Hundreds of guests don’t make a wedding. In fact, many weddings are even more beautiful when they’re smaller, simpler events. The problem lies in finding an appropriately intimate wedding venue. So many typical wedding venues have large ballrooms which can overwhelm a small party of 20-50 guests. So you have two options: Create an intimate wedding venue out of a large space or shop around for something smaller.

The first option is possible, albeit somewhat expensive. Not only does a larger venue cost more money, but then you need to spend additional money to section it off. You can do so with panels or swaths of romantic fabrics. If you have your heart set on a particular place, but you don’t want the large guest list, meet with a wedding planner — preferably one that works for the venue you’re interested in — and they’ll give you some pointers on how to make a large room more intimate.

More realistic, though, is to find a small venue that will host your party reasonably. This is the much better option because you can have a lot more fun! Think about it — So many couples have to host their wedding in a hotel ballroom because they have too many guests to fit anywhere else. You will have the luxury of not having that problem and can explore more unique, intimate wedding venues. Consider these:

- A restaurant: The most obvious of a smaller wedding venue, many restaurants have private rooms for these types of occasions. You get bonus points if the restaurant has a special meaning to you and your fiancée. Perhaps it was the site of your first date? Or where he first proclaimed his love? Having a restaurant reception means not having to rent tables, chairs, tableware and glassware.

- A pub or brewery: There’s nothing that says “let’s have a good time” more than a group of friends and family at a local pub or brewery. This is the ultimate intimate wedding venue for the casual, laidback couple.

- A garden: There are a lot of private gardens in the city that are perfect for an intimate wedding (imagine Miranda and Steve’s New York wedding in “Sex and the City.”) There’s no need to decorate because you’re already surrounded by beautiful foliage, and with the trees, flowers and bushes covering any openings to the street, you’ll feel like you have complete privacy.

- A private home: Maybe someone you know has a gorgeous historic home with a room just large enough to hold 15 people. Or perhaps there’s a historic mansion on the outskirts of London that would hold a perfect intimate wedding reception. The beautiful architecture and landscaped gardens would lend a beautiful, historic feel to your wedding.