For 50 guests, the best small wedding ideas are the ones that use the intimacy of the number: one shared long-table dinner, a ceremony everyone can hear, a short guest list that feels like a reunion, and a venue where the setting does the decorating for you. At 50 people you can spend per guest the way a 150-person wedding never could, and you can skip the costly venue packages entirely.
Why 50 guests is a sweet spot
Fifty is small enough that you can greet every guest, toast the whole room without a microphone fight, and seat everyone together. It is also large enough to fill a dance floor, a buffet line and a good photo of the whole group. Most of the ideas below work because they take advantage of that: nobody is a stranger by the end of the evening.
We host celebrations of this size all the time at the manor, and the pattern is consistent. Couples who plan for 50 spend their energy on a few things that guests remember, instead of spreading a budget thin across a hundred small details.
Ten small wedding ideas that work for 50 guests
1. Seat everyone at one or two long tables
Long family-style tables turn a dinner into a conversation. Fifty guests fit at two long tables or five or six rounds, and the food can be passed instead of plated, which many caterers price more kindly.
2. Hold the ceremony outdoors, close and unamplified
With 50 chairs in a tight semicircle, everyone is within a few rows of the vows. Look for a natural focal point so you do not need an arch or a florist to build one. At our place, most couples marry on the ledge over the pool beside the waterfall, or on the front brick walkway leading to the arched wooden doors.
3. Bring your own caterer
A food truck, a taco bar, a family restaurant you love, or a private chef: at 50 guests you have real choice. Ask any venue whether you are free to hire your own caterer and bring your own drinks, because mandatory food and beverage packages are often the single biggest line in a wedding budget.
4. Plan an evening that starts at golden hour
A late-afternoon ceremony followed by dinner as the light drops gives you warm photos without paying for lighting. Add string lights or lanterns and you are finished decorating.
5. Build a cocktail hour that is its own event
A bar under a shaded gazebo, a few lawn games and a signature drink give guests somewhere to mingle while you take portraits. For a group of 50, one well-stocked bar and one bartender is usually plenty.
6. Invest in one memorable detail
Choose one thing instead of ten: a fire pit for late-night conversation, live acoustic music during the ceremony, or a handwritten note at every place setting.
7. Make the toasts the entertainment
With 50 guests you can invite anyone who wants to say a few words. Keep them short, and let your favourite people talk.
8. Skip the formal receiving line
Walk the room instead. Visiting each table during dinner takes about the same time and feels far warmer.
9. Offer a place to stay
If most of your 50 guests are travelling, a nearby hotel block makes the weekend easier. Out-of-town guests of our events get a special rate at The Mariposa hotel, one block away, and the couple can stay in our honeymoon suite at a discount.
10. End the night on purpose
Decide when the party finishes and plan a closing moment: a last dance, a sparkler send-off, or a group photo around the fire. Nobody remembers a wedding that trailed off at midnight, and they remember a deliberate ending.
What a 50-guest wedding really costs
Costs vary widely across Los Angeles, so we will only give you the numbers we control. Our event fee for up to 50 guests is $4,200, and a ceremony-only booking starts at $1,500. That fee covers five hours of event time plus two hours of setup, and the ceremony on the grounds is included.
What you pay for separately is deliberately flexible, because you choose your own caterer and your own liquor and beverages. Typical extras at our property include cleaning ($300), a refundable security deposit ($250), tables at $8 each, tablecloths at $10 each, battery lanterns or candles at $2, heaters at $75 each, and a microphone rental at $25. Chairs come from an outside rental vendor, and we are happy to share contacts. One-day event insurance naming Georgia Durante and The Enchanted Manor is required and, for most couples, averages between $66 and $124.
| Guest count | Venue fee at the manor |
|---|---|
| Up to 50 guests | $4,200 |
| 50 to 75 guests | $5,400 |
| 75 to 100 guests | $6,600 |
These are our prices as of October 2026. If your list creeps up, the next tier is a modest step, not a doubling.
