Best SMALL Wedding Venues in Europe & COSTS!
Looking for a jaw dropping European wedding venue that's actually made for a small guest list and doesn't come with a six figure price tag? From Cliffside I do’s in Santorini to alfresco Villa dinners in Tuscany. These are the best small wedding venues in Europe for 50 guests or less, and I'm breaking down the real cost (and these happen to be some of the cheapest options as well, so it's kind of win-win!)
Today these venues are going to be across five different countries, all of which we've planned weddings in. I've even sent couples down the aisle at some of these exact venues, so you're getting real boots on the ground information that you can trust.
And my pricing disclaimer as always: I love to share prices here. It's my guilty pleasure, but prices change so I'm sharing the current pricing that we have access to. I will share it in euros because of course the exchange rate from Euro to USD changes every day and just know that year over year prices typically increase around 10%.
So without further ado, let's dive into the best intimate wedding venues in Europe and their costs.
Our first country is Greece. I got married in Greece, so I'm super biased (check out this blog on my Greece wedding cost!). I like it the best, but Greece and specifically Santorini has some fantastic venues, super cheap, super small, so there's not a lot of opportunity to use them when you have a guest count of over 50 people. We're going to talk about three of my favorites right now for Santorini destination weddings.
El Viento, Santorini, Greece
First up is El Viento in Santorini.
El Viento is an actual dream. It has two levels of terraces where you can host your ceremony and cocktail on one, your dinner and dancing on the other, or you can do any kind of combination between those two levels. It is built into the cliff face in the town of Megalochori, which I love because it is not as touristy as Oia, it's more off the beaten path. And Megalochori as a town is so freaking beautiful. It's got all these tight alleyways and little restaurants and hidden things that you can discover. So it is the quintessential Greek town, so we're already in a good location, but also El Viento has a phenomenal view, I would argue a million dollar view, for a very small price. You're seeing the sunset set over the Caldera Sea and based on where it sits in Santorini, Santorini is shaped like a hook so you can see across to the top of the island.
So you're getting literally the same Lake Como mountain/sunset/water vibes, but on steroids. Can you tell I love this venue? So the thing about this property, and it's always been its biggest caveat, is it's tight and I've been there in person because we've done a wedding there and they technically say they can have up to a hundred guests, but I'm telling you right now it is way more comfortable for 40 or less. When we were there a couple years ago planning an intimate Santorni wedding, we had about 20 people and that was perfect. The other fun thing about this property is there is a windmill on site. It is the oldest windmill in Santorini and it is completely renovated into this cute little newlywed kind of cabin situation, so you can stay there overnight if you want to. There is also a rain plan that is literally a cave that's built into the mountain, but it can only fit around 30 people.
Again, making this a really great option for a lower guest count. Let's talk about the cost. Now, when we worked with this venue three years ago, they only charged at that time around 1300 euros for the venue rental. That price now three years later is just over 2,700 euros, and that's for six hours. You can add additional hours for about 500 euros per hour. Beyond that, if you just want to get the property for the whole day, it's just shy of 4,000 euros. And if you want to stay overnight in the Newlywed Suite in the windmill on property, it's an additional 560 euros per night.
2. Canaves Oia Suites, Santorini, Greece
Let's move on to the next property in Greece, it is Canaves Oia Suites. This is also in Santorini, but is in Oia, which is the more popular of the towns in Santorini. In Oia, you're going to get those quintessential Santorini views with the blue domed churches and the white architecture.
It's stunning. Now, this is a hotel chain that has three different properties and I'm specifically focusing right now on Canaves Oia Suites because there is a ceremony space called the panoramic terrace that I have been salivating over for years and no one can get married there because you guessed it, it's too small. So this property is perfect. If you have a wedding of 30 or less guests, you can get this iconic ceremony spot with the views of the cliffs, the sunset, literally everything. It's just a little dream. And then for dinner you go to the restaurant, which is called the Arches, so you'll have a covered place to eat and you can have dancing in there as well. Now it's a hotel, so there are 46 rooms available on site. However, there is absolutely no obligation for you to book any of those rooms to have your wedding here, another plus. But the rooms are really pretty and it's super convenient, so you might as well book some rooms there just so everyone is staying on site.
The cost for this venue is 3000 euros and that's for up to 30 guests. There are cheaper packages for elopements available as well.
3. Canaves Sunday, Santorini, Greece
The third property in Greece that I want to talk about is the sister property to Canaves Oia Suites, and this one is called Canaves Sunday and it's perfect for 40 or less guests, so it's a little bit bigger. They have a space called the Veranda Balcony, which again gives those really cool sunset cliffside water views. It's right nearby to the first property that we talked about. It's just a little bigger. The cost for this venue is 4,200 Euros for up to 40 guests.
4. Camelia Gardens, Sintra, Portugal
Our next country, Portugal, there is a stunning little venue called Camelia Gardens in Sintra. This venue is full of lush Gardens, it gives very secret garden/tucked away vibes perfect if you’re considering an intimate destination wedding in Portugal.
