What is a micro wedding? What is the difference in a micro wedding an elopement or a mini-mony? Continue reading to learn and discover how to properly plan your version of a micro, mini, or elopement wedding, and determine if it’s even right for you.
- The Elopement: An elopement is particularly last minute, very under-the-radar, and typically has less than 7-10 overall guests to appear during the ceremony. Sometimes an elopement will have close family and friends, but typically it’s just the couple and an officiant!
- The Mini-mony: This term surfaced as a result of the pandemic from couples who had to unfortunately postpone their weddings. Rather than postpone for a year out and wait to get married, couples have opted to have a mini version of their weddings as a prequel to their big wedding day. This is typically done with less than 15 people to not only social distance but to also have just close friends and family there, sometimes even just a portion of their wedding party. This is a lovely option for couples who want to make sure they get legally married on their original wedding date, but have their big party to look forward to in the future months. It’s an even better option if the elopement isn’t your thing but don’t want to exacerbate your budget as it is typically done at a personal home, or backyard!
- The Micro-wedding: This is not a version of your wedding, a prequel to your wedding, or a private ceremony. A micro-wedding is a full on regular wedding with less than 65 people made up of your closest friends and family. With a micro-wedding you don’t have to worry about inviting people you have to meet for the first time at your actual wedding, it’s a must tighter and more intimate guest list.
The wonderful part of a micro wedding is you still get the ability to plan as you would normally for a larger wedding. You’ll still need to settle on a location, budget, and number of people you want to invite. Opting for a wedding planner during the planning process of a micro-wedding is also a great option and one not to shy away from just because it’s smaller. Sometimes smaller weddings are almost as time consuming as a large one!
When you have officially determined that a micro-wedding is for you we recommend following these tips to make the process as seamless as possible to get every last bit of goodness out of your special day!
|| Decide on your perfect location ||
Just because you have opted to have a micro-wedding doesn’t mean a venue isn’t an option, in fact by deciding to have a smaller wedding you have now opened the door to more venues and locations, dare we say…a destination! Because of the smaller guest count, you can pretty much have your dream wedding anywhere as most venues have a cap on maximums, not minimums! Some venues also give you a lower rate to rent their space if it’s a smaller wedding as well, you’re not only saving money but maximizing your options!
|| Invite only your closest friends and family ||
The most important aspect of your micro-wedding is the guest list. Try to keep it short and sweet, and get stern with yourself and family if you need to. You want to only invite the special people in your life that need to be at the wedding. A good rule of thumb is to invite people who have been a part of your journey as a couple, those are the people that should and need to be there. Another great way to keep the guest list streamlined is to forgo adding plus ones for everyone. A great way to do this is to keep plus ones for those that are engaged or already married, everyone else will have to leave their dates at home!
|| Make a decision on your wedding party ||
Since the wedding is already small and intimate, the need for a wedding party isn’t as necessary since you’ll probably get to enjoy time with every single person during your wedding day. Consider choosing 1 person for each side to stand next to you and your fiancé to share the moment. Opting for “honorary bridesmaids” keeps the day a little simpler and less pressure filled. Your friends can still get ready with you and take photos, but there won’t be any added stress to go along with the day.
|| Choose the right officiant ||
Since your wedding celebration is a smaller scaled celebration it’s especially important to choose an officiant that knows and resonates with you a bit more as you’ll likely want them to enhance the intimacy of your overall day. Consider choosing a close friend or family member to do it, or spend a few months getting to know an officiant that you’ve hired and make sure they get to know you both as well.
|| Get creative with your details ||
The beautiful part of a micro-wedding is you might have room in your budget to opt for finer details. Consider splurging on getting custom invitations and had written name cards, personalized or special wedding favors, that amazing photo booth bus you’ve had your eye on, a beautifully floral decorated large table for dining with all your guests, or perhaps that flower wall you’ve always wanted. The point is, micro-weddings allow you to get more creative to experiment with details that your guests will definitely remember more because of the intimacy of the entire celebration! Perhaps getting the cheaper venue to allow your budget to be maximized on those details.
|| Don’t forgo the photos and videos ||
Just because you are having a micro-wedding does not mean you need to get your friend of a friend to use their new iPhone to get the photos and videos of your big day. Make sure you are still hiring a professional videographer and photographer for your celebration, you’ll look back on them and be glad you did since they will be able to capture every single moment and details you will be sure to want to look back on.
Smaller weddings do not always mean “simpler”. We always recommend hiring at least a coordinator to run the day so you and your family can enjoy the day. Timeline is everything on the day of, and will likely be must smoother ran by a professional than your friend who should be enjoying the day with you. An added benefit of a planner or coordinator is they will handle any last minute details or emergencies that come along with the day so you can relax and enjoy the moment.
Whether your day be big or small, during a pandemic, or during a snow storm. Make sure it’s exactly what you want and everything you’ve envisioned. After all, it’s your day and should be as beautiful as the love you and your fiancé share with each other every day! We hope this helps make your decision on a mini or micro-wedding a little easier, and just a little peachier.
Vendors: Photo by @mlphotofilm |Dress: @bluebridal | Hair + Makeup: Nine @wedlocksbridalhairandmakeup | Coordinator: Haley @platinumwed | Florals: @bella_calla | Invitations: @peachpapertx