What’s a micro wedding, you ask? Great question!
According to The Knot and Brides, a micro wedding is a wedding ceremony and reception with a guest list of 50 guests or fewer — most likely immediate family and close friends. Even with COVID-19 in our midst, you can still plan with intention, hire your favorite vendors, send proper invitations, and have a beautiful space.
A micro wedding isn’t necessarily spur of the moment. And it doesn’t act as a predecessor for a larger party down the road. This can be the real deal! It’s simply smaller and much more intimate.
Alternatively, elopements are more likely going to be those spur-of-the-moment events. Minimonies and sequel weddings are the “small-ceremony-now and and big-party-later” counterparts. We’ll cover those in our next posts. For now, let’s take a look at micro weddings.
There are a handful of wonderful benefits from having a micro wedding in 2020, 2021 and beyond.
Intimate in nature
You will undoubtedly have more time to spend with the guests who join you. This is simply the result of a smaller gathering. Use this to your advantage and do your best to spend quality time with your people. 50 is actually still quite a few guests, so you may still need to make an effort to say your greetings, but your odds of talking to everyone are much greater.
A smaller overall spend
For some couples, the elaborate party wasn’t their style to begin with. By opting for a micro wedding, you don’t have to feel bad about distilling your wedding to the elements that you truly value as a couple. These could be your vows, your food, and your best friends by your side. They could be your favorite champagne, beautiful decor, and talking to every one of your guests. Talk with your partner about your joint top three priorities. Depending on what they are, they might result in a lower bill at the end of the night, without compromising what matters to you.
Quality over quantity
Maybe an elaborate party is your style. Having a micro wedding doesn’t mean you have to compromise the classiness of your event. Re-allocate some of your original budget to elevating the quality of certain elements you really love. Splurge on the blooms in your bouquet. Opt for the plated meal. Hire the calligrapher. You get the idea!
A great guest experience
According to The Knot 2019 Real Weddings Study, 72% of couples say that making sure their guests are well taken care of and have a good time is their top priority. And when your guest count has just been cut in half (or more), you can give them the experience you dreamt up for them. In The Engagement Journal, we ask couples what three elements do they want their guests to enjoy the most? How will you express gratitude to your guests? With a smaller guest list, you can potentially elaborate on the three elements you prioritize.
Ability to personalize and customize the details
I once had a couple who wrote an individual superlative to be printed on each of their place cards (of which there were over 200). What a special touch for each guest! They executed a highly-customized detail for their large wedding, but the rest of us might now stand a chance at using creativity that we might not have been able to replicate at such scale (because of cost, time, or other reasons). So, go ahead and infuse some additional thought to your details. They might be easier to execute with a smaller guest count. Not to mention incredibly meaningful!
A pivot rather than a restart
Chances are, if your wedding was planned for sometime in 2020, you may have had a lot of your vendors booked, dresses purchased, and details planned. By hosting a micro wedding, you can likely keep many of your same vendors who are eager to get back to work after a slow or nonexistent spring wedding season (and obviously, wear that dress!).
Even if you have already sent your save-the-dates, revising your guest list to a smaller group is much more socially acceptable now due to COVID-19. As a courtesy, mail a small “update” note to the guests who were not included in your revised guest list explaining the reasons behind your decision to host a micro wedding. The vast majority should understand that many weddings are becoming smaller affairs, and they may no longer be invited. It’s not a guarantee that feelings won’t be hurt, but the state of the pandemic should be able to take some of the heat.
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By hosting a micro wedding, you will have an intimate celebration with the opportunity to customize details, splurge on a special element, and elevate the guest experience. If you’ve been engaged for a while and just can’t wait any longer to get married, consider it the best alternative to postponing your wedding. A wedding is a celebration of your love, and everyone deserves their moment to be celebrated!
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