How You Can Make A Micro Wedding Super Special & Unique
Photo by Good For The Soul Photography
Micro Wedding, a term we are hearing more and more these days. With the COVID-19 pandemic making it’s own mark on 2020 and flipping weddings on their heads, many couples have opted to do Micro Weddings, Minimonies and Elopements in lieu of or in addition to later scheduled large celebrations. However, this idea of a smaller gathering might be leaving you feeling discouraged or disappointed because you had originally planned a large elaborate party with all of your friends and family in attendance. If the idea of a small gathering just does not light you up and get you excited, then this might not be the right path for your wedding journey. But, if this idea gives you all the butterflies and heart eyes, then keep reading because we are going to talk about ways to make your small gathering or Micro Wedding super special and unique to you!
Let’s start at the beginning. Some of you might be asking, what is a Micro Wedding? With a small guest count of 50 people or less, a Micro Wedding is a essentially exactly what it sounds like. It’s a mini-wedding. It can be either just a Ceremony or a Ceremony & Reception just with a much smaller guest count. You can still do all the things that you would do at a typical wedding like dinner, dancing, pretty dresses & suits, flowers, cake/desserts, vows and more. It’s really a typical wedding, just on a smaller scale. Think smaller space and smaller guest count but enhanced experience. I like to think of it more like a very intimate and very exclusive party for you and your fiance’s most important VIP’s. This type of wedding allows you to really get creative and stretch your budget to add personal touches to your wedding and give your guests an experience that they will never forget.
Photo by Good For The Soul Photography
So, how do you do that? Well, I always think that it is best to really dig into who you are as a couple when planning any kind of wedding. The more of your personalities and couple style you can bring into your wedding day, the better! So think about it. Are you outdoorsy? Do you love food and think of yourselves as foodies? Do you love to read? Do you love the beach? Are you plant or pet lovers? Do you like to travel? Do you consider your style classic, edgy, moody, artistic, or boho? What are your favorite seasons, foods and drinks, movies or TV shows, hobbies, or destinations? These types of questions will really help you determine what time of year, what type of venue/location is best for you and what style of wedding will allow your couple style to shine through.
If you are an outdoorsy couple who really enjoys hiking, boating, camping and fire pits plan to take your wedding, outdoors. Plan a wedding on a mountain top with a beautiful view, along the water’s edge by your favorite lake, in a local park that the two of you love or even take things to your backyard or a friend/family members yard that has the right amount space and the perfect landscaping. Enjoy foods that gives you that rustic outdoor feel like grilled or smoked meats, pizza cooked in an open air oven, food truck food or even delicious entrees roasted over an open flame. Serve dinner alfresco family style in large dishes to be passed around under the stars or setting sun. Include a fire pit complete with comfy chairs, pillows, blankets and s’mores fixings for guests to get cozy later in the evening. Incorporate decor elements that are complimentary to your favorite outdoor activities such as camping lanterns, a boat or kayak ore for guests to sign, or fun metal campfire mugs for guests to drink out of and then take home as a favor. Provide some outdoor yard games like big Jenga, corn hole or bean bags, horseshoes or bocce. Give your guests that fun interactive outdoor experience.
If you’re the type of couple that is artsy, loves to read or loves the theater, plan a wedding at a local library, museum, theater or aquarium. Incorporate your favorite books, quotes, poems or even movie lines into your decor in your centerpieces, your readings and vows and even your stationary. Serve fun and colorful artistically plated and designed passed hors d’oeuvres and plated entrees and desserts. Incorporate your favorite art pieces into your color scheme to bring the art to life. Use pages from some old books to create individual place cards, signage and decor. Entertain your guests with a live dance performance or string trio/quartet. Or, play specially arranged videos for your guests like a video of your years of dating each other, your engagement, snippets from your favorite movies or a special reading or song pre-recorded for each other. Bring your guests into your world and tug on their heart strings.
Do you and your fiance love to travel? Invite your guests to take a trip with you. You can do this literally and do a destination wedding in places like Italy, the Bahama’s, France, or Portugal. Take them to a place that has special meaning to the two of you. Or, if actually getting your guests to travel (especially during our current pandemic) is out of the budget and out of the question, you can still give your guests an experience that feels like an escape to another world. Incorporate unique and tasty food from your favorite countries and cultures. Bring elements from your favorite destinations into your decor and venue space like sand from your favorite beach spread down the center of the table, chandeliers hanging from the trees in representation of your favorite church or French chateau, garden flowers and greenery all around the space to represent your favorite far away garden, rustic tables and outdoor lighting to remind you of your favorite bistro in Europe, grape clusters, vines and lots of wine to incorporate the Tuscan countryside. Bring in elements of traveling like vintage suitcases, old world globes, airline tickets as place cards and invitations, or a passport style guest book. Take your guests to your favorite destination or bring your favorite destination to them. Either way, it’s sure to be an exciting experience.
Photo by Good For The Soul Photography
Obsessed with plants? Surround yourselves and your guests with the plants/flowers that you love. Get married in a local greenhouse, outdoor garden, botanical garden, horticulture center or in a mossy covered forest clearing nearby. Incorporate tons of greenery and floral into your decor on the tables, chairs, entryways, altar, aisle and even your invitations. Plant a tree or your favorite potted plant and encourage each one of your guests to add dirt or water to help your plant and your love grow. Then, send your guests home with their very own plant to grow in memory of your special day. You can even serve plant based appetizers and entrees if you are vegan or vegetarian to keep with your theme. Your guests will really feel the plant love!
The possibilities are honestly, endless. A Micro-Wedding is about really upgrading your guest experience. Focus your attention and your budget on the things that will really enhance the look and feel of your wedding and will enhance your guests individual experiences. Really make them feel like they are a part of your story and bring them into your unique world as a couple. Make it feel personal and intimate. Doing things like having all your guests at one big table, creating interactive activities throughout your event and providing unique entertainment experiences will really make your guests feel like a VIP. Let your guests really be a part of your love through your Micro Wedding and get creative. Bring out the best of who you are together and if you need help digging into that more to find out what exactly that really means for the two of you, talk to a Wedding Planner/Designer. We would love to help you create your own unique experience!
If you would like some more inspiration to help you plan the perfect Micro Wedding, Minimony or Elopement, head on over to our Pinterest page to check out our inspiration board specifically created just for these types of weddings.
Happy Planning!
Love,
Naticia
