5 things you need to know to plan the micro wedding of your dreams.

 

Before we talk about how to plan a micro wedding, let’s answer that burning question at least half of you probably have: what the heck is a micro wedding?? For those that are planning or have ever planned a wedding, we know they’ve never been “one size fits all,” right? A micro wedding is not quite an elopement. It’s typically a scaled down version of your traditional wedding, minus that table full of your parents’ work friends. Who really wants to invite their parents’ friends anyway?

Today, more and more couples are opting for an intimate wedding with only their closest friends and family.  Sometimes it’s budget related, sometimes there are forces completely outside of your control preventing you from having a guest list of 150+ people. And sometimes you really just want to share this moment with only a handful of your faves and that’s okay! Ben and I had a micro wedding and it was one of the best decisions we could have made for ourselves. And here’s why:

• We were able to get married at a smaller venue that wouldn’t have been available to us otherwise.
• Our smaller budget allowed us to give our handful of guests a more luxury experience.
• We got to talk to ALL of our guests without feeling rushed and still had time for each other.

 

5 Tips on How to Plan a Micro Wedding

 

Tip #1: Make that guest list and Keep. It. Small.

If you’re someone with a lot of friends or a big family (hello, Italian here!) and aren’t sure where to start, keep it to people you talk to on a weekly basis. We sent out invitations but they weren’t needed. We could have called and invited everyone personally.

Tip#2: Create a budget.

If you have limited funds, decide which vendors are most important to you. For us, the photographer and venue were most important so that’s where most of our budget went. We were able to cut costs on details that were less important to us.

Tip#3: Splurge on the small stuff.

Okay, this one sounds contradictory to Tip#2 but it’s my favorite tip! When it comes to favors, napkins, chargers, invites, etc., you can really make this wedding feel faaaancy. Spending an extra $3/person is much more noticeable when you have a guest list over 100 people. But for 20 people? Go ahead and get those laser cut invites. Treat yourself to that champagne toast. Why not get those lobster appetizers? Your wedding will feel super VIP without breaking the bank!

Tip#4: Think outside the box when it comes to venues.

Now that you don’t need to accommodate hundreds of guests, your options have blown wide open. You can choose a more meaningful location. How about the restaurant where you got engaged? Or that cool distillery you went on your first date? Places that don’t advertise as wedding venues (because they just don’t have the space for large weddings) might be perfect for your micro wedding. And sometimes cheaper since they would just handle it like any other small private event.

Tip#5: Soak in every moment.

This tip is basically the same no matter what type of wedding you have but it’s always the MOST important. When I think back to my wedding, I can remember specific moments where it felt like time stood still. They were seemingly unimportant at the time but are my favorite memories of the day.

Whether you have a micro wedding or decide to invite everyone and their mother, check out my top 3 tips on how to have the best wedding day ever.

And as always, if you’re still looking for that perfect Jacksonville FL wedding photographer, I’m just an email away!