tent, what’s important is that it feels real. That it represents you. And, at the end of the day, that you can say: “Yes, this was our wedding.”