What Is A Micro Wedding
Do you love the idea of eloping just the two of you, but still want the dance party? Or maybe you can’t imagine getting married without your family + friends who feel like family?
It is possible to have the best of both worlds - a micro wedding! (Sometimes called a small wedding!)
But what is a micro wedding you ask? Let’s dig into the definition, benefits, how many guests is a micro wedding and how to plan one!
Definitions
Personally, I believe any of these can be used interchangeably, but I also think there needs to be a bit of clarification around what each mean if for no other reason than to help engaged couples like you have a starting point and name for the type of wedding you want to have.
Definition of a micro wedding (small wedding)
According to bride.com, a micro wedding includes up to 50 guests. It often includes the same traditions as big weddings but on a smaller scale.
Definition of an intimate wedding
There’s a bit of a debate on what size wedding this is but to me, this is a wedding that includes up to 25 guests. It often include a celebratory meal but may or may not include the same traditions.
Definition of an elopement?
Often considered a just-us experience but in my books, you can also include witnesses and your ride or dies. Generally elopements include up to 10 guests and often take place in very non-traditional locations for the ceremony and a unique experience for the celebratory meal.
Benefits of having a micro wedding
LESS PLANNING + STRESSS
With the smaller wedding size, this naturally reduces the amount of planning needed. Dinner for 25 guests is easier to coordinate than dinner for 150 guests. Not only that, your planning can expand to include non-traditional options for things like your venue, catering, etc giving you way more options.
The smaller guest list can also help keep family stresses to a minimum. For more tips of how to keep the guest list small, keep scrolling!
BUDGET FRIENDLY
Similar to the planning + stress levels dropping with micro weddings, the smaller size can save you some money. One of the biggest chunks of wedding budgets is often the venue. Micro weddings give you the flexibility to choose non-traditional wedding venues such a backyards and local parks that may only require a permit.
Did you know that the average Vancouver wedding costs $75K for 120 guests? About ⅔ of that budget goes toward venue, decor, catering + rentals, and costs that are generally based on the number of guests. And you also have the freedom to find alternative options for each of these at potentially bigger savings.
Keep in mind, some things like your wedding outfits and wedding photographer are costs that will likely be the same regardless of wedding size.
LESS STRUCTURE
Your wedding day can be far less structured when you choose to have a micro wedding. Often your wedding day timeline is dictated by your venue’s timings. You can only set up as of this time, dinner is served at this time, and you have to shut down the party at this time.
Planning a backyard micro wedding, for example, you have more control over when everything happens. You can have an early dinner with late-night snacks and exchange vows in between, or enjoy a celebratory lunch with your immediate family after saying I Do in the morning. The choice is yours.
Guest list advice/tips
Unless you’re having a just-us elopement experience, who you invite to your micro wedding becomes a decision that has more meaning and impact.
WHO GETS INVITED?
When it comes to figuring out who to invite, the same rules apply as a big wedding - whoever you want!
TIPS FOR KEEPING IT TO A SMALL GUEST LIST
Keeping your guest list small can be incredibly challenging for some, and incredibly easy for others. I recommend taking a logical approach to an emotional decision.
Create 3 lists of people and prioritize them in order of who you really want to have at your day, down to those you’d like to have at your wedding.
The Fam. Biological or chosen, create one list of your immediate family and one with your extended family
The Crew. Create a list of your ride or dies that you want to celebrate with. Focus this list of the friends you have in common, and besties and again prioritized.
The Friends. Each of you create a list of everyone else you might want to invite such as work friends, hobby friends, university friends, etc. Be sure to prioritize this list or create separate lists per group of friends.
Start Adding Names. Begin with the fam list and start adding people to your final guest list. Move on to the next list and the next until you reach your desired number of guests or stop when it feels like all the people that matter most to you have been included.
Pro Tip: Take a few days off from thinking about it, then come back to the list to see if there’s anyone that needs to be added or remove from the list.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD INVITES BE SENT?
Micro weddings are much more intentional, personalized, and custom to you both. Every person you’re inviting means something to you so giving them advance notice of your big day will increase the chances that they can attend.
While bride.com states that you should send out invitations 6-8 weeks before your wedding, this makes the planner in me cringe a little bit. In my personal opinion. Instead, I would rely on your knowledge of your guests and when the ideal time would be to have most of them RSVP’ing yes. If most of your invitees are planners or have busy lives/work schedules, you might want to consider sending save-the-dates cards as soon as you’ve finalized your date and decided on at least the city/area you plan to get married in (so anyone who will be coming into town for your wedding can start saving/looking at flights + accommodations)
Planning a micro wedding
If you’re convinced that micro weddings are awesome and you’re set on planning one of your own, here are a few tips for planning an awesome day!
