It seems insensitive to admit it, but this pandemic has provided a silver lining for many wedding couples. Let’s face it: There are a lot of internal politics and expenses associated with having a wedding, especially a large one.

So, while the pandemic has provided an unfortunate situation for many couples, the truth is, the crisis has led others to reassess their priorities and finances.

The engagement and wedding planning period is usually a point in a couple’s life when their upcoming wedding celebration should be at the forefront of their minds. However, expenses and complications with their relationships with family and friends begin to weigh heavily on the emotions about other people’s expectations. Guess what? The pandemic has happily given many couples the perfect excuse and way out of these complications. There has been a major shift in favour of a more relaxed and intimate affair.

Coronavirus has made the idea of gathering for a large wedding quite dangerous, and it is. The less persons involved the better.

Here are my top 5 benefits of having a small wedding: 

1. Cost savings

Cutting down your guest list means you will spend less money on your wedding, especially the reception. Your guest count matters as your wedding costs may vary depending on how many guests you’re inviting and how formal the celebration will be.

If you are on a tight budget, this is one of the most efficient ways to save. Once you’ve saved money on the reduced guest count, you will now have a larger budget to spend on the elements that really matter.

2. Less logistics

There will be fewer decisions to make and more time to enjoy all the pre-wedding activities. Your stress level will drop. 

3. Enjoy more location options

With smaller numbers, there will be more choices for wedding venues. 

4. Quality time with your guests

Have you ever been to a wedding where you barely got any time to speak with the bride and groom and congratulate them? The truth is there have been many great stories about families bonding over shared meals and intimately shared space. Having fewer guests at your wedding allows you to spend more quality time with each of them. 

5. You can make it unique

This is the perfect time to break some of the usual wedding traditions and make your celebration unique.

Many have been focused on the drawbacks of the wedding restrictions, but there are also major benefits to a more intimate ceremony.

You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column Happily Ever After with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds, who will each week spotlight all the questions you’ve been asking since COVID-19 was added to the guest list!