Considering a Micro Wedding?

Niagara Wedding Planner

Let's chat about Micro Weddings for a second... 

Are you planning to get married in 2021? Perhaps you were planning on getting married in 2020 and postponed your wedding to 2021 because of COVID. It’s no secret that COVID-19 has completely changed the wedding industry. Couples have been forced to reschedule their weddings or adapt and proceed with a “micro wedding”.

What is a micro wedding?

To start, micro weddings are weddings with a smaller guest count of less than 50 including vendors, but typically have less than 30 people.

Benefits of a micro wedding:

• A micro wedding gives couples the ability to keep the elements of a traditional wedding that they would like but with a smaller guest count. 
• You have the opportunity to invite the people you are closest and not feel pressured to invite extended family or friends you haven’t talked to in years.
• You can get extra creative with decor ideas that may have been out of your budget originally with a larger guest count.
• Amaze your guests with surprise entertainment. Make it a truly unique and personalized guest experience that your guests will never forget.
• Serve top shelf liquor and a more extravagant meal with more courses.
• You can wear something fun or totally traditional.
• Create a timeline for the day with plenty of room for enjoying memories with your loved ones. 
• Hire an AMAZING vendor team to achieve your dream wedding.

A micro wedding is a way for people to keep some of the traditions of a traditional wedding but with a smaller guest list. It’s a way to live the experience they always imagined but in a more meaningful and intimate way. It’s saying goodbye to the stress of hosting a large event. It’s spending your money in a more intentional way. It’s wanting to spend quality time with the people that truly matter to you on your wedding day.

Although you can go as big or small with a micro wedding as you want, there’s no reason you can’t have all the amazing details like stunning flowers and extravagant decor. It gives you the opportunity to also splurge a little on live music, photography or videography because you’re saving money on the food bill and number of place settings.

Tips for Creating Your Micro Wedding Guest List 

Whether you’re trimming your wedding guest list because of COVID-19 or planning a micro wedding from the get-go, we know it might be difficult to choose a small number of guests. First, remember you will never regret investing in the people that you Iove the most. At the end of the day, a wedding is just the day, that signals the start of your marriage. Enjoy it, with those you love the most. Second, now that most everyone is comfortable using Zoom, you can live stream your ceremony for family members and friends who aren’t on the guest list. 

To help you create a smaller guest list, first create a spreadsheet with columns for Immediate family, bridal party, closest/lifelong friends, extended family, etc. When you have each column completed, you can then figure out how many columns you could include within your total guest count. If you can’t include the whole column, then that’s your cut off point. 

Some couples feel the “guilt” of not having all the people they know at their wedding and are scared of how uninvited people are going to feel. First, we want to say that if it’s the only thing holding you back you can always have a bigger party later to celebrate with everyone. Second, if people don’t understand your priorities and why it’s simply more important to you to be married instead of postpone your marriage in order to have a large wedding, remember that this is YOUR wedding day and not theirs. People having large weddings made that decision and nobody blamed them for it, everyone is entitled to make their own decisions when it comes to their wedding day.

How to Personalize Your Micro Wedding

Micro weddings have been made popular by couples who were forced to forgo the traditional wedding due to COVID-19. The change has created a beautiful opportunity for all couples going forward to focus only on the things that best represent their personalities, style and their love. Whether you choose to make your day special with catering from your favorite restaurant or fun entertainment for your guests, it’s sure to be a day where you make extraordinary memories while spending quality time with those you love most. 

Have your guests write you letters of what they wish for you in the future and have them in a sealed box for you to read on your first anniversary.  Personalize your guests experience by writing each one of them a personal note and have it waiting for them at their place setting.

How can you entertain your guests when there aren’t many guests and having dancing may not be an option due to COVID restrictions?

Good news. As I mentioned before, a smaller guest count means you can spend a little more on other areas of your wedding. Consider ending your evening after a delicious meal inclusive of more courses and playful dishes. Hire special entertainment such as a band, a magician, a comedian, fireworks, professional dancers, acrobats, etc. A smaller guest count means you can think outside the box for entertainment opportunities. Play games, have a trivia night, murder mystery or scavenger hunt!

Above all else, enjoy the company of your closest family and friends. They just want to spend quality time with you on your special day. 

Spend your wedding day relaxed by enjoying a trip to the spa, a wine tour or a round of golf before having a super romantic evening ceremony and late supper. How romantic does a sunset ceremony sound before you and your guests enjoy dinner alfresco under the stars.

 

We recommend hiring a wedding planner who can help you navigate the ever changing restrictions and safety protocols. A planner will help you secure your vendors and make suggestions on venue options that would be perfect for your micro wedding. There are so many fun as well as non-traditional venues that could be used with your smaller guest list! Think cafes, gardens, breweries, concert or theater venues, etc.  A planner will make suggestions on how to make your micro wedding safe and spectacular! Planners will not only assist with the planning of safety protocols but also assist on the day with safe seating arrangements, sanitation stations, guest covid screening and sign in, etc.

Micro weddings don’t have to be disappointing and they are certainly anything but small. These wonderful celebrations may have started because of COVID, but this is one trend that I am sure will be sticking around. 

Our micro wedding planning package includes a FREE initial meeting where we can get to know each other.  We will then have a longer Budget/Design meeting to get the planning started! This package is a mix between a Full Planning Package and an Intimate Wedding Package.  We will assist with all of the planning similar to the Full Planning Package, just on a smaller scale. ​

Fee for Micro Wedding Planning & Coordination ranges between $1,000 - $1,500 for the planning and coordination of a Ceremony and between $2,500 - $3,500 for the planning and coordination of a Ceremony and Reception depending on the size, complexity and length of time coordination is needed on your Wedding day. 

Contact us today to chat more about your special day!