Intimate and Relaxed Wedding With Just 12 Guests: Ben & Siobhain

Dale Weeks Photography

August 12, 2014

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Siobhain and Ben wanted a fuss-free and relaxed wedding that they’d really enjoy. So they invited just 12 guests and planned the whole thing in only two months! “Planning a wedding in just two months was stressful at times”, explained the bride. “Our guest count was only 14 people including Ben and I but it was perfect, I always liked the idea of having a small intimate wedding, it felt so much more personal, everyone was a part of it.”

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“The day was relaxed and non-traditional. We opted for a registry office instead of a church because you can make it a bit more personal, we had a few Smashing Pumpkins tracks as our ceremony music which was really nice and ours vows were beautiful, they had great meaning to us about love and friendship.”

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“We chose Wales to get married in because Ben is Welsh and I grew up similarly in the countryside in Ireland. Even though we both live in London now we still have strong ties to our country roots! It was nice to have the tranquillity and beautiful scenery for the weekend. We wanted the wedding to be more like a fancy dinner party, everyone was at one table and we all got to eat gorgeous food and listen to each other’s stories. I spent the entire day smiling and laughing.”

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“I would have liked to have done more DIY but obviously time was an issue”, she continued. “Luckily we had great help from our family. I made wedding programs for everyone with the order of the day and some little bits about me and Ben and how we met. One of my Mother-in-law’s art students made these lovely painted stones with each person’s name for the place settings. My Mum made sugared almonds as one of the wedding favours, an Italian tradition. We wanted our guests to have some nice, personal mementos of the day.”

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“I loved every moment of our day”, Siobhain concluded. “Honestly, the entire day was so much more than I thought it would be. The ceremony was beautiful and emotional, everyone was teary, even the registrar! A lot of our guests said they could feel so much love in the room, I think because there were only a handful of people it made it a lot more special and intimate for everyone. Our venue, The Lake Country House, was absolutely amazing and it was a scorching hot day so when we arrived we sat in the garden, had drinks and afternoon tea and caught up with everyone. They went above and beyond with the food which was one of the most important things to me, being a chef. They did not disappoint!”

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