After many months of staying home, many are planning micro-weddings to make sure that their special day can still go ahead as planned, even with the uncertainty surrounding pandemic restrictions and event planning. Here, Jack Jahan at jewellery experts Ramsdens Jewellery shows us how to make a micro-wedding glamorous, personal and above all, memorable.
Whether you originally planned for your wedding to be a big event, or you always pictured your big day as an intimate, personal affair, you can make your small ceremony just as special as one with hundreds of guests.
With a little forward planning and some finishing touches, this can be the fairy-tale wedding you’ve been thinking of. Make sure to leave yourself lots of time to plan the event, as even small weddings take lots of time to plan and organise. You also want to give yourself plenty of room to look at lots of choices of venue, décor and fashion, without rushing into any decisions.
- 1. Finding the right venue
When planning your wedding, you’ll want to think about what type of venue you’d like, and how many people the venue is suited for. If the venue is meant for 200 people, but you have a fraction of that coming to your ceremony, think about ways to make it feel intimate despite any empty space — like well-placed lighting or table decorations keeping the focus in the room’s centre. Or, you might prefer to choose a small venue like a boutique hotel, so that it feels like a perfect fit.
Start scouting for the venue as early as possible — many wedding venues get booked up quickly, and you’ll need to pick your slot months in advance. Plus, once you have the venue booked, you can then enjoy planning without worrying about it. It will also be much easier to organise decorations, seating, directions for guests travelling to your event, and rehearsals for the ceremony.
The good news is that when you have a smaller wedding party, you’ll often find venues will charge less (always good news when planning such an expensive event), and you’ll also have a wider choice of venues. You can turn landmarks, parks, gardens, hotels, and restaurants into wedding destinations when you have fewer people to plan for.
- 2. Choosing a theme and décor
The theme and décor of your wedding is extremely important, as it will determine what decorations you go for, and what flower arrangements you order. To make building your theme easier, try making mood boards on Pinterest for wedding colour schemes and concepts you like. Then, review these mood boards and identify which ideas you prefer.
You might want to go for a seasonal theme, such as spring — this works well for picking flowers and will suit venues that have outside space, especially gardens. Or, you could focus on colours, such as warm tones of pink, red and peach, or cooler tones like blue and lilac. Another fun idea is to play on the setting of your venue — if your wedding will be by the seaside, you could reflect this in your decorations, using shells and classic seaside colours. If you will be in the countryside, try using flowers from the landscape in your arrangements.
- 3. Planning out the photography
No matter the size of your wedding, you’ll of course want your dream wedding photos to look back on afterwards. As you will have fewer people at your wedding, you might be able to capture more intimate and personal moments, as you’ll likely spend more time with each guest than you might at a bigger event. So, make the most of this in your photos by asking a photographer to capture the time you’re spending with your loved ones, as well as arranging more formal shots.
You should make sure to check your local coronavirus restrictions and count the photographer when you work out the number of people at your event. Try to find a photographer who has experience taking pictures of small weddings, and always ask to look at someone’s work before you entrust them with capturing your event. You could also involve friends and family by giving them disposable cameras when they arrive, and asking them to take their own photos. This will give you a fun, personal angle as well as some polished, professional snaps.
- 4. Deciding on your fashion and styling
One of the most enjoyable parts of planning your wedding is deciding on your styling and fashion. When choosing dresses, suits, accessories and jewellery, you should think about your theme and whether you want your outfits to be in keeping with it. If you have gone for a colour scheme, consider matching it to the floral arrangement in the groom’s buttonhole and the bride’s bouquet or hair accessories.
Other things to consider are whether you want to be more traditional, or more modern in your styling. You might prefer a sleek, minimal wedding dress and a complimentary groom outfit — or you might prefer a large tulle shirt, a big train, and more classic details like lots of embroidery. Decide this in advance to narrow your outfit search.
Accessories and jewellery should go with your outfits but are a statement in and of themselves too. You’ll always remember the jewellery you wear on the big day, so pick something special. Try diamonds for a classic touch of wedding glamour, and choose jewellery that you’ll remember wearing for years to come. Diamonds also have the advantage of being versatile — you can go for subtle, small designs, or big statement pieces.
Diamond rings are a classic way to mark the big day, and pairing them with diamond earrings and necklaces will make your smaller wedding into a luxury affair. This classic look also goes excellently with bridal styling and fashion.
- 5. Adding a personal touch to the day
One of the best things about having a micro-wedding is that you have more time to add personal touches to the event. With fewer guests to plan for, you can make personalised handwritten menus, small personal gifts, and handmade table decorations if you want.
You can also try activities with your guests, such as cocktail or dessert making, which wouldn’t be possible with a bigger group. Or, you might book another space for after the ceremony, such as an afternoon tea or a special dinner. Not only will these activities cost less with fewer people, but your lower guest numbers will also mean that more places can accommodate you, so you’ll get more choice.
If you had originally planned to have a big wedding with lots of guests, you might be unsure of how to approach planning something smaller. But, with the right venue and activities, a micro-wedding can be just as memorable as a larger event, while also being easier to organise.
Make sure to double-check the coronavirus restrictions in your area, and try to plan for any changes you might have to make before the big day due to changes to the rules. Then, book in your dream venue and get started on planning all the fun elements of your micro-wedding!
