Ariana Grande and the benefits of an intimate wedding
Could you also be tempted by the tiny wedding trend?
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Your support makes all the difference.Ariana Grande has married her fiance Dalton Gomez in a “tiny and intimate” wedding.
The 27-year-old announced her engagement to real estate agent Gomez in December 2020, showing off her diamond and pearl ring on Instagram.
A representative for Grande said in a statement: “They got married. It was tiny and intimate — less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
The two started dating in early 2020, and TMZ reports the wedding took place at Grande’s property in Montecito, southern California.
Over the past year, a lot of couples have been forced to scale back their weddings – this can be disappointing, particularly if you had your heart set on a massive celebration.
However, there are plenty of benefits to the tiny wedding trend – whether you’re forced to have a smaller ceremony than anticipated, or you simply like keeping things low-key…
There’s less pressure
If you’re the kind of bride or groom who doesn’t love being the centre of attention, saying your vows in front of 100 people can be incredibly nerve-wracking. Having a smaller event with just your closest friends and family takes the pressure off some of the big wedding moments – such as cutting the cake and the first dance.
You could save a lot of money
According to the UK Wedding Report 2020 by Bridebook, the average cost of a wedding is £16,005 – and this number climbs to £20,731 if you factor in the engagement ring and honeymoon. Most weddings aren’t hugely intimate affairs, with an average of 98 guests at the reception.
Just think how much money you could save if you cut the number of guests to below 20. You could even spend a bit more on things like food and the venue to make it extra special, knowing you don’t have to cater for everyone you’ve ever met.
You only end up with the people you love there
Coming up with the guest list for your wedding is a tricky task – and might cause more than a few arguments along the way. It’s easy for the list to snowball into something way bigger than anticipated, when you factor in all the additional people you have to invite out of politeness.
When the guest list is 20, it’s hard for your second cousin’s boyfriend’s best friend to get offended they weren’t included – everyone knows it’s just your inner circle.
You don’t have to spend the whole time thanking people for coming
When it comes to the big day itself, you don’t have to spend half of the night thanking people for coming and making sure you’ve spoken to everyone (no mean feat if 100 people are invited).
Instead, you can actually spend time with the people you love, sharing the experience together.
You have more freedom with venues
When your wedding gets to a certain size, your venue options become increasingly limited. With a smaller party, you will have so many more choices – perhaps you could book a room in your favourite restaurant, have it at home, or even go for somewhere quirkier, like a historic library or up a treehouse.
It’s probably a lot less stressful to plan
Big weddings have a lot of moving parts. You have to consider everything – from the flowers to 100 separate dietary requirements. With a smaller event, there’s a lot less to think about – you can actually enjoy your engagement, rather than stressing about the million things you need to plan.
It might feel more intimate
Everyone’s different: some people might desperately want a massive wedding, and others will prefer a smaller affair. If you fall in the latter camp, you could argue a more intimate party feels more special, and will be more memorable for all involved.