The Minimalist Wedding That Changed How I See "Enough"

Why I Went Full Minimalist (And Never Looked Back)

I’m not gonna lie—the idea of a minimalist wedding scared me at first. Would people think we were cheap? Would the photos look boring? Would Aunt Carol judge us for not having elaborate floral centerpieces?

Turns out, none of that mattered once I realized something huge: nobody remembers the table decorations. They remember how they felt, who they talked to, and whether the food was good.

Going minimal wasn’t about taking things away—it was about making room for what actually mattered.

Here’s what I discovered:

Less decoration means more conversation
Fewer guests creates deeper connections
Simple choices reduce decision fatigue by like 90%
Quality over quantity isn’t just a saying, it’s a lifestyle

Getting Started: The Stuff That Actually Matters

Your Ceremony Backdrop Is Everything

I spent way too long overthinking this before I figured out the secret: one stunning focal point beats twenty mediocre decorations every single time.

For our ceremony, I chose a simple geometric wedding arch made of copper piping. We draped some flowing white fabric across one side and added exactly three sprigs of eucalyptus.

That’s it. And it was absolutely perfect.

Other backdrop ideas I considered:

Wooden frame with pampas grass (very trendy right now)
Nothing but the natural forest backdrop at our venue
White fabric curtain hung between two trees
Single large statement dried floral arrangement

The venue we picked—a modern art gallery with huge windows—already had gorgeous architecture. Why cover that up with stuff nobody needs?

Furniture That Doesn’t Fight For Attention

We rented ghost chairs for the ceremony because they literally disappear into the space. You see the people, not the chairs.

For the reception, we went with simple wooden farm tables with clean lines. No tablecloths that needed steaming (thank god), just the natural wood with simple cream table runners down the center.

Time saver alert: Less furniture = way less setup time. We were done decorating in 2 hours instead of the full day I’d originally planned.

The Decor That Made People Say “Wow”

Single-Stem Flowers Are Your Best Friend

Instead of those giant centerpieces that block everyone’s view and cost like $200 each, I bought clear glass bud vases. Put one white rose or eucalyptus stem in each one.

Cost per table: $12
Impact: Chef’s kiss

Other minimal flower ideas:

One large potted succulent per table (guests took them home!)
Dried flower bundles wrapped in twine
Branches with hanging tea light holders
Literally just greenery—no flowers at all

Lighting That Does The Heavy Lifting

This is where the magic happened for our evening reception.

We strung up warm white fairy lights above the tables—nothing crazy, just enough to create ambiance. Then we put pillar candles in varying heights down the center of each table.

Lighting mistakes I almost made:

Buying colored lights (stick with warm white)
Overdoing it with too many strands
Forgetting about daytime lighting (natural light is free and gorgeous)
Not doing a lighting test before the day

My Step-By-Step Setup Process (That Actually Worked)

Two Days Before

I walked through the venue with literally just my phone and took photos of every angle. This helped me figure out what the space already had going for it.

Big realization: Our venue had this incredible exposed brick wall that I almost covered with a fabric backdrop. So glad I saw it in advance and left it alone.