Perhaps it is your first time tripping on to the phrase “microwedding”. Now you are curious. Just what is this thing called a microwedding? Hint: it is not a wedding for miniatures!
why?
The tide seems to be turning on the current norm in the wedding industry. Fewer couples are interested in a lavish wedding complete with orchestra, dancing and a sit down dinner. I hypothesize that it is a reaction to the economic trend of the last decade. Couples looking to make a lifetime commitment want to have a beautiful wedding with a smaller financial cost.
not an elopement
Unlike an elopement a small wedding is a planned out affair that is trimmed down to just the important elements to the couple.
All this being said you still want a small number of important people with you on the big day – a courthouse wedding just will not do! Microweddings look to trim that guest list from 200 down to 20 or 30 of the people most important in your life. By selecting a smaller wedding the happy couple is better able to interact with everyone who takes the time to attend.
the downside.
Unfortunately some feelings may be hurt when the wedding invitations are sent. My best suggestion is to pick up the phone and call (not text) the person when word gets back to you that they feel badly about not being included in the big day. Be firm but kind, explain your reasoning and in most cases the party feeling shafted will start to understand. Usually once photos of the wedding begin to make the rounds and people see truly how intimate your ceremony was they start to understand.
it is still a wedding.
It may be easy to think with the smaller size of a microwedding that vendors should not charge like it is a wedding. The reality is that this is still a wedding with all the moving parts that are inherent with a wedding. Vendors will (and should) charge accordingly. More and more vendors are creating microwedding price lists to account for the decrease in guests but a full day is still committed to the event. You still need to pay deposits and fill out contracts.
you still need a wedding coordinator.
Even with the smaller scale a wedding coordinator is a great idea. Because so many variables go into a wedding of any size, having a point person for vendors to turn to keeps the bride and groom a free to enjoy the day. Ideally a professional coordinator is best. They are simply the most skilled at putting out those small fires that can pop up and doing so with a smile. The coordinator keeps you on schedule, prevents overcharges due to exceeding the time block for the venue and can herd everyone who needs to pose for photos. If a professional wedding coordinator is out of the budget a trusted friend or family member will work too!
why microweddings are great.
The best part about a microwedding is you are free to include the traditions that hold meaning for you while eliminating the things that seem cumbersome. You can tailor this day to be just about the two of you.
