Small Weddings, Elopements and Vow Renewals
Love prevailed in 2020 even with a worldwide pandemic. Forced to make changes to initial plans of grand weddings with lots of guests and big reception dance offs (I know you had been practicing your Cha-Cha Slide moves), many couples scaled back and celebrated with small, intimate events, now called Micro Weddings. Others simply chose to elope and the North Carolina coast was the perfect location to exchange vows. Considering the many stresses of 2020, some couples decided to recommit and celebrated by renewing their vows. These small wedding celebrations have become one of my favorite things to photograph. Here are my Top 5 Reasons to Have a Small Wedding:
The Cost
Think of all the money you will save! Keep the quality but skip the quantity. You won’t need a big elaborate (read expensive) venue or a fancy designer wedding dress. A simple beach wedding, or backyard event is a great way to celebrate with your closest friends and family. Fire up a grill or have it catered with your favorite food truck and brews. Consider scheduling it for a Friday which is usually less expensive if booking wedding vendors and invite your guests to celebrate right through the weekend. You certainly won’t need as much hourly coverage but you still want to hire a professional photographer to be sure you can look back at the photos and enjoy your special day over and over again with quality photos.
Freedom
Less people to please allows couples to be their authentic selves, celebrating with less formality and in a style that truly speaks to who they are. No strict schedules and timelines to stick to—just joyful celebration!
Big Day Nerves
Even with the best planning, it’s not unusual for things to go wrong on wedding day and and the bigger the event, the scale of those “what ifs” can really frazzle the most laid back couples.Brides often stress about everything going smoothly and it’s no wonder. You’ve spent a fortune to be sure things go right but at micro weddings or elopements, there are less moving parts so less to worry about. And if you are just too busy to even plan a small event, there are Wedding Planners who specialize in micro weddings and elopements. Check out the list of some of my favorite vendors over on the blog.
Quality Time with your Guests
A micro wedding allows you to be surrounded by the people you love and gives you the time to enjoy them as they celebrate with you on your wedding day. How many times have you heard your friends say they don’t even remember eating at their wedding? That never happens at smaller events. No making the official rounds to each table to say hello to everyone, hoping you don’t miss thanking your 4th cousin from Wisconsin whom you’ve never met for coming when you could be laughing at old stories with friends and family with your toes in the sand. It’s all about the marriage! Some couples feel a micro wedding allows them to enjoy the true meaning of the day, marrying the one they are over-the-moon in love with and the beginning of their marriage together. Standing up in front of a huge group of people and declaring your love may seem unnecessary to some. In fact, I’ve had couples secretly read personal vows to each other BEFORE the ceremony because they were just too nervous in front of their 300 guest. Smaller events have an intimacy to them that make you feel more connected, more in the moment and what greater time to feel that way than when you marry your one true love?
