Minimalist Wedding Checklist You’ll Want to Save

Weddings have a reputation for being extravagant and over-the-top, but today, those ideas clash with how most people view their lives and themselves. There are certain traditional expectations many brides will feel pressured to meet, even if they don’t want their ceremony or reception to happen that way. You can’t please everyone with how you design your wedding, which is why you should embrace the theme you love.Minimalism allows couples to celebrate their marriage while keeping the focus where it should be on their love for each other. If you’re planning a “less is more” wedding, you’re in luck. Use this minimalist wedding checklist to help you organize a stylish yet no-fuss event.

The Venue

Picking a wedding venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make when planning your event. It’s going to be a place you’ll never forget, that’s framed in your wedding photos forever. Your venue is the backdrop for your happily ever after, so it should reflect the minimalist theme you hope to incorporate.

Many couples choose stripped-back venues like renovated barns, warehouses or industrial buildings for their weddings. These spaces typically have blank walls and floors, plenty of open space and aesthetically pleasing accents like wooden beams or exposed brickwork. These venues are perfect for modern-chic weddings.

Not sure what makes a venue count as minimalist? Avoid places that are over the top with decor and furniture. Massive mansions or country clubs that do weddings all the time will probably have a gorgeous location, but it may not match the minimalist look you’re going for.

If you’d rather skip the fancy venue altogether, you might also consider having your ceremony outdoors or in your own home. When picking a minimalist site, ease and comfort are key. You should choose a place that’s easy to work with and feels right in your heart when you tour it. Think of the decor you’d love to add as you walk around the venues you’re considering to get a better idea of if it’s the right place for you.

The Guest List

A minimalist wedding can be large or small. Minimalism will be mostly focused on the look and feel of your wedding, not the people who attend it. However, when formulating your guest list, you should consider the available venue space as well as your own wants and needs. Minimalist venues you love could potentially be smaller than other places, creating an issue for larger guest lists.

An overcrowded wedding could become hectic and maybe even stressful for you or your guests, so don’t feel obligated to invite anyone just because “you’re supposed to.” A minimalist wedding checklist will help free up the number of guests you’ll need to consider, which will save you time and money once you’re done.

Fill your guest list with the people who are most important to you and your partner. And avoid inviting people who might make the day unpleasant for you or others. Today, many young couples opt for small weddings with close friends and family for a more memorable experience.

The Invitations

An invitation should clearly communicate the information your guests need. Allow your invitations to rock their primary function by applying minimalist design to your stationery. Invitations will work in your favor in two ways. They’ll be much easier to design, without the added pressure of finding an artist who can match them to big themes. They’ll also most likely be cheaper, since you know what you want and won’t have to throw in extra designs.

In general, great minimalist wedding checklists will include invitations that use readable fonts, leave plenty of negative space and avoid excessive information and decoration. Feel free to use color, but don’t go overboard. Your guests will love getting an invitation that gets right to the point.

The Dress

While not everyone decides to wear a dress on their wedding day, those that do might consider minimalist dress designs that emphasize clean lines and a great fit. A simple wedding dress forgoes sparkle and embellishment to accentuate the body and the silhouette of the dress. Many minimal wedding dresses come in plain white and feature practical skirts instead of clumsy trains and tulle.

You can easily apply the principles of a minimalist wardrobe no matter what you plan to wear at your wedding. Stick with solid colors and simple shapes, adding prints and accessories sparingly with intention. Make sure you can stand in your shoes. You might even emphasize comfort by wearing something already in your closet. Make sure to add looking through your closet to your minimalist wedding checklist so you don’t buy something you already have.

The Decorations

Arguably the best part of planning a minimalist wedding is the ease of the process. Decorations are no exception. You don’t need a lot to create a stunning visual atmosphere at your wedding. The first step to getting the right decor is to look at the space you have to work with at your venue. What materials are already there? Will your ceremony and reception areas feature brick, rustic wood or large windows?

When choosing your decorations, pick understated pieces that reflect your style and the venue you fell in love with. Geometric shapes, clean white linens, simple greenery and cool marble are all modern accents perfect for a minimalist occasion. Consider the time of year you’re getting married in as well. Fall weddings can use orange, red and yellow leaves as part of centerpieces as a subtle way to connect your wedding with the season. The same goes for winter or spring, with snow-covered flowers or fresh blooms.

The Food

Keep dining casual at a minimalist wedding. You can set up a simple buffet, single course sit-down meal or skip dinner altogether for snacks, drinks and dessert. Both can be minimalist, as long as you strategize. Place the buffet away from the dining area, so guests don’t feel overwhelmed in one particular place. Servers who will be bringing out the meal can be instructed to deliver the food at regular intervals. Nothing will feel out of place or too extravagant with some extra space. Whatever you decide to do, feature some of your favorite foods for a personal experience.Y

ou can also prioritize simplicity when picking out a wedding cake. For a delicious minimalist dessert, try a single-tier cake, textured white buttercream cake or semi-nude frosted cake. Decorate with a few simple accents like flowers instead of toppers or other ornaments. Keep any colors matching your wedding theme in lighter hues so they don’t pop out from the cake. Talk with your baker to see if they’ve made other minimalist cakes before, so they can give you ideas to work with if you’re not sure what your cake should look like.

The Ceremony

A wedding ceremony is an incredibly meaningful personal experience, so you and your partner should design it however you like. But if you want to incorporate a minimalist theme into your ceremony as well, consider skipping some traditions for a more streamlined and personal wedding experience.

For example, if you don’t have any kids in your close family, you might decide not to have a flower girl and simply have your friends give you your rings instead. Skip the large bridal parties by only having a maid of honor and best man. By keeping traditions you like and skipping ones you don’t, you keep your wedding simple and make it feel even more meaningful.

Plan Your Perfect Minimalist Wedding

A wedding doesn’t have to be extravagant to be enjoyable. As much pressure as people feel to go all out for their weddings, there isn’t one right way to get married. In fact, many couples find that a simple wedding fits the style of their relationship better than an all-out affair. As you cross items off your minimalist wedding checklist, remember that on your wedding day, the only thing you should worry about is celebrating your love.