Big Love, Small Wedding
I got married at a small wedding. It was 2006 and I was working crazy hours for a start-up in the wedding industry. I had been engaged for a while, but my fiancé (now husband) and I were not in a hurry to plan anything or make things official. Suddenly, that start-up lost its funding. I lost my job. I needed health insurance. I needed to get married FAST. We had originally been toying with a number of different scenarios like a destination wedding or cocktail-style party, but suddenly our options were more limited because of time and money. Sound vaguely familiar?
Fast forward to 2020 and a pandemic is upon us. Crowds are scary. Planning for the future is scary. Spending money is scary. Believe me, I get it. But like many people that have surrounded their lives with weddings, I am trying to envision what this next season of love looks like for our existing and potential clients. Maybe that is somewhat easy for me to consider as I have my own very personal and happy experience with a small wedding to reflect upon and draw inspiration from. There are so many couples panicking as I was in 2006. Couples that don’t want to wait or can’t wait for the day when they can have a big wedding. That’s cool. We’ve got your back. I planned my own small wedding in less than 6 weeks. The day of my wedding was like a secret that my husband and I only whispered to each other. We got to celebrate OUR day 100% together uninterrupted in a courthouse elopement followed by a romantic dinner for 2 where we discussed our hopes and dreams and where we wanted our lives to be in 10, 20, 50 years, and beyond. Then we ALSO got to celebrate with our family and friends in a series of small wedding parties that were all unique and special in their own ways over the next couple of weeks. I will forever look back fondly on my wedding experience. It was original and personal and perfect for my husband and I. That said, I also can’t help but reflect on some of the things I wish I would have put more thought into as I made my plans, and I regret feeling rushed through the process when I’ve always taken such great care with the weddings of my clients. These are the things LOLA is focused on as we roll out our small wedding offerings.
With ‘Big Love, Small Wedding’ the LOLA Pros are combining our creative problem-solving skills and the incredible vendor relationships we have with Chicago’s top wedding professionals to make the most of all the exciting possibilities for today’s wedding world and the modern couples marrying within it. There are ideas floating through our heads and hearts that couldn’t possibly be executed for large guest counts. We want to shower those ideas on couples that want to start NEW trends and create a wedding ceremony experience that is uniquely their own. We will start with the basics and build your experience within parameters that offer options and customizable choices unique to each couple. We will be able to execute thoughtfully, quickly, and effectively for guest counts ranging from 2 to 30 people. Bottom line: There are couples that still want to get married… You can’t stop love! And just because a wedding is small doesn’t mean it has to be “less than” when compared to its larger predecessors in terms of its expression of that love. And then maybe on your anniversary or sometimes when life feels safer, you throw a Hell-a-party if that was part of your original vision. We can help with that too!
XO,
Lori Stephenson
Owner & Principal of LOLA Event Productions
Learn more about LOLA Small Wedding offerings here
