Last year was challenging for brides. Women who had been planning their weddings for months (even years!) suddenly had to change course. Many brides who were planning their dream wedding for 2020 had to choose between postponing, canceling altogether, or eloping. But somewhere along the way, brides honed in on the concept of a microwedding in order to, well, eat their cake and have it, too.
So, what is a microwedding? Well, a microwedding differs from an elopement or a mini-mony. The microwedding is meant to be all-inclusive, and a complete event within itself. It’s exactly what it sounds like it is: a smaller version of a traditionally large wedding. Microweddings usually have fewer than 20 guests in attendance, but still contain all the components of a regular wedding, such as the ceremony, reception, cake cutting, etc.
It’s unclear exactly what weddings will look like in 2021 and beyond. However, one thing is clear…microweddings are here to stay! If you’re planning on hosting a microwedding in 2021, here are seven ways that you can absolutely rock it:
Elevate Your Wedding Favors
Who doesn’t like wedding favors? Because you won’t be spending as much as you would with a larger wedding, you may find that you have some extra money in your budget to gift thoughtful wedding favors to your guests. Leave the tacky keychains behind and get your guests and wedding party stuff they actually want.
Need some ideas? Well, for weddings held during COVID-19, you may consider getting all of your guests personalized face masks. For weddings that take place in a tropical or sun-soaked setting, you could consider gifting personalized towels, hats, or beach bags. For weddings that take place in colder climates, you could consider gifting personalized blankets, scarves, or gloves.
Or, go the extra mile and gift your wedding guests a wedding favor box! Wedding favor boxes usually arrive prior to the start of the wedding and follow your wedding’s theme. If you’re a couple who loves to party, consider gifting your guests a wedding hangover kit. Common items in these types of boxes include ibuprofen, Gatorade, mints, and sunglasses. Maybe include a little hair of the dog, too.
Splurge on Food
Since you’ll be spending less money on your big day overall, you’ll have a little bit of extra money to spend on food (aka the best part of any wedding) for your guests. Instead of choosing a basic chicken or fish dinner, try getting creative with your meal.
Need some ideas? In today’s COVID-19 crisis, so many restaurants and small businesses are hurting due to mandated closures. Why not start off your love story by supporting a small business?
You could opt to work with a local chef or restaurant to create a custom menu that features dishes that are significant to your relationship with your new spouse or that honors both of your cultures. You could also create a “progressive dinner party” of sorts whereby you order different courses of your menu from different restaurants or chefs. These meals could all follow a theme, or mix it up with a few different cuisines.
Another option is to host an elevated dinner picnic of sorts. This involves partnering with a local picnic company such as Pop Up Picnic in Southern California to bring your dinner experience to you. These picnic companies normally do all the set-up, cooking, and breakdown for you, so the experience won’t add any extra stress to your plate.
Picnics + true love? Sign us up!
Spend Money on Thoughtful Commemorations
Holding a microwedding instead of a traditional wedding allows you the time, flexibility, and finances to create thoughtful commemorations for your special day. Several new trends have emerged that we think you may want to consider for your 2021 microwedding.
One new trend that we absolutely love is the trend of hiring a live wedding artist. Live wedding artists arrive just before your ceremony to capture the spot where you and your sweetie will say, “I do.” Live wedding artists paint throughout the ceremony. At the end of the night, you’ll walk home with your unique memento.
Another trend that we’ve been seeing is for couples to commission a unity sculpture. This sculpture can be created onsite by a sculptor. You can even make it part of the ceremony, whereby each person contributes some piece. After the ceremony, couples walk away with a new sculpture that showcases the “unity” of their marriage.
OMG, adorable!
Have the Festivities Last Longer Than a Day
Traditionally, wedding ceremonies and receptions usually begin in the afternoon and extend well into the late evening. When there are fewer guests to coordinate, it’s easier to handle the logistics that go into coordinating a multi-day affair. Normally, you would need to consider factors such as travel schedules, holidays, time-off requests, large hotel blocks, and catering—yikes!
With a smaller group, it’s much easier to just throw everybody in a group chat and make some decisions about when and where you’re going to be hosting your special wedding getaway.
Long weekend microwedding in Aspen? Yes, please! But then again, how about a week-long excursion to St. Tropez? Obviously. But why should we stop there? How about a whole month in Belize?
Hey, why knot?
Think Outside the Box
Microweddings give you the flexibility to think outside the box simply because they are much smaller affairs. Want to arrange your chairs in a little crescent moon circle instead of the traditional row seating arrangement? The sky’s the limit! Want to host a brunch wedding instead of a traditional dinner wedding? Go for it!
Want to have your reception before your ceremony? Never seen it before, but the choice is yours! Now is the time to think outside the box to make your special day exactly the way you want it.
Plan Several Outfit Changes
We just had to throw this one in there because, duh, outfit changes! Since you’ll be spending less money on your wedding overall, you may want to consider outfit changes throughout the day (or weekend) to celebrate the different occasions within your celebration.
We’ve seen brides wear a traditional wedding gown for the ceremony, only to change into a cocktail dress for cocktail hour, to then finish up the evening in an elegant pantsuit.
Hey, more shopping? We’ll take it!
Personalize It
One of the neatest things about a microwedding is that you can personalize it! There’s no right or wrong way to host a wedding. Microweddings give couples that much more flexibility because there are not as many factors involved as a larger wedding.
So, if you’re engaged and on the fence…don’t be! Hosting a microwedding takes the best components of an elopement, a traditional wedding/reception, and a mini-mony. If there’s one thing we’re sure about, it’s that you want your special day to be special. Microweddings rock!
