The Huffington Post December 2017 article, Everything You Need to Know About Micro Weddings, states this about micro weddings: “In simple terms, a micro wedding is an abbreviated celebration of marriage that has only a handful of invited guests (commonly 20 or less), is shorter in duration and is more simple in format, relaxed in atmosphere and less stress to organize than a traditional wedding.”
According to The Knot,an online wedding resource website, the average cost for a wedding in 2016 was $35,329, with higher averages in places like South Florida ($48,596), Chicago ($60,035) and New York City ($78,464). The average spent on a wedding in San Francisco was $42,716. Prices for weddings have not gone down, but the size of the guest list has.
Christina Friedrichsen, founder of IntimateWeddings.com and author of “Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding That Fits Your Budget and Style,”writes “There is an overall trend towards minimalism and simplicity, and that goes for weddings too.”
In addition to Ms. Friedrichsen’s observation, couples are getting smarter with their money, considering that the price of an average wedding can be used for another expense that is sometimes out of reach of a newly married couple, a down payment on a house.
Ms. Friedrichsen goes on to say, “So many people are overwhelmed just dealing with the pressures of day-to-day life; they simply don’t want the added stress of orchestrating a large event. Decision fatigue is real; a tiny wedding helps to alleviate some of that.”
Most younger couples considering marriage belong to the millennial generation. This is a segment of our society that has grown up with and fully embraces social media and technology. If you are in that generation and you can’t invite all of your friends and family to you wedding, why not consider doing a Facebook live event or you can video the wedding and share it on YouTube. This keeps the cost factor down and adds to the uniqueness and fun factor.
“Micro weddings afford a lot more flexibility and they’re easier on the budget,” Tatiana Brenizer,a Brooklyn-based wedding photographer, said. The added flexibility of a small wedding allows you to “have it your way.” Create your own list of things that you just can’t live without. Determine your “must-haves.” Do you want a religious wedding or a secular one? Do you want a religious wedding with traditional vows, or do you want to write your own? What components of a “traditional” wedding must be a part of your ceremony? Are decorations important? How many? What kinds? Do you want flowers? What about a professional photographer? Do you want inside or outside?
Once you’ve determined what you need, determine how much you want to do. Many couples are comfortable with a do-it-yourself wedding, while others don’t want to deal with all the decisions and stress of planning a wedding.
Just because you’ve chosen to go with a micro wedding doesn’t mean you have to give up on a beautiful, elegant, memorable wedding. Wedding planners are watching this trend toward small but beautiful and are beginning to give this movement some attention.
At Vacaville Tiny Weddings our goal is to provide couples with their perfect wedding in a beautiful relaxing environment, considering all of the must-haves. We can provide space, either indoor or outdoor, for up to 30 guests, plants and decorations, wedding arch, carpet runner, music, an ordained minister officiant, a pre-wedding meeting (up to one hour,) a customized ceremony based on an extensive questionnaire, a wedding certificate, and filing of the marriage license. We try to think of everything.
If this seems like too much we can also make it a plain and simple wedding with no frills, just the space for up to 30 guests, an ordained minister officiant, a pre-wedding meeting (up to 30 minutes) a prewritten ceremony, a wedding certificate, and filing of the marriage license.
Either of these ceremonies will allow you to share this special event with a small number of friends and allow you to keep what you would have spent on a larger wedding for other things.
Contact us today for a free wedding consultation. In the wedding consultation we will help you determine your must haves and clearly explain your options, including costs, and help you decide if a micro wedding is right for you.
Mike Woodcock is the owner of Vacaville Tiny Weddings, a Vacaville-based wedding planning and consultation business serving Solano County. You can email us at [email protected] or visit our website at http://vacavilletinyweddings.com.