How to choose a venue for a small wedding
Ask five questions before you fall in love with any place. Can we bring our own caterer and drinks? What is included in the fee and what is extra? Is the ceremony space included? What time must the event end? What does the insurance requirement look like? A venue that answers all five plainly is usually one that respects your budget.
Parking matters too. Our quiet cul-de-sac in Valley Village has room for 12 to 15 cars, plus open street parking, but we recommend rideshare for events; valet does not work well here. Our guide to intimate wedding venues in Los Angeles goes deeper on the questions to ask.
Where the manor fits
The Enchanted Manor is a private estate in Valley Village with more than 18,000 sq ft of grounds: a saltwater lagoon pool with three waterfalls, a thatched gazebo bar, a lava-rock fire pit, an outdoor fireplace and fairy lights strung through the trees. It hosts up to 100 guests, so a 50-person celebration has plenty of room to breathe instead of rattling around a ballroom.
Guest Shannon said it best: "Our guests were blown away and kept asking... how did you find this place?!" And Andrew W. told us: "It was hard to believe it was actually Los Angeles."
We host every kind of celebration, from weddings and ceremonies to engagement parties, showers, birthdays, anniversaries, reunions and memorials. See everything on our weddings and events page. If you would like to compare with another kind of occasion, our post on engagement party locations in Los Angeles shows how the same grounds work for a smaller party.
A sample timeline for a 50-guest wedding day
A simple timeline keeps a small wedding relaxed. With a booking of 5 hours plus 2 hours of setup, one workable plan looks like this:
- Setup hours: your caterer, florist and anyone helping arrive, tables and chairs are set, and lanterns are placed.
- Hour 1: guests arrive, and drinks are poured while everyone finds a seat.
- Hour 2: the ceremony, kept to 20 or 30 minutes, followed by a group photo.
- Hour 3: cocktail hour while you take portraits nearby.
- Hour 4: dinner, toasts and, if you like, a first dance.
- Hour 5: cake, music, and the fire pit for those who want to linger.
Everything must wrap up by 10pm, so working backwards from that time is the easiest way to choose your start time.
Small mistakes to avoid
The most common trap with small weddings is treating them like big ones with fewer chairs. Do not hire extra vendors you do not need, and do not feel obliged to fill every hour with an activity. Another is forgetting weather: even in Los Angeles, evenings cool quickly, so heaters (we rent them at $75 each) and blankets keep guests comfortable. Finally, confirm your insurance and permits early, since a venue cannot confirm your date until your paperwork is in order.
Plan your 50-guest celebration with us
The easiest next step is to see the grounds and talk through your date. Call or text Georgia at (213) 999-3050, or email stuntlady@me.com, and tell us your guest count, your ideal date and the feel you want. We will tell you honestly whether the manor suits it. If you would like your guests to stay on site too, take a look at The Inn.
Frequently asked questions
How many guests should a small wedding have?
There is no single rule. Many couples call a wedding small when it has between 20 and 60 guests. At The Enchanted Manor, our first pricing tier covers up to 50 guests, and we host up to 100.
Can I bring my own caterer and drinks to a wedding at the manor?
Yes. You hire your own caterer and bring your own liquor and beverages, so there are no mandatory venue food and beverage packages. Georgia recommends caterers, and a bartender can work under the caterer's license.
How long can a 50-guest event at the manor last?
Your booking includes 5 hours of event time plus 2 hours of setup. Extra hours are $300 each, and every event must end by 10pm.
Is a ceremony included in the venue fee?
Yes, a ceremony on the grounds is included. Most couples use the ledge over the pool beside the waterfall, or the front brick walkway to the arched doors. Ceremony-only bookings start at $1,500.
Do I need event insurance?
Yes. One-day event insurance naming Georgia Durante and The Enchanted Manor is required, and it averages between $66 and $124.
