Are micro weddings here to stay?
Has the way people get married changed for good?
During the pandemic, couples all over the world asked the question: should we get married this year? For a year, restrictions and guidelines completely changed how we celebrated nuptuals. Traditional wedding plans were scraped for new and innovative approaches to festivities. From city hall weddings to planned elopements, we have a feeling that the ‘micro weddings’ trend might just be here to stay.
Because what came to light during the long months of lockdown and then the reopening of life-as-usual is that weddings don’t always have to be a huge affair. After all, the average wedding costs around £16k-£30k. And considering how beautiful so many small weddings have been, it begs questioning whether a large wedding is worth it in the first place.
Most people understand the concept of a small wedding, where you invite only you and your partner’s closest friends and family, but the concept of a micro wedding is something new. Micro weddings aren’t only romantic and intimate. They have multi-fold benefits, such as savings on cost and smaller amounts of planning.
Should you have a micro wedding?
Micro weddings were the only option for many couples who got married during the pandemic, but we believe this trend is here to stay. As people discovered the charm and character of a more stripped-back wedding, this format for celebration continues to evolve and improve.
A micro wedding typically involves less than 30 guests throughout your entire day. Micro weddings are larger than an elopement and closer to a civil ceremony. While elopements typically involve only the couple and a witness, small weddings can still have up to 50 to 100 guests. Micro weddings are in between, a celebration as intimate as a dinner party with your closest friends.
Even without as many people, a micro wedding still has the classic characteristics of a normal wedding, including a ceremony and wedding reception. Unlike a town hall wedding, the ceremony doesn’t take place at a registry office, but at a small venue of your choice. While micro weddings only have up to 30 guests, they’re still traditional, giving the couple space to be creative with the rituals.
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What is the difference between a micro wedding and a normal wedding?
The difference between a micro wedding and a small wedding is that besides the smaller amount of guests, micro weddings allow more flexibility in your day, with the freedom to rearrange and change the day as you like.
You could skip out on a few elements of the proceedings, such as different photo opportunities, or the throwing of the bouquet. You can hold your reception in a much smaller venue, like your favourite café. You can opt for a casual reception by hosting a barbecue in your own home.
Or, since there are such a small number of guests, have a reception at that restaurant you’ve always dreamed of going to.
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How do you plan a micro wedding, and what should the day look like?
Due to the small number of guests at a micro wedding, the planning is less intensive, allowing you to put more consideration into the small details of the wedding. Micro weddings have a similar timeline than larger weddings have, just on a smaller, faster scale.
Usually photos with the entire bridal party usually take 2-3 hours. In a micro wedding, there isn’t a bridal party to photograph separately, only the bride and groom. The photographer stays to take pictures of everybody enjoying the event, but the many hours that go into formal photographs aren’t needed. In a micro wedding, the bride and groom take the liberty to cut out the hours that would usually be used for photography, and either shorten the wedding or do something fun instead. (This can mean a bit more spa pampering for the bride in the morning, which is always a plus!)
A typical wedding ceremony lasts from 30 minutes up to an hour. For a micro wedding, we recommend keeping the ceremony down to 30 minutes.
Then, cocktail hour begins. Treat your best friends and family to some delicious, unique cocktails. Feel free to spoil them with a luxurious cocktail, as it’s a small group!
After cocktail hour, the reception dinner begins. The beauty of a micro wedding is that you can really treat you and your guests to an unforgettable experience. Perhaps you have a favourite restaurant or a special place in mind, such as a city garden or a gallery! You can opt to use a gourmet, niche catering company, which is much more affordable with a small group. There are a lot of unique opportunities in terms of reception vendors for a micro wedding, so get creative.
What should you wear for your micro wedding?
A micro wedding can be just as formal as a larger wedding, or much less so. It’s completely up to the bride and groom to decide on what they wear. Because a wedding on such a small scale is already an alternative choice, the couple should feel free to call the shots on the dress code.
Where can you learn about vendors?
To check out the most intimate, unique wedding vendors for a micro wedding, we recommend tagvenue.com as a great place to start searching. A couple of our favourite, venues for a dreamy London micro wedding are:
No matter the circumstances, what’s most important is that you get married in a way that feels right for you. Micro weddings may not be on everyone’s radar yet, but they could be a new option to give people the intimate and meaningful experience they always hoped their wedding would be.
Need some wedding ceremony inspiration? Check out our anthology of Customer Love Stories to hear about how some of our customers have made it to the altar in style.
