The exception to this, I think, is elopements – though they used to be about secretly running off to marry your forbidden lover, elopements have now come to generally mean an adventurous, romantic wedding in an epic destination (and if you’re looking for some elopement destination inspiration, check out my blog here). Whilst they are also traditionally weddings with only a few guests (if any at all!) the thing that brings elopements together is more the style of the wedding and the plans; in comparison micro weddings, minimonies, sequel weddings, intimate weddings, and small weddings all seem to be a wedding with just a few guests, with no parameters on style, destination, or anything else. 

There’s no specific number that separates micro weddings from wedding weddings – it’s more of a mindset of intimacy and closeness, rather than a tipping point on a numerical scale. 

I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a few micro weddings in the past few months, and whilst each one has been totally different from the last, each has been a super special day. For that reason, I wanted to talk to you a bit more about what micro weddings are, why people are having them, and why you might want one too…

Why are micro weddings becoming a thing now?

Smaller, intimate weddings have always been around as the way some people have preferred to celebrate their marriage, but micro has gone mainstream this year. In one word, that reason for the micro wedding trend is: Covid. In more than one word: government restrictions and guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships that have been introduced to combat Coronavirus have meant that a lot of couples have had to drastically shrink their guestlist; and whilst some couples have postponed their wedding entirely, many have gone ahead with a micro wedding, meaning a smaller ceremony and/or reception.

Why have a micro wedding?

There are loads of benefits to a micro wedding. By definition, they’re very personal and intimate, with more of the focus on you as a couple. This means you can also invest more on certain parts of the wedding, due to saving money elsewhere – just because you’ve not gone big on the guestlist doesn’t mean you can’t go big on the areas that are important to you.

In addition, the likelihood is that you’ll have a wider options of venues, as a smaller guest list means you can hire a wedding venue with a smaller capacity. This potentially opens up loads of unique and unusual venues that would have otherwise been a no-go but are perfect micro wedding venues. It also gives you the chance to really spend time with the guests you have there on the day; you can have a meaningful experience with all of them, rather than feeling guilty for only having flashes of time here and there to snatch a hello whilst you fly between your other guests too.

Should you have a micro wedding?

Well, the question is: do you want to? Working out your priorities as a couple is a really great place to start – then, from that, you can see if a micro wedding might fit the day of your dreams.

There’s so many reasons that you might want a micro wedding, and they don’t have to be because the government mandated it – if the main priority for you both is just the legality of finally becoming a married couple, and maybe a gorgeous bunch of flowers and a killer trouser suit, a micro wedding might be perfect for you. Conversely, if the main focus for you is celebrating surrounded by reams and reams of your nearest and dearest, a micro wedding might not fulfil all of your wants and desires.

And, of course, you can have both! Not sure if you’ve noticed recently, but we’re in unprecedented times – so it’s totally normal to want both of these things. You might be frustrated with this year’s proceedings, and want to just get the ring on the damn thing – a micro wedding is the way to get that done in the next few months (at least.) But you might also want to have a huge knees-up with 100 of your family and friends, and that can be a plan for the future too.

How to plan a micro wedding…

The first steps to planning a micro wedding is to identify your priorities, which you’ve already done above, so congratulations! Micro weddings generally have a shorter planning time, as there’s less moving parts to coordinate, so you might be able to put something in place fairly quickly (check out my non religious wedding ceremony guide here if you like the idea of a humanist ceremony).

And remember: micro weddings have no rules, so make sure it still includes what you want to include. Still want a world-class meal for just 6 of you? Then book that fancy restaurant. Still want to go all-out on the flowers, even though you’re not having bridesmaids? Go ahead with a huge bouquet. Also, if you need a bit of inspiration then a little googling will turn up plenty of great micro wedding ideas to spark your imagination.

And of course, still fancy a professional photographer to follow you round, even if it might not be til midnight like at a bigger wedding? Then you definitely should. Of course, I might well be biased, but a micro wedding is no less special that an all-out extravaganza of a wedding, and it’s still absolutely worth documenting. Actually, if I was going to pitch the idea of having a photographer there, arguably a micro wedding is even more important to have documented, as fewer people will be there to witness it with you! And at the end of the day, the number of witnesses don’t even matter – the moments are just as meaningful, whether in front of 2, 20, or 220. 

Hopefully I’ve shed a bit of light on what micro weddings are but if I’ve missed anything then drop me a line. If you’re planning a small wedding day then I’ve also got you covered, just let me know and I’ll send over my micro wedding packages information.