SET A DATE + BOOK A VENUE
When deciding when to get married, along with looking at the popular weekend dates, you may also want to consider choosing a weekday wedding. Take advantage of our long summer days and get married on a Friday after work.
Choose a venue or location that you both love. Make sure it can comfortably accommodate your guest list and that you’re aware of any restrictions, end times, etc.
Related: Best Outdoor Wedding Venues
KEEP THE TRADITIONS YOU LOVE + MAKE SOME NEW ONES
Having much more flexibility when it comes to your day, take this as permission to keep all the traditions of a big wedding that you love, and ditch the rest.
Walk down the aisle together.
Get ready together.
Have your ceremony 1 hour before sunset, even if that means 8pm in the summer.
Don’t have a cake cutting.
Have a first dance.
Sign papers before the ceremony.
HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER
I believe that hiring a photographer to capture your wedding day is important regardless of the type of day you’re having. And if I’m being honest, I’d even say that if you’re having a just-us wedding experience, hiring a photographer might be the most important vendor you hire because there will be no one else there with their iPhones taking photos of your day.
BUY OUTFITS
Your wedding day deserves a special outfit that is befitting of the occasion. Regardless of what type of day you have planned, you definitely want to get dressed up in an outfit that makes you feel amazing.
INVITE GUESTS
Send out invitations to your guests and consider still having a gift registry or specify a donation your guests can make on your behalf.
FOOD + BEVERAGE
It’s a big day, you should celebrate all day! And if you’re going to be including a celebratory meal, not only can you choose to have your meal catered many different ways, hiring a bartender for a few hours to keep the bevvies flowing will help give your evening a special feel.
Multi-day micro weddings
Something I’ve noticed a lot lately with micro weddings is multi-day weddings. There seems to be a few common reasons why couples are choosing to extend their wedding celebrations to multiple days!
REASON #1: A compromise with parental units.
With the smaller guest list size, it can be easier to split the celebrations across a couple of days, allowing for different guests to celebrate with you on different days. Make them back-to-back days or give yourself some time between celebrations.
REASON #2: A welcome party instead of a rehearsal dinner
Although you’re planning a hometown Vancouver micro wedding, your day may be considered a destination wedding for some of your guests. Giving everyone an opportunity to get to know each other before the wedding can be a fun way to help everyone feel comfortable with each other on the day of your wedding.
Micro wedding timeline examples
Still not sure what a micro wedding day could look like? Check out some of these Vancouver micro wedding timeline examples
10 HOUR TIMELINE
Fall/Spring Wedding - Sunset 6:30/7:00 pm
9:00 am Getting Ready
9:30 am Hot tub + Mimosas with friends
11:00 am Getting ready
2:00 pm First look + Couples portraits
4:30 pm Ceremony
5:00 pm Group photos
6:00 pm Couple sunset photos
7:00 pm Photography wraps
6 HOUR TIMELINE
Winter Wedding -Sunset 4:30/5:00 pm
1:30 pm First Look
3:30 pm Ceremony
4:30 pm Sunset photos
5:00 pm Cocktails + Appies
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Dessert + Speeches
7:30 pm Photography wraps
MULTI-DAY TIMELINE
Summer Wedding - Sunset 9:00/9:30 pm
Day 1:
Sunset 9:00 pm
3:30 pm - First Look photo
5:30 pm - Ceremony
6:00 pm - Group photos
7:00 pm - Dinner
8:30 pm - Bride + Groom sunset photos
9:00 pm - Dance floor opens
9:30 pm - Photography wraps
Day 2:
4:00 pm Getting ready photos
6:00 pm Low-key 3km hike
9:00 pm Sunset photos/Blue hour photos
10:00 pm Late night snacks + night cap by firepit
10:30 pm Photography wraps
Should You Have A Micro Wedding?
Micro weddings give you the best of both worlds and offer you the most flexibility to truly make the day your own, all while keeping the relaxed vibes of an elopement. If it aligns with your dream vision for your wedding day or eases the feeling of wanting to elope but still celebrate with your closest family + friends, then a micro wedding just might be what you’re looking for!
Looking For A Small Wedding Photographer?
Have had my own destination micro wedding, I have a deep understanding and love of the intimacy and cozy feels of a wedding with just your must-haves and I would love to be a part of your day. If you’re planning an outdoor Vancouver micro wedding or one anywhere in BC, I just might be your girl! Simply fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.