You probably think that the micro wedding trend came and went with the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
However, micro weddings are more popular than ever.
This article will help you decide if a micro wedding is right for you and your partner.
We explain everything you need to know about micro weddings and provide a list of tips to make your special day even more memorable.
What Is a Micro Wedding?
A micro wedding is a smaller version of a traditional wedding. The guest list typically doesn’t exceed 40 people, and the ceremonies are more intimate.
All the same traditions—like throwing the bouquet or having a loved one walk the bride down the aisle—can still be included in your micro wedding if you like!
Why You Should Consider Planning a Micro Wedding
One of the biggest drawcards of a micro wedding is that it’s a budget-friendly way to celebrate your special day.
With bigger weddings, most of your budget usually goes towards paying for the venue and catering.
However, a micro wedding allows you to be more flexible with your budget. Here’s how:
💰You can choose budget-friendly wedding venues that often won’t cater for larger groups.
💰You can spend less on decorations like flower arrangements and wedding favors.
💰You won’t need a big team to set up for the ceremony or reception since you’ll be hosting far fewer guests.
💰You can reallocate money towards your honeymoon or even a destination wedding.
You’ll Have a Unique Wedding Venue
With a smaller guest list, you’ll have more unique venue options.
This is because a micro wedding allows you to consider places with limited catering and accommodation that can’t handle bigger groups of people.
These venues can also reduce the overall cost of your wedding.
As you’ll be accommodating fewer guests, going overseas for your micro wedding may be easier to do and more affordable than if you’d had a longer guest list.
You’ll Be Able to Spend Quality Time with Guests
Since your guest list is smaller, you and your partner will have more time to spend with the people you invite.
A big wedding can often leave the couple feeling like they weren’t able to spend enough time with each guest.
But a micro wedding gives you ample opportunity to mingle and enjoy quality time with the people who mean the most to you.
Big Weddings Are Too Overwhelming
Bigger weddings can be overwhelming. They are stressful to plan and require lots of work.
Planning a micro wedding isn’t necessarily a walk in the park, but there are significantly fewer things to do—and ultimately worry about on the day.
Not to mention that your micro wedding guests will be the people you cherish the most.
These are the individuals who will likely be ready to jump in to help at a moment’s notice—they’ll make sure you don’t feel overwhelmed!
You’ll Minimize Your Carbon Footprint
Micro weddings use fewer resources and can help you be more eco-conscious.For example:
🌳 Fewer people will have to travel for the wedding, reducing fuel and emissions.
🌳 Food waste can be reduced since fewer people will be eating and drinking.
🌳 You don’t need a lot of single-use decorations that will be thrown away after the wedding.
🌳 A wedding band made with a natural or sustainably sourced material may also suit your eco-conscious wedding.
How Much Does a Micro Wedding Cost?
Micro weddings are much more flexible when it comes to costs.
This is because you don’t have to cater for hundreds of people and can opt for a nontraditional—but equally special—wedding venue that’s more budget-friendly.
Micro weddings can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $15,000.
While that may still be a lot of money for some couples, remember that a traditional wedding is estimated to cost $28,000 on average!
How to Plan a Micro Wedding
A micro wedding may be a bit easier to plan than a traditional ceremony, but there’s still a lot of thought that goes into it.
In this section, we look at a list of important things to do when planning your micro wedding.
Set Your Budget.
A key part of planning your micro wedding is determining how much you can spend.
This can help you decide on a venue, which vendors—like caterers and entertainment—to hire, and even how many people you’ll be able to invite.
Buy the Rings.
Before you plan the wedding, you’ll probably want to look at a few ring options.
A silver or gold wedding band might be the first thing you think of but these rings can often be expensive.
This is probably not what you want to hear if you are choosing to have a micro wedding because it’s more budget-friendly.
Luckily, rings made from a variety of cost-effective materials are becoming more widely available.
At Alpine Rings, we pride ourselves on creating stylish, handcrafted rings made from materials such as tungsten and titanium, that are unique to you.
Not only do our rings stand out from the rest, but they are also suitable to wear for a lifetime—and serve as a special memory of your wedding day!
Decide On the Venue.
The next important step is to decide where you want to host your micro wedding.
As mentioned above, micro weddings make smaller venues that can’t cater for larger groups of people an option. This gives you a greater range of venues to choose from.
Although these venue options may be unconventional compared to a traditional wedding setting, they aren’t any less magical.
A few exciting options for micro wedding venues are:
🍴 A place that’s special to you and your partner, like your favorite restaurant or art gallery.
🏩 A historic mansion or cozy mountain chalet.
✈️ A travel destination that holds a special memory.
🌆 A high-rise building rooftop that overlooks the city.
Some micro wedding-friendly venues also offer wedding packages that cater to specific group sizes.
For example, the wedding venue may offer accommodation for an entire weekend and include fun activities to keep your guests entertained.
These micro wedding packages can also include a pre-selected list of vendors that work for the venue at a special price.
Not only will these options ensure a memorable experience, but it also makes the planning part much more manageable.
Compile the Guest List.
