Micro Wedding Guide
Your full guide to micro weddings in 2022 and 2023.
After the pandemic shook up the wedding industry, many couples turned to smaller weddings. Turns out, people love small weddings, and this trend has continued long past the pandemic. In this guide, you’ll learn all about one type of small wedding: the micro wedding.
What is a micro wedding, and is it the right option for you and your partner?
Photo credit: Hilary Koon Photography, LLC
What is a micro wedding?
Contrary to popular belief, a micro wedding is not the same thing as an elopement. While an elopement typically includes only the couple and an officiant, a micro wedding will include close friends and family members on the coveted guest list.
A micro wedding might not include all of the events of a traditional wedding, but that doesn’t mean you can’t include certain pieces. A micro wedding often only lasts a couple of hours and might include a first dance, toasts and cake cutting.
Free Micro Wedding Planning Guide
Drop your email below. Get more tips about how to plan your small wedding.
Plan with these vendors.
The below vendors are the ones that we consider essential for a micro wedding. Of course, you can include any number of other vendors such as a florist, videographer or bar service provider.
Officiant
An officiant is vital to ensure you’re actually married at the end of it. Do your research on who can legally marry you and what documents you need to make that happen.
Photographer
A photographer is a key vendor for any size wedding, capturing invaluable memories that you can look back on for the rest of your life. Trust us, you’ll want those photos.
Venue
A micro wedding venue can be a backyard, a traditional wedding venue or a private room at a restaurant. You just need somewhere for your guests to gather.
Caterer
This can be as simple as displayed hors d’oeuvres or as elegant as a plated five-course meal. The type of catering you choose can affect the overall feel of the event.
Who to invite to a micro wedding.
As we mentioned above, a micro wedding guest list will usually have fewer than 30 names. This list should include your immediate family members and very best friends. From there, you can add extended family and close friends to your list as well.
Photo credit: Lauren Tyler Photography
Planning a micro wedding.
Start with a location.
Depending on your budget and vision, your wedding can take place at a traditional wedding venue, your backyard or you can even rent out a rivate dining room in a restaurant or bar. You can go as fancy or as casual as you’d like.
Keep in mind, a venue designed to hold 200 guests might feel a little bit empty with just a handful of patrons. If you do choose a traditional wedding venue, consider ways you can make the space feel cozier, such as utilizing drapery or lounge furniture in your design.
Then secure your vendors.
Once you have your location and date locked in, it’s time to choose your essential wedding vendors. Above, we listed an officiant, venue, photographer and caterer as essential micro wedding vendors, but you can certainly expand this list.
An officiant is vital to make your wedding binding and ensure you’re actually married at the end of it.
Regardless of where you are getting married, you should hire a photographer to help capture the day. Many photographers offer small wedding packages that will fit perfectly into your event.
Anytime you invite a group of people together for a few hours, it’s customary to provide them with something to eat and drink. Since this is a small event, you might find that having catering through a local restaurant rather than a full-time wedding caterer can get you more bang for your buck.
Other recommended vendors: The above vendors are just a few we’ve deemed vital to pulling off a micro wedding. But those aren’t the only options! You can also choose to include a wedding live streaming platform (that’s us!), a florist, a beauty artist and a wedding planner to pull the entire event together.
And create your timeline of events.
What important events do you want to include in your micro wedding?
Many couples treat micro weddings like a luxury dinner party. You and your partner are the stars of the show, but you might not find a dance floor or a bouquet toss at a micro wedding.
While you might not have a full reception, you can still include traditional wedding events like a first dance or toasts during dinner. Since the event might not include a dance floor, coursed meals are always a popular option. And cake-cutting is still a fun traditional element to include (or exclude!).
Sample micro wedding timeline.
6:00-6:30 – Ceremony
6:30-7:00 – Cocktails and mingling, couple and wedding party photos
7:00-8:30 – First dance, dinner and toasts
8:30-9:00 – Cake cutting or dessert
Photo credit: Dani Nicole Photography
Micro wedding FAQs
Should I include a wedding party in my micro wedding?
This is totally up to you! You might include a smaller wedding party, with just one or two people on each side so that the guest-to-wedding party ratio feels a little more "normal."
But you can also have all of your siblings and best friends stand up there with you!
Does a micro wedding include a reception?
A micro wedding typically does not include a full reception with music, dancing and bouquet tosses. Because micro weddings are so intimate, many couples choose to spend the after-ceremony time chatting with guests. That said, you can still include reception if you want!
How long does it take to plan a micro wedding?
Because micro weddings don’t need the full gamut of vendors, this type of wedding can be planned in as little as a few weeks. That said, you can also choose to plan a micro wedding from the get-go and spend the entirety of your engagement planning it.
Can I cancel my big wedding and have a micro wedding instead?
Absolutely. While no one likes when their wedding plans change, we saw in 2020 that sometimes changes are beyond our control. If you have already sent out wedding invitations and need to uninvite guests, consider adding a virtual element to your wedding so your original guest list can attend without being there in-person.
Tips for having a micro wedding.
Look for micro wedding packages.
A micro wedding is a great opportunity to limit planning stress. You can reduce stress even more by finding wedding planners or venues that offer micro wedding packages that include everything you need for your big day.
Photo credit: Lauren Tyler Photography
Find new venue options.
One of the main benefits of a micro wedding is having a full range of venues to choose from. While some wedding venues might cap their guest lists at 100 or 150 people, almost all venues will be able to handle a guest list of fewer than 30 people. Open up your options and look for smaller wedding venues - you might just find a hidden gem you hadn’t previously considered!
Have a micro wedding with a macro guest list.
Finally, just because you are having a micro wedding doesn’t mean you can’t include your entire guest list. Using a virtual wedding service like LoveStream means that all of your friends and loved ones can help you celebrate your wedding from the comfort of their own homes.
Micro Wedding Packages
We’re highlighting some venues from across the country that offer micro wedding packages. Be sure to reach out to these venues to confirm their latest pricing and availability for micro weddings!
Venue: 21C Nashville
Location: Nashville, TN
Price: Starting at $2,500
About: 21C Nashville’s micro wedding package includes three hours of event time, champaign, cake and assorted tables in a modern museum setting in the heart of downtown Nashville.
Venue: Brentwood Inn
Location: Jackson Hole, WY
About: The Brentwood Inn in Jackson Hole offers year-round elopements and lodging for your nearest and dearest. Rustic and luxurious, this venue offers stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.
Venue: Black Butte Ranch
Location: Sisters, OR
Price: Starting at $3,000
About: Micro weddings at Black Butte Ranch in central Oregon include access to a gorgeous outside ceremony location with stunning nature views, an officiant and some florals. These packages are available weekdays from October through May, so be sure to plan ahead.
Venue: Black Door PDX by Coopers Hall
Location: Portland, OR
About: This intimate, modern venue can accommodate up to 36 people for a seated reception, making it ideal for a cozy micro wedding.
Venue: Blackstone Rivers Ranch
Location: Idaho Springs, CO
Price: Starting at $1,800
About: Just 35 miles from Denver, the Blackstone Rivers Ranch is perfect for guests flying in. A mountain destination, their small wedding packages start at an affordable price.
Venue: Burdoc Farms
Location: Crofton, KY
Price: Starting at $6,500
About: Burdoc Farms is an industrial, modern venue in western Kentucky. Their micro wedding package accommodates up to 50 guests and includes just about everything you need, from a photographer and flowers to cake and champagne.
Venue: Burlap & Bells
Location: Black River Falls, WI
Price: Starting at $3,000
About: This stunning venue includes a ceremony space that is, quite literally, built right in the midst of a pine tree grove. Small wedding packages at Burlap & Bells include full-day rental and an intimate dining experience.
Learn about LoveStream
Sign up below to receive information on how LoveStream can help you live stream your wedding of any size from anywhere to anywhere.
We respect your privacy.