It can technically host up to a hundred people, but it really sings when you have less than that. You do your ceremony outside under a shaded tree patio area and then your dinner happens on the other side of the house, alfresco right up against the facade of this gorgeous building. There is a pool, but there are no accommodations in the actual building, but there are three hotels and they have a combined capacity of about 50 rooms. So plenty of options for your guests to stay literally steps away. The cost for this property is just for the day rental. For a weekday, the price is just under 8,000 euros. For a weekend, it's just over 9,200 euros.
5. Son Marroig, Mallorca, Spain
Alright, let's take a quick trip from Portugal to Spain. This next venue is Son Marroig in Mallorca.
You've probably seen it on Instagram or Pinterest or Google, but it is basically a temple on a cliff as your ceremony spot - an absolutely iconic place to have your ceremony. But, the thing about it is it's very long and skinny. So though you can have up to 140 people here, it is perfect for an intimate wedding. Again, with this one, there are no accommodations on site, so your guests will stay at nearby hotels, price fairies based on low, mid, and high season and weekday versus weekend for a low season weekday. The price starts at 4,000 euros plus VAT all the way up to a high season weekend, which is 12,000 euros plus VAT. I like that 8,000 euro discount just for doing a weekday and low season!
6. La Baronia, Barcelona, Spain
Anyway, sticking in Spain, we're moving on to our next venue. I love this venue so much that we flew our team of destination wedding planners there for our company meeting last year! We did a whole brand shoot and a style shoot and it was absolutely gorgeous and this property is so cheap, it is such a hidden gem. It is called La Baronia, just an hour outside of Barcelona depending on traffic. The drive's not bad – I did it multiple times. A huge plus if you’re considering a Spain destination wedding, (PS watch this video of the cheapest destinations in Europe), then you know that Spain is on my list of cheapest options and that is certainly true for this venue. You'll see why when I get to the price. The venue itself is a stunning storybook castle with mountain views, it's got vintage interiors and you can do more than 50 people here, but some of the most desirable locations to use within the property are amazing with an intimate guest count. There is the ceremony space that has the castle rising up on three sides of it. There's also a covered terrace that's really long and skinny and you could use that for a really small wedding ceremony.
I love this space and the views are incredible. And then they have two natural covered canopies with vines and tree limbs that weave their way through it. It's so beautiful, so it's perfect. If you have an intimate guest count, you do one long table of 50 people underneath that, then you get to use the infrastructure that's already there. But if you had a huge guest count, you don't get to leverage that as much. The price to rent this property for a day is 2200 Euros. Absolutely insane.
7. Pergola Hotel, Mellieha, Malta
Okay, we're leaving Spain, we're going to our next country, which is Malta, another one that I mentioned in that video of the cheapest wedding destinations in Europe.
I love Malta. It is full of amazing kind people and beautiful views and it's a completely underrated country in my opinion. We planned a Malta destination wedding here a couple years ago for just about 15 people and we found the perfect venue. It was a rooftop venue at Pergola Hotel.
So on this rooftop they have sunset views over the water and the church that the couple ended up getting married in. And there is a rooftop pool and a rooftop cave bar. So it's a bar built into a cave. It's so cool. The hotel itself is located in the town of Mellieha, which is outside of the typical touristy areas like St. Julians or Valletta. The ceremony was off site though they could have hosted it on the rooftop. There was enough room for 15 people to do both, but there's a beautiful church called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha, which is where they got married and it's a small church. So again, perfect add-on for an intimate wedding without feeling like you're in this massive empty church.
When we did a wedding here three years ago, the cost to use this space at Pergola was zero. They only charged us for food and beverage (and the food and beverage rate was one of the cheapest food and beverage rates we've seen in all of Europe). And the best part about it is you got that whole space all night. I don't think they kicked us out until 2:00 AM and they let them use the pool! So after dinner we had a little pool party on the roof. It was amazing. I went across the street, I got some floaties, threw 'em in there, everyone was having a ball, and the pictures are amazing. There's also no obligation to book hotel rooms here, but the rooms are great, it's super convenient. So again, why not just book some hotel rooms there and then everything's happening on site.
8. Hotel Marincanto, Positano, Italy
Alright, leaving Malta. And we're going now to our last country, Italy. I've got five venues to share with you in Italy, the first of which will be the Amalfi Coast, the second of which will be in Lake Como. And then I've got three stunning little options in Tuscany. So let's start with the one in the Amalfi coast.
It's Hotel Marincanto in Positano. This is like classic Amalfi coast vibes with the sunset setting over the water in the mountains. It is perfect. The ceremony terrace on the property is specifically made for 50 or less guests, and then for dinner you can use the terrace that's attached to the IncantoSsuite, but I would say no more than 25 guests there. When we planned an Amalfi Coast microwedding there a few years ago, we had 13 and that was pretty comfortable.
You definitely could have fit more, but that's going to be for your small intimate dinners. Otherwise, if you have more than around 25 guests, you can use the restaurant Terazza Cele. In that space, they have a 30 person minimum, so you can go wild there, but it's still a lovely little restaurant for a small guest count as well if you prefer to just have that space instead of the Incanto Suite Terrace.
Now the one thing about this property is that you cannot have amplified music. So it's not a great option if you envision dancing for your wedding. This is a great option if you want a long drawn out Italian dinner with wine pairings and dessert and all that good stuff, and you can always go to Music on the Rocks (the club) later on. That's fun. My team went to party there last year, we approve! But let's get to the cost.
So a few years ago when we planned a wedding there, we paid 1620 euro to use the ceremony terrace for the ceremony and cocktail hour. We paid 1200 euros for one night in the Incanto Suite because we needed the terrace for the dinner. That couple also decided to add on an extra night. So they paid another 1200 euros for the night before. The price for the Incanto Suite has increased since we booked it last. Now it's about 2200 euros per night. They had just renovated it before we used it, so it makes sense to me that the price is kind of catching up to the level of luxury that there is now. It’s still a steep price for one room, but if you are using the terrace that's attached to the Incanto Suite, that's a deal. Now, if you want to use the restaurant Terrazza Cele for the dinner, there's another fee of 1500 Euros, and that's for up to 35 guests. That fee goes up to 2,500 euros for up to 45 guests and there's no fee if it's over 45. There also are elopement packages available at Marincanto that are even less. We love it. Can't say it enough, it's just a little gem.
9. Regina Teodolinda, Lake Como, Italy
The next venue is in Lake Como and it's Regina Teodolinda. I mentioned this villa in this video about the cheapest wedding venues in Lake Como, so be sure to watch that for my extended list. But this also happens to be one of the best small wedding venues in Europe. It is a private villa, it's right on the lake. It can sleep 12 people and it has a pool. So it's very much more of a vacation style villa. And unlike all of the previous venues that we've talked about that either don't have accommodations on site or are hotels, this one is a full buyout.
So you're privately buying out this property for a maximum of two nights. Now the caveat with this property is that the catering has a 50 guest minimum, meaning they're counting on the food and beverage revenue from 50 people. So the strategy I recommend here is if you plan to have 50 or 60 people, this is it for you. If you plan to have 20 people, maybe not the right property for you. So there's a fine line here. Let's break down the cost. In the high season on a Saturday, the price is 10,000 euros per night. Other weekdays in the high season it goes down to 8,000. In the low season on a Saturday, it is 7,000 per night. Other days of the week it goes down to 5,000. All of those prices are plus VAT. If you do decide to have the property for two nights, you do have to have an event the night before.
10. Tenuta di Papena, Tuscany, Italy
All right, let's take a little ride down to have a destination wedding in Tuscany. There are so many properties in Tuscany that we didn't get to squeeze into this video of cheapest wedding venues in Tuscany. So be sure to check that out and add these to your lists because these are also some of the cheapest options. There's just so much to share. I have to make part two!
The first venue is Tenuta di Papena. It's off the beaten path. It's rustic, it's romantic, and it sleeps 24 people across six apartments. It's about an hour and a half from Florence and there is a minimum of four night's day in the high season, and a minimum of three nights in the low season. But it's kind of flexible if you ask me. This space can technically hold a hundred people, but it is really perfect for 50 or less. There is also an indoor rain space but it only holds 50.
Also, you can have your ceremony or your dinner right next to the wheat fields, which I feel is so unique.The cost for three nights in Midseason is 5,400 euros plus 10% VAT, and that's for all the rooms. The cost for four nights in the high season is 7,400 euro plus the 10% VAT.
11. Relais Villa Olmo
The next property also in Tuscany is Relais Villa Olmo. This one is only 20 minutes from Florence. It’s a gorgeous villa. It has onsite apartments for your guests and can sleep 46 people. It's got a ceremony spot by the pool, gardens and multiple levels where you can host your events in so many different places outside. It is a wine and olive oil resort, so that's fun to have on site activities and it has stunning views of those quintessential Tuscany rolling hills.
The maximum event space capacity for this venue is 55 people. So you really can't get married here unless you're having an intimate wedding, which I love for that reason and that's why I'm including it here. As for the price, it is 8,000 euros per night, plus 1500 euros per day if you want to make the restaurant on site exclusive to you. You don't have to pay that $1,500 fee, that just means that restaurant diners can come and go as they please.
12. San Lorenzo a Linari
The next gorgeous little property in Tuscany is San Lorenzo a Linari, a medieval monastery turned villa. This one is just a few minutes by car from the city center of Sienna and is surrounded by olive groves. There's also a small private church on site. So again, perfect for that intimate guest count. There are 18 apartments on site and a pool, and this property is best suited for 70 guests max.
So that's perfect for us. It's one of those spaces where it's nice if you want to have everyone on site for the whole weekend. You can rent this property out from as low as two nights to as high as seven nights. So the cost for two nights in low season is 9,500 Euros, which is around 4750 euros per night. And in the high season, the price for two nights is 17,500 Euros, which is around 8750 per night. Again, with these giant swings from high to low season, if you're looking to plan a low budget destination wedding in Europe, that is how you do it.
Now that you have some inspiration, if you want to ballpark how much your wedding will cost abroad, grab my free pricing guide linked below to help you build a real budget based on real numbers.
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