Intimate Wedding Experiences

Let me guess, this isn’t the first time you have heard the words micro-wedding, elopement, and minimony. These words have BLOWN up in the wedding industry since COVID-19 caused so many changes in our lives.

Here is the thing I want to share with you: these are not new concepts. These styles of weddings have existed for YEARS. But, now, because of new governmental regulations, these styles of weddings are gaining popularity.

At ACH Events, we do more than 30 weddings a year in the Austin and surrounding area and internationally. We see all different shapes and sizes and styles of weddings. We have planned extravagant 300-person weddings and we have designed a 30 person micro-wedding celebration. No matter what the client wants, it works. Now, with new regulations in place as well as guests not wanting to travel, there is a lot more we have to think about when planning your wedding. Maybe you already planned your wedding and now you need to change certain aspects of it. Either way, I would love to shed some light on why intimate weddings may be here to stay and for a good reason.

First, let’s chat about the difference between all of these styles of weddings.

Elopements: These are considered more secretive and of-the-moment. The beauty of an elopement is blending both traditional and non-traditional elements, making your day exactly what you’ve envisioned. Typically if guests know about an elopement, it is only immediate family or just the couple’s parents. A lot of times family and friends do not know it is happening until it is shared after the fact. Elopements can be created