Micro Weddings: Everything You Need To Know
The buzzword in the wedding industry at the moment and one of the biggest trends of 2020, is Micro Weddings! Many couples are seeking alternative ways to celebrate their wedding, giving them more freedom to personalise their ceremony and reception and a micro wedding works perfectly for them. Other couples are finding themselves forced to either postpone or downsize due to the uncertain times that the Coronavirus pandemic has caused, resulting in them having a micro wedding now and planning a big extravagant wedding sometime in the future. While we don’t know how long this will last, it’s clear that weddings are going to look very different, especially in size for a while.
However the pandemic is not going to stop people from falling in love and wanting to celebrate it. Read on to discover what a micro wedding is, the advantages of having a micro wedding, their average costs and ideas to make your micro wedding unique to you and your partner.
What Is A Micro Wedding?
A micro wedding or boutique wedding as it is also know, is a ceremony and/or reception with less than 50 guests. It still features the traditions that make up a wedding including full nuptials but on a smaller scale. Unlike elopements that tend to be spur of the moment secret escapes, micro weddings are planned intimate affairs! They can be categorised in between an elopement and a full-on large wedding.
Related: The Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Wedding During Covid-19
Benefits Of A Micro Wedding
- A large wedding can be a huge undertaking and can mean huge costs. By having fewer guests you can save money, create an intimate ceremony and ensure that it is only your nearest and dearest celebrating with you at your wedding reception.
- With fewer guests comes less work and ultimately fewer opinions, which results in fewer people to please. How wonderful does that sound!!
- You can take advantage of the small size and go somewhere you couldn’t go otherwise! Think destination weddings and unique spaces when choosing your Micro Wedding venue. You’ll have more options due to the reduced guest count, places that wouldn’t be able to accommodate a large wedding.
- You may be able to cut costs on your photography package. Ask your photographer to create a custom package for a shorter amount of time, as a smaller head count means less ‘must have shots’.
- Micro weddings usually don’t require the same amount of planning, so your wedding planner may cost less than if they were to plan a full-scale wedding wedding for you.
- Fewer tables will mean less florals. Replicating a centerpiece by 15 tables will cost considerably more than just a handful of tables. Your florist’s duties will be reduced and they probably won’t have the need to call upon a production team to assist with the install.
- A small wedding however doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style! If you can’t forgo your dream of having a fabulous tablescape you can justify having a big floral budget, as you will ultimately save in other areas.
- With a smaller group of guests you will have a better chance of spending quality time with each of your loved ones.
- Create a real impact with an element (s) that is most important to you! Go all out with a designer wedding dress that makes your heart skip a beat every time you see it. Hire a venue exclusively, especially if privacy is important to you. Why settle for a town car to deliver you to your ceremony when you can be transported in style and enjoy more fantastic views from the seat of a helicopter!
- A big event can ultimately create big stress. With much fewer guests and knowing that you have your nearest and dearest won’t be judging you, will immediately make the planning and the day itself less stressful!
- It can relieve the pressure to include all the components of a traditional wedding. Make your own rules, include the elements that are essential to you and leave out what doesn’t fit in with your values and vision!
- There is no doubt that a smaller wedding will have fewer expectations. Not only do micro weddings allow you to be flexible with traditions, they also allow for more flexibility with the schedule of events at your celebration. Do things in an order that resonates with you!
- If your budget allows, you can really create a wonderful guest experience by hosting them at your wedding venue ( a.k.a paying for their accommodation). This is ideal and easy to plan if you want to exclusively book a villa or small hotel. Something that could have complicated logistics with a larger guest count.
How To Personalise Your Micro Wedding
- Adding personalised touches such as handwriting notes to each of your guests is a lovely way to show your appreciation for the effort they made to come.
- If you are artistic and wish to put in more effort into personalizing your celebration, then hand painting your invites is the way to go. You can continue the theme into all your wedding signage.
- Wedding planning has entered the virtual age, from venue tours to bridal showers, so why not set the scene of your celebration by creating a virtual wedding invitation. Make a personalised video invite, with both of you sitting comfortably at home and request their presence at your celebration. If possible, take it a step further and record it at your wedding destination or the actual setting where you will exchange your vows. The video can be as creative as you wish. Make sure to include the main details of your wedding that would be found in a regular invitation such as names, date, times and location. It is more unique than sending out general invites and it will be something they can cherish forever.
- Perhaps you would like to personalise the napkins by embroidering your guest’s name or initial on their napkins, like a bride of mine did.
These special touches will be considerably less time consuming if you have fewer guests.