After you’ve decided on a venue, it’s time to start thinking about who you want to share your special day with.
Since micro wedding guest lists rarely exceed 40 people, you can ensure that your invites go out to individuals who mean the most to you and your partner.
This means you won’t feel obligated to invite people you don’t want to.
Curating your guest list also ensures that you spend your wedding with people that you know well and like to spend time with, making the event even more memorable and fun.
Another thing to consider when deciding how many people to invite is the venue and vendor capacity.
Some providers will only be able to cater for a limited number of people and often don’t have the capacity to expand their services.
Decide If You’ll Have a Reception.
Having a micro wedding doesn’t necessarily mean hosting a reception.
With micro weddings, the expectation of hosting something afterward is often not as high as with traditional ceremonies.
Some couples even have a micro ceremony on the original wedding date, with close friends and family, and a larger reception at another, more convenient time.
Having a reception can often be expensive, depending on the type of vendors you want and how many people you invite. This is why couples may choose to host one at a later stage.
However, having one at the end of your ceremony can be a fun addition to your intimate wedding ceremony.
Bonus: you’ll be spending it with the people who mean the most to you as well!
Make a List of Vendors.
For any type of wedding, you’ll need to have a number of vendors to cater to your needs.
While you’ll probably want to hire a wedding planner, photographer, officiant, and decorator, you can also be creative with the caterers and entertainment.
Micro weddings allow you to put a fun spin on traditional vendors and create something truly memorable.
Here are a few unique vendor options for a micro wedding:
💃An unexpected food caterer like a sushi or pizza chef.
💃 An unplugged musician that takes song requests from each guest.
💃 A mixologist that can make each guest their favorite cocktails.
Top Tips to Make Your Micro Wedding Memorable
When you are busy planning your wedding, it can be easy to forget small details that can elevate your special day.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips to ensure that your day is memorable.
Shop Unique Wedding Rings to Match Your Special Day.A unique wedding ring that incorporates elements of your wedding is a great way to make the day extra special.
For example:
💍 If you are having an outdoor wedding ceremony in a forest, you can design a ring made from deer antler and wood inlays.
💍 If you are getting married on the beach, you can opt for turquoise elements in your wedding band that remind you of the ocean.
At Alpine Rings, we specialize in handcrafting rings made with a variety of materials and designs.
All of our wedding bands are suitable for lifetime wear, ensuring that you’ll always be reminded of your special day in a truly unique way.
Reallocate Your Budget.
If you’re planning a small wedding, your budget may be lower than initially anticipated.
You can reallocate this money to buy something special for your wedding.
For example, if you save money on your venue, you could then spend the difference on guest favors, decorations, or an extra night’s accommodation.
If you choose not to have a large wedding party, you could have decorations like backdrops or centerpieces for the tables.
Rethink Venue Capacity.
Not only does a micro wedding allow you to choose a unique venue, but it also gives you the option to be creative with the space.
If you plan on having a reception after the ceremony, for example, you can choose a venue with a big enough space to host both events in the same place.
This eliminates the need to rent an additional space and can also help you cut down on costs.
Focus on Creating a Memorable Guest Experience.
With a curated guest list, the people at your micro wedding will be the most important friends and family members in your life.
That’s why it’s also a good idea to ensure that their wedding experience is just as memorable as yours.
We’ve compiled a list of a few ways to create a memorable guest experience at your micro wedding.
Provide accommodation options.
The chances are that some—or all—of your guests will have to travel to your wedding.
While it’s not always possible to provide accommodation for every person that attends a traditional wedding, the option is there with a smaller event.
Some venues may even offer on-site accommodation that is often not available for larger groups.
Include a virtual component.
If you are planning to host a family or friends-only event, you might still want people to attend the wedding in another way.
Some of your guests may also be unable to travel to attend your wedding.
This is why a virtual component is a great way to ensure that everyone can be part of your special day.
You can set this up yourself or hire a professional to organize everything and to monitor the live stream throughout the ceremony.
Another option is to ask one of your guests to film the ceremony and send it to people afterwards.
Add a personal touch.
Although this is your special day, remember that your guests have made an effort to be there for you, too.
To show your appreciation, consider including a personalized wedding favor.
This can either be something general for the whole group or something special shared between you and the individual.
Because of the intimate scale of a micro wedding, it’s also easier to think of something personal for each guest.
Here are some of our favorite examples of adding personal touches:
🎁Framed photos of your favorite memories with each guest.
🎁 Keychains with each guest’s name engraved on them.
🎁 A personalized, hand-drawn picture of each guest (this can also double as placement cards!).
🎁Custom engraved cufflinks for the special men in your lives.
Make Your Wedding Day Memorable with Alpine Rings
At Alpine Rings, we know that your wedding day is the important first step you take towards married life.
It can be stressful and time-consuming to plan the perfect day, especially if you have to cater for a lot of people!
However, hosting a micro wedding can make planning your special day much less complicated.
Remember that things can go wrong, no matter how perfectly you try to plan the day—the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the moment!
If you are looking for even more inspiration, our blog has a number of useful articles to help you prepare for your wedding day and beyond.