Micro Weddings have been a growing part of the wedding sector for the past few years, and I expect them to really take off in 2020 and 2021!
Last week I shared some thoughts about what the future of weddings might look like as we navigate through COVID-19 and beyond, and this week I want to talk about one of the more exciting options: Micro Weddings.
What is a Micro Wedding?
A Micro Wedding is a smaller, more intimate event, with all of the same aspects as typical wedding day, on a smaller scale. Most Micro Weddings have fewer than 50 guests.
What is the Difference Between a Micro Wedding and an Elopement?
Elopements typically focus simply on the wedding ceremony. When we’re talking to our couples to decide if they fit into our elopement packages, we think about the timeline of the day. Our elopements often do not have day long (or even half day) bridal party preparations. Elopements often do not feature cocktail hours or receptions, first dances or toasts. A true elopement will have no guests aside from witnesses (though for our purposes, we flex a little on our elopement packages as some of our couples will have a few close family members or friends come along).
Why Should I Consider a Micro Wedding?
A Micro Wedding allows you to enjoy all of the aspects you may have in mind for your wedding day, without the stress of a large guest count.
A Micro Wedding is also a great solution for couples who are rescheduling or altering their wedding plans to accommodate considerations surrounding COVID-19. Many couples already have a wedding planned (even if it’s just in their head or on their Pinterest boards) and are grieving this change in plans. Shifting plans to a Micro Wedding allows for couples to still have the celebration they’ve been dreaming of in the midst of smaller gatherings.
Micro Weddings – Less is More!
When you sat down and allocated your wedding budget, you likely came to the realization that some of the ideas you had in mind would not fit within your budget. Shifting your focus to a smaller event may allow you to incorporate some truly amazing ideas into your day.
Always, always consult your vendors before changing the package you’ve booked with them. Your vendors are already emotionally and financially invested in your wedding. Many vendors are willing (and excited) to change the plans you’ve made with them in a lateral way so that you do not lose any money, and your vendors do not lose any income.
Instead of using your floral budget for bouquets and boutonnières for 12, plus table decor for a dozen tables, shift your focus on an amazing floral installation and a bridal bouquet with some rare and stunning blooms.
Instead of a large cake for 300, consider a small cake that is both a work of art to look at, and a unique delight for your guests to enjoy.
When you no longer need to feed hundreds of guests, you might be able to shift from the buffet you thought you needed into a several course, plated meal.
I want to share with you one of my favorite weddings that MotionWorks has filmed over the past few years. Elizabeth and Justin planned the perfect wedding day, with carefully planned details full of sentimental meaning. They kept their guest count small, and were able to use their time and resources to handcraft a beautifully meaningful event.
Looking for more inspiration and ideas? Join us over on Pinterest where we’re curating a whole board of ideas for smaller and more intimate weddings.
Video for Micro Weddings
We maintain that EVERY wedding day is wonderful; whether there are 5 guests or 500. No matter who attends your day, you want an heirloom film to watch again and again, to help you remember how special it really was. For smaller weddings and events, you may have even more people who were not able to attend with whom you would like to share your wedding, and a video with MotionWorks can do just that! Your guests will feel the emotion, just as if they were there in person.
We’ve created a new video package designed just for micro-weddings. A little more than elopement coverage, a little less than a traditional wedding day, and JUST RIGHT for your wedding!
For couples want to share their wedding ceremony with guests in real time, we now offer streaming services (dependent on location and connectivity). For locations where streaming is not an option, we are providing rush editing on all of our ceremony edits, so that couples can share their ceremony within a week of their actual wedding.
If you aren’t sure where your wedding falls within the range of elopement to micro wedding to full traditional and would like to talk about your wedding video options, let us know! We love to chat with couples about what kind of video is the perfect investment for any wedding day!