Most brides and grooms have spent the last year wondering, “What do we do about our wedding?!” Many who were scheduled to tie the knot in 2020 pushed their plans back a year, only to find that the date they wanted was already booked – meaning they would either need to settle for a date they didn’t want, or come up with another solution.
Enter: microweddings.
Microweddings are generally referred to as weddings with less than 50 people in attendance. Impacted primarily by pandemic restrictions around the number of people you can gather together, some are closer to 25 or even 10.
“Couples are embracing the idea of le petit wedding in such interesting ways.” says Wedding Officiant Christine Cooper. She continues “At a time with so many unknown factors I am encouraging couples to dig down and find ways to bring unique, elegant and bespoke moments to their ceremonies and their wedding day in general. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean for a second that one of the moment significant benchmarks of their life doesn’t deserve attention.”
Not only are we seeing smaller weddings, they are also moving outdoors. Matt Medeiros, owner of Wine Wagon Mobile Bar, says “Couples are worried about planning a large summer wedding and needing to scale back when they get closer to the date. They are trying to get ahead of it by designing a backyard wedding that doesn’t sacrifice on style.”
We love the idea of decking out your backyard and hosting your microwedding at home. Looking
for some other venue ideas?
· Rent out a local restaurant (even better if they have a patio).
· Find a farm that hosts weddings and events.
· Head a few hours out of the city for a cottage wedding by the lake.
· Many event centers are still willing to host your smaller event – see if they have a smaller room, or even an outdoor garden, that can still provide your guests with a large wedding feeling.
Just because your wedding is going "micro", doesn't mean you need to need to give up the idea of having a splashy soirée. Many wedding vendors have changed their packages and offerings to support these smaller events. Florists have begun to offer gorgeous outdoor arrangements, and balloons are making a big décor comeback - think archways and canopies. Because your event is smaller, you can also work with your favourite restaurant to cater your meal - no more dry chicken and pasta!
Be sure to hire professional staff to help with your event - you don't want to be serving and clearing at your own wedding. Hiring a professional bartender can ensure your guests stay safe and have a great time, and a unique mobile bar can help add to the ambiance of the day.
The good news is that less guests means more time for customization - your bartender can work with you to create unique cocktails or find fantastic wines that will keep your guests talking.
You may also want to consider renting a tent in case of inclement weather - rain on your wedding day might be good luck, but not when you are stuck outside in it!
No matter what size your guest list is, with a little bit of preparation your microwedding can still be the party of your dreams.