YOUR FULL PROOF GUIDE TO PLANNING A KICK ASS MICRO WEDDING
If you have postponed a wedding (perhaps multiple times) this year and need a little direction then this is your micro wedding guide. Many couples this year have opted for a elopement wedding or micro celebration in order to comply with the pandemic restrictions. Writing this blog has been harder than you would have thought. No one could have ever anticipated the amount of postponed covid weddings in 2020 at the beginning of the year. Last week I had penned a couple of points down on the limit of a 30 attendee wedding which has since reduced to 15. Then there was a ‘tier system’ and finally with the cherry on top came lock down mark II. As of this month with the UK in lockdown, weddings are not allowed, unless under extreme circumstances.
If you are feeling a little wedding fed up – I do not blame you. I recently wrote a piece to inspire couples about what Schitt’s Creek can teach us about postponed covid weddings. Like many others, if you want to throw a great big F*CK you to corona and can’t wait to get married to your person (and then maybe party hard later) then keep reading. This piece is going to be all about the uplifting and positive aspects of having a micro or elopement wedding.
What is a MICRO wedding?
The idea of a micro wedding is not a new found idea. Couples have been planning smaller weddings in place of the classic ‘big white wedding’ for decades. Some of my favourite weddings have been smaller celebrations. Take Natalie and Dan who had an intimate wedding in Surrey or Richard and Yue-Zhen’s relaxed London Chelsea Town Hall wedding. The only difference is that up until this year you had the choice of whether you wanted to go all out or keep it small.
A micro wedding, simply put, is a smaller wedding.
However, a few weeks ago, new government guidelines were set restricting a wedding to just 15 people. Although it is worth alerting couples out there planning that the two of you are counted, so you can invite 13 people as guests. Previously couples were allowed to plan a 30 person wedding (although counting any suppliers working the event.) It is all very tricky to navigate, and you may be reading this thinking about postponed covid weddings of your own. But this piece is here to help you and to be your micro wedding guide.
An elopement wedding on the Other Hand is a VERY SMALL wedding.
An elopement in times gone by was usually done in secret. However, the term elopement wedding now a days normally just implies a super micro wedding setting. Reserved for couples who want to focus on each other or take an adventure. You can elope to the hills of Scotland together and pack a suitcase with you for the honeymoon all in one day! Like a micro wedding you can opt for wearing what ever you want! This goes without saying on a bigger wedding scale too. But as Sex And The City has shown us sometimes the dress ups the ante and outfits can snowball.
PRO’S of having a MICRO wedding…
Now, this blog piece is all about finding the silver linings within these restrictions. Of course many people LOVE the idea of a very big wedding with all their friends and family. This goes without saying. But this piece is your micro wedding guide to find the inspiration and positives about scaling down your celebrations. It is to help you find the joy in decorating a beautiful table space for an intimate dinner, or wandering the streets of London just you and your favourite person. If you are ready to hear the positives and embrace the micro mentality then here goes.
THE GUEST LIST
It is no shocker that your guest list has had to be massively reduced. To look on the positive side this means that you get to focus on the VIP’s. Those very important people that you cannot image getting married without. You now have a legitimate excuse as to why you no longer have to invite great-great-auntie-Margaret just because your Nana insisted that she come.
There is no doubt that the decision process is going to be extremely hard. Horrible even. But given this year has been such a curve ball, the likelihood is that most of your friends and family will totally understand. However, with the magic of the internet you can stream your wedding for loved ones who cannot make it. This way everyone can be a part of your magical day. Just remember to plan ahead with this. I would hate there to be a last minute dash to help Nan with the zoom link.
THE WEDDING BUDGET
Let’s get real here. Less people means WAY less money. When you think about catering for 100+ people at £100 per head, the maths can get slightly mind boggling. You can see where the numbers can start to run away with you – I have not even mentioned the open bar yet! This means that your budget can be allocated in a different way. You no longer have to have your wedding in a venue that houses 120 plus people.
You could choose your favourite restaurant, have catering to come to you or order lobster thermidor for everyone. You can personalise bougie favours, order the fancy champagne and get that decadent pair of shoes the previous budget didn’t allow for. The point is that your budget priorities have been flipped. Make it special.
You can organise a mid-week wedding for 15 people – which is the beauty of a scaled down number. Whilst leaving a piece of the budget for a celebration or party when we are allowed to do so. Registry offices are a great resource for getting hitched as they are accommodating for smaller weddings, yet still allowing for beautiful scenery. Some of my favourite smaller registry office weddings have been:
Anna and Sam’s Relaxed Wedding at Marylebone Town Hall
Yue-Zhen and Richard’s Intimate Christmas Chelsea Old Town Hall Wedding
Natalie and Dan’s Surprise Surrey Registry Office Wedding
All of these weddings were smaller in size. I must mention that they were not postponed covid weddings, but intimate celebrations through planning. However, more importantly the couples chose elements that were important to them as a team. Anna and Sam for example had their ceremony, but held an intimate dinner instead of a huge sit down meal. Natalie’s father organised me to photograph her wedding for her as a surprise! Her and her partner Dan were getting married in such a low key way that they had no idea that the father of the bride had organised the photographer!
THE FOCUS
Planning an elopement wedding or a micro celebration enables the both of you to focus on the reason you were doing this in the first place. The two of you wanted to commit to each other. The focus is on you. Your love. No dramas, no interference. The focus can sometimes get lost with a big whirlwind wedding. You have time to focus on your selected guest and time to actually chat. Scaling down means that sometimes the focus seems clearer.
Many wedding suppliers and venues have had to change their outlook on a wedding day celebration. So everyones focus has shifted. Venues now have had to be accommodating to smaller wedding parties, menus and traditions. You are not alone in this (as Ross from Friends would say) PIVOT! Seek help in your suppliers to understand what your new focus should be and they will help you.
Here Are Some Of My Favourite Small Wedding Venues
THE NED
THE COUNTY ARMS
MARYLEBONE TOWN HALL
EAST QUAY VENUE
All That Being Said – It Is Okay To Wait
What life has taught us is that there is no ‘perfect time’. But you will know when the right time is, and if you do not feel 100% about planning a smaller wedding, not having favourite people there or guests not being able to make it from over seas then of course it is okay to wait. The moral of the story is that this year has been one like no other. But what remains the same is that weddings are there for the purpose of celebrating LOVE. Love of your families, love of your friends and the love of each other. I hope that this blog for your micro wedding guide has given you some helpful pointers. How ever you celebrate your love, wether it be an elopement wedding in the highlands of Scotland or with a select few in a town hall I wish everyone all the good wishes in the world.
If you have found your micro wedding guide useful and want to chat drop me a line below:
[contact-form to=”hello@jessicagracephotography.co.uk” subject=”Blog Contact Form”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Wedding/Celebration Date” type=”text” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” required=”1″][/contact-form]