The terms “elopement,” “minimony,” and “small wedding” are used inconsistently across the industry. We’ll use them as: elopement = the two of you, possibly with one or two witnesses; minimony = ten to twenty guests; small wedding = thirty to seventy-five guests. Each has its own planning shape. Here’s the practical version.
The Virginia legal piece.
Virginia is one of the easiest states in the country to get married. No waiting period, no blood test, no residency requirement. Get a marriage license at any Circuit Court Clerk’s office, with both of you present, ID, and a small fee. Full process here. The license is valid statewide for sixty days.
This makes Virginia particularly elopement-friendly. You can decide in the morning and be legally married by afternoon.
The elopement (two people).
The simplest version. What you actually need:
- A Virginia marriage license
- An officiant (or one of you applies to be designated temporary officiant)
- Either zero witnesses or one to two (Virginia doesn’t require any)
- A place
Total budget can range from under $500 (courthouse, two of you, a meal afterward) to $5,000–$15,000 for a planned elopement with a photographer, a meaningful location, and an overnight stay.
The minimony (10–20 guests).
The category that’s grown most in the last five years. Practical considerations:
- Venue options expand significantly — many places that don’t take full weddings welcome minimonies
- You can usually skip a planner if you can’t for a larger wedding
- Catering shifts from production to hospitality — a small private restaurant room often works better than a wedding caterer
- Photography is still worth investing in; the budget shifts to fewer hours rather than a worse photographer
Total budget commonly $4,000–$15,000 in Virginia.
The small wedding (30–75 guests).
Still meaningfully smaller than a typical wedding, but with the logistical shape of one. The decisions that change:
- You can use a venue’s smaller secondary space rather than the main room
- One photographer rather than two often suffices
- Catering shifts toward family-style or buffet for cost efficiency
- You can often skip a DJ in favor of a curated playlist plus an emcee friend
Total budget commonly $12,000–$30,000.
Virginia venues that do small weddings well.
Not every venue accommodates smaller events graciously — some require minimum guest counts that defeat the purpose. A short list of Virginia venues with strong small-wedding programs:
- Goodstone Inn (Middleburg) — built for the intimate scale
- The Inn at Willow Grove (Orange) — small luxury inn, weddings up to 130 but excellent at 40
- Stone Manor Boutique Inn (Middletown, Maryland border) — under-100 specialist
- The Mill at Fine Creek (Powhatan) — ideal at 60–120
- Many bed and breakfasts across Loudoun, Rappahannock, and Madison counties — quietest option for the smallest weddings
At Zion Springs, our smallest weddings have been 28 guests, our largest 200. Our package economics work better above 50 guests, but the planning team handles smaller scales when they’re the right fit.
Where small-wedding budgets surprise people.
Three categories where the savings are smaller than expected:
- Per-guest costs. Some venues have minimum charges that mean a 40-person wedding doesn’t cost meaningfully less than 80.
- Photography. The hours don’t scale with guest count — the day is still the day.
- Florals. The ceremony piece costs the same regardless of how many people see it.
Where the savings are real:
- Catering per-head. Linear in guest count.
- Bar. Linear in guest count.
- Stationery, favors, transportation. All scale down.
The honest takeaway.
Smaller weddings work best when they’re built that way intentionally, not when they’re cost-cut versions of larger weddings. The right thirty-person wedding feels generous; the wrong one feels meager. Pick the format that fits the day you actually want, build the budget for it, and ignore the pressure to expand.