5 Reasons You Should Consider Having a Micro Wedding

If you are anything like me, planning a wedding feels extremely overwhelming and anxiety-provoking, especially if you are on a tight budget. There is the pressure to please everyone while meeting all the Pinterest board fantasies you have been creating for years. I was in the same boat exactly one year ago. I got engaged in May of 2021, and wanted to have a fast engagement so that I could be done with all the wedding stuff before I started graduate school in August. Not only was I on a time crunch, but I also felt conflicted. I wanted something that would feel intimate and stress free, but had a lot of friends and family that we wanted to be able to celebrate with us. The solution to my problem? A Micro Wedding. 

What even is a Micro Wedding? 

A Micro Wedding is an intimate, smaller-scale wedding with fewer than 50 guests. 

For my partner and I’s Micro Wedding, we decided to only have 16 guests in attendance. While this may sound impossible for you to do with all the friends and family you have, I promise you that it is possible and could be a perfect for your special day. Not yet convinced? Let me give you five reasons you should consider having a Micro Wedding.

1. Micro Weddings are WAY less stressful to plan. 

When you are only having a few people come to your wedding, you will feel less pressure to make it perfect and please people. You may choose to not have a bridal party, which takes away from the drama that comes along with who you should choose as your bridesmaids and groomsmen. A Micro Wedding is also less demanding when it comes to gathering supplies, ordering decorations, and making sure there is enough space for everyone. You have the option to either go super simple, or go all out depending on your taste and what vibe you are going for. 

2. Micro Weddings are very budget-friendly. 

Trying to get married without emptying your entire life savings? Then a Micro Wedding could be perfect for you. When you have less people attending, you can rent a smaller place, you will have less mouths to feed, and are able to still be extravagant in some areas without blowing the budget. For our wedding, we were able to serve high quality steaks, which we would not have been able to do if we had a regular wedding. For our venue, we rented an Air BNB for less than $500 where guests also had the option to stay the night at afterward. The average cost to rent a wedding venue in Georgia is around $6,000, so having a small wedding can be the difference in several thousand dollars on the venue alone. 

3. Micro Weddings can be personalized to fit every detail you have ever dreamed of.

One fear I always had about my wedding was that it would never live up to my expectations. I saw weddings on social media and thought to myself, “that is beautiful, but there is no way that could be a reality for me!” I am not exaggerating in the least bit when I say that my Micro Wedding was above and beyond what I even thought was possible. Because it was so small, I could really get into the details of what I wanted and bring the visions I had to light. I am lucky, though, because I have a family full of DIYers who were able to help me create the atmosphere that I was dreaming of. If you or your family members are handy, then a Micro Wedding is especially right for you. We built our own wedding arch, put together our own flower arrangements, and created the outdoorsy-boho vibe through thrifting unique decorations and using materials we already had to make the perfect space to say “I Do.”

4. A Micro Wedding always you to be Present and enjoy the day. 

Have you ever heard a couple say that they could not remember their wedding day, or that it was a blur because there was so much going on? Well, for me, I wanted to remember the best day of my life, and I am sure you do, too! When you have a Micro Wedding, there is less chaos and people trying to engage with you, so you can be fully present and spend quality time with the few people you do choose to invite. I loved being able to have those quiet and intimate moments with my family and my new husband without feeling like I needed to rush around and speak to a couple hundred people. Having a Micro Wedding also allows you to take your time when getting your pictures taken, and if you do have it at an Air ANB, you can get some really unique and special spots that you would not have been able to get at a traditional venue. 

5. You can still have an After-Party! 

While I was completely stoked about this Micro Wedding idea, I was still a bit disappointed about not being able to celebrate with the rest of my friends and family. After some contemplation, I discovered that it does not have to be one or the other… I could have my (wedding) cake AND eat it too! We decided to plan a party that took place after our honeymoon and invite…everyone! This party was low-key and easy to put together. We had it at our church, and severed simple snacks and drinks for our guests to enjoy. It was super fun and we were able to really enjoy it since we were already married and the pressure to have the perfect day was behind us. 

No matter what you choose to do for your big day, remember that it is just that—YOURS! You and your partner deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, whether you decide to go big or small. I hope that this guide has been helpful to you and I wish you the very best with planning your dream wedding! 

With grace, 

Julia