Sometimes Bigger is Just Bigger.
There are many advantages to planning a smaller wedding or ceremony, but whether it's right for you depends on the answers to a few questions:
- If there was no external pressure from family, friends, co-workers, etc., how many friends and family would be on your ideal guest list?
- How comfortable do you feel speaking your heart to your sweetheart in front of a large crowd?
- In five years, will you regret not having a lot of people witness your ceremony?
- What is most important to you, and will you still have that if you cut your guest list down?
- Does cutting your guest list size give you the ability to add what matters most to you?
WHY CHOOSE A SMALLER CEREMONY?
- Have the Ceremony You Really Want. Assuring your perfect day is perfect is a lot easier when there are fewer details to attend to and less opinions trying to influence how it's supposed to go.
- Save Time. Planning a larger ceremony can take as long as two years to plan with all its details. save time by cutting down the scale of each category as well as the complications of trying to accommodate so many guests' needs.
- Save Money. This may seem like a no-brainer but needs to be said. The money you save can be used for a nice honeymoon, a down payment on a home, or invested.
- Invest in Quality Rather Than Quantity. If your budget is $1000 for food, you and a few guests will be happier with a nice meal and wine to celebrate your occasion than going into debt to create a menu with lots of cheaper items so you can feed a big crowd.
- More Time Spent With Individual Guests. You have a few hours to share with 20 people or 200 people. How much time will you actually have to talk with your favorite uncle or friend who flew in just for the weekend, when there are 199 other guests to visit with as well?
- Have a More Unique Experience for You and Your Guests. Larger crowds mean large open spaces to hold everyone, which usually means blank walls with little character if held inside. Perhaps you'd like something more intimate and cozy with some ambiance? Options open up when the guest list is smaller.
- More Options Available. For most vendors (with the exception of large venues), scaling back is easier than scaling up for large crowds. This includes food, photography, and even your officiant. For instance, including audience participation in your ceremony for 250 will significantly impact your overall timeline versus participation from 25 guests such as serving communion or including your guests in a unity or community support segment of your ceremony.
Eloping. In a true elopement, the two of you and a couple of witnesses are present with a wedding officiant when you share your vows with each other. You still need to obtain a marriage license in the appropriate time frame specified under the law, being mindful of any waiting periods or windows for becoming married.
Semi-Eloping. The difference between an elopement and a semi-elopement is just the number of guests you choose to have witness your ceremony. You may have children, parents or a couple of close friends you'd like to have with you when you share your vows.
Vow Renewals. Would you and your sweetheart like to renew your vows? Perhaps you've gone through something recently that has drawn you closer together and you'd like to promise each other again, now on a deeper level to be there always. Sometimes it's just been several years since you first took your vows and you want to let each other know you'd do it all over again. So why not, and in a personal, deeply meaningful way and space now?
Commitment Ceremonies. Sometimes life is more complicated, and for some reason a legal ceremony isn't possible but your hearts still want to be joined together spiritually.
Babies! Baptisms, adoption and baby naming/blessing ceremonies are beautiful when held in a natural surrounding or in a more intimate, warm environment such as Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse, or lakeside.
Semi-Eloping. The difference between an elopement and a semi-elopement is just the number of guests you choose to have witness your ceremony. You may have children, parents or a couple of close friends you'd like to have with you when you share your vows.
Vow Renewals. Would you and your sweetheart like to renew your vows? Perhaps you've gone through something recently that has drawn you closer together and you'd like to promise each other again, now on a deeper level to be there always. Sometimes it's just been several years since you first took your vows and you want to let each other know you'd do it all over again. So why not, and in a personal, deeply meaningful way and space now?
Commitment Ceremonies. Sometimes life is more complicated, and for some reason a legal ceremony isn't possible but your hearts still want to be joined together spiritually.
Babies! Baptisms, adoption and baby naming/blessing ceremonies are beautiful when held in a natural surrounding or in a more intimate, warm environment such as Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse, or lakeside.
Where To Hold Your More Intimate Ceremony?
Your ceremony can be held virtually wherever you can fit the number of guests you'd like to invite when having a smaller ceremony! I've performed smaller weddings, baptisms and more inside living rooms, backyards, parks, lakeside, conference rooms and more. With that said, here's one of my favorites. I'm one of the owners of Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse.
Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse
Basswood Chalet
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Basswood Guesthouse
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Basswood Chalet is a beautiful chalet-style home in New Auburn, Wisconsin that is perfect for wonderfully warm, intimate ceremonies such as elopements, semi-elopements, vow renewals, commitment ceremonies, baptisms and more with incredible photo opportunities.
Basswood's Guesthouse is a one bedroom, fully furnished, air conditioned carriage home available to couples and individuals wishing to get away and enjoy all nature has to offer in the Blue Diamond vacation area, before, during or after their ceremony. It can also be rented as a couples getaway location. More information can be found on Basswood's website www.BasswoodChalet.com and its Facebook page @BasswoodChalet.
Basswood Chalet & Guesthouse offers multiple areas to hold ceremonies, both indoors and out :
- A 25-foot tall river rock stone fireplace indoors
- An enormous outdoor wrap-around deck that can be decorated, with chairs set up in the courtyard below for guests to witness a ceremony above (think "Romeo & Juliet" on the balcony)
- Nestled in the canopy of trees and marshland near the Chalet there's a perfect spot for that Bohemian-style wedding where you and your guests walk a very short distance to your site. Walking-challenged guests can arrive by horse-drawn carriage or car
- By an evening fire in the courtyard area
- A public boat landing within an easy walking distance known mostly to just the locals so it stays more private. Capture those sunset moments lakeside while the loons serenade you
Because parking is so limited at the boat landing, very few people know about it or use it for its intended purpose. That creates an excellent opportunity to perform ceremonies lakeside or take those warm, watery photos to cherish for a lifetime.
Customized packages include any of the following:
- A seminary-trained, formally ordained interfaith minister so your ceremony is spiritually blessed and/or legal virtually anywhere. Ceremonies can be civil or spiritual, standardized or custom-written for you
- A one bedroom guest house to spend your first night together, to get ready for your special day, or to honeymoon for a few days before returning to your daily lives
- An onsite videographer/photographer to capture your special day and/or create an edited video you can play at a reception later
- Keyboardist (we can also refer you to other live musicians such as a harpist, guitarist or flutist)
- Brunch the morning of or day after
- Decoration of the indoor fireplace or deck can be done ahead of time for you
The outdoor deck, 25 feet tall river rock fireplace inside, forest canopy and lakeside boat landing are ready now. For more information or to reserve your date, please click below.
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