An intimate wedding beneath the trees: planning a day with your closest people
More room to be present at your wedding
Intimate weddings are often described in terms of what you give up: fewer guests, fewer tables, a shorter programme. Yet their greatest advantage is not what is missing, but what there is more of. More time for a single conversation. More attention for the people you are truly close to. More opportunity to experience your own day, rather than only seeing it in photographs afterwards.
A forest is especially well suited to this kind of celebration. It needs no colonnade, artificial flower wall or attempts to disguise an interior. The canopy already forms a ceiling, the tree trunks give the space its rhythm, and the light through the leaves changes the setting every hour. That is why NAMETY's forest meadow can be more than a backdrop to the ceremony: it can be the place around which the whole day unfolds.
One possible day: Marta and Andrii, 24 guests
Please note: Marta and Andrii are fictional characters. The account below is a composite scenario based on common needs when planning an intimate wedding. It is not a story or review from real NAMETY guests.
Marta and Andrii decided from the outset that they did not want to meet their own guests for the first time at their wedding. They invited 24 people: their parents, brothers and sisters, and a few of their closest friends. No one was on the list simply because convention demanded it; everyone had a place in the couple's story.
The guests gathered during the day, without a grand, noisy entrance. There was time to walk around, say hello and settle into the space. The symbolic ceremony was planned as a brief shared moment, rather than a separate performance involving a long wait. Afterwards, no one drifted away for a break: there were hugs, photographs and a late lunch around one table.
The most important words were not delivered one after another. The parents spoke at the start of dinner, friends closer to dusk, and Marta and Andrii thanked everyone later that evening. The day was never divided into a host's set pieces. It moved almost imperceptibly from daylight into evening.
1. Start with a guest list you do not need to apologise for
Asking 'Who do we have to invite?' can quickly turn an intimate wedding into a conventional one, just in a smaller space. A more useful question is: who do we want to share this day with, from beginning to end?
For some, the answer is 12 people; for others, 24 or 30. Events for up to 30 guests at NAMETY use the daytime 'Forest Meadow + Male Lito' package. For 31 to 50 guests, exclusive hire of the entire property is the only option. Intimacy is determined not by the number alone, but by the relationships and the way the day is shaped.
Both options are booked by the day, rather than by the hour. Access to the grounds is from 10:00 to 23:00, with the event itself running between 12:00 and 22:00.
As you draw up the list, make a note of:
- who will need extra consideration for their route to the venue and a place to rest;
- who will spend the whole day with you and who will join later;
- who would like to use the sauna or hot tub;
- which of your loved ones will stay overnight.
These are more than dry organisational questions. The answers determine whether people feel truly welcomed, rather than simply entered into a spreadsheet.
2. Let the forest shape the ceremony
The most common mistake at a natural venue is bringing so many decorations that nature itself almost disappears. Before ordering structures, visit the meadow at the time you plan to hold your ceremony. Where does the light fall? Which direction gives the best view of the trees? Where will guests be comfortable watching and listening?
A forest often needs just one clear touch: a small arrangement, a piece of fabric, a few fresh flowers or simply a chosen spot for the two of you to stand. Avoid anything that could scatter and remain among the trees: confetti, glitter, plastic petals and tiny decorations. Respect for a real forest matters more here than a 'forest theme'.
3. Do not keep guests waiting
Large weddings disguise pauses with separate receptions, transfers and announcements. For a small group, a two-hour wait is especially noticeable. Weave the couple's photographs into the day: take some before meeting your guests, some during a short walk, and arrange group photographs without a long queue of identical poses.
Build a simple rhythm around four main moments:
- a relaxed arrival;
- the ceremony or a few words shared together;
- a leisurely meal with pauses;
- an evening finish.
Everything else can fit between them. That is how the occasion feels like a day you have lived, rather than a schedule you have completed.
4. One table brings everyone into the conversation
For an intimate wedding, one long table often works better than splitting guests into groups. The couple do not sit apart on a raised platform, guests can see one another, and good wishes can be shared naturally.
Plan the seating around opportunities for conversation, rather than simply placing relatives with relatives. Seat people together who will enjoy talking, but do not separate anyone from a person whose support they need. If children or older people are attending, their pace should also help determine how long the meal lasts.
NAMETY is not a restaurant: the menu, serving arrangements and catering staff must be agreed separately. Yet the meadow itself suggests the character of the meal: shared, unhurried, and without an elaborate serving ritual every few minutes.
5. Sauna and hot tub time needs its own plan
Combining a wedding with a sauna or hot tub sounds appealing, but it needs careful planning. Do not expect all 24, 30 or 50 guests to leave the table and enter the sauna area at once. That would disrupt the rhythm of the day and create false expectations.
Instead, choose one of three options, provided the time you need is available and confirmed by the NAMETY team:
- a separately booked session for the couple before the event or the following morning;
- an agreed time for a small group, taking the actual capacity into account;
- a sauna session at VDNH to extend the day for your closest people.
Ask guests in advance who would like to take part and give them the exact time. For an event with up to 30 guests, a sauna and hot tub are not automatically included in the meadow package. Exclusive hire for 31–50 guests includes one session with a sauna and two hot tubs, lasting up to two hours; any extension must be confirmed separately. That way, time in the warmth feels like a special part of the day, rather than a queue between wedding activities.
6. Staying overnight changes the ending
NAMETY has five cabins for two, accommodating up to ten overnight guests in total. However, for an event with up to 30 guests, only Male Lito is included in the meadow package; other cabins can be booked separately, subject to availability. All five are included only in exclusive hire for 31–50 guests, and overnight numbers are still limited by their capacity. Decide who will stay: the couple, parents, witnesses or a few friends. Plan a safe journey home for everyone else.
The limited number of places has an advantage too. After the main celebration comes a quieter second ending: tea, conversation without music, and a morning in the forest. A cabin for two can offer the newlyweds their first night together beside the place where all their important people have just gathered, without a long journey elsewhere.
7. Plan for the weather as carefully as you plan for the light
A forest event is still an outdoor event. Do not stop at 'We hope it will be sunny.' Ask the NAMETY team which arrangements are actually available on your date, and agree separately with suppliers what they can provide in wind, rain or cooler weather.
Prepare a message to send guests the day before: what to wear, which shoes are suitable, when to arrive and what changes if the weather turns. This does not take away the romance. It frees the couple from dozens of identical questions on their wedding day.
What people will remember
At the end of the day, Marta and Andrii in our composite scenario were not counting how many items they had ticked off the programme. They remembered how Andrii's father unexpectedly picked up a story begun by Marta's friend; how everyone fell quiet for a few seconds as darkness settled between the trees; and how no one rushed to order a taxi as soon as the cake was served.
That is the essence of an intimate wedding. It does not try to impress guests with its scale. It gives them a rare feeling: today, we were part of the day, rather than its audience.
Planning an event? Tell the NAMETY team about your day in three sentences: how many guests you expect, what matters most to you and who you would like to stay until morning. We can then discuss the meadow package or exclusive hire, available cabins and separately agreed sauna or hot tub time in practical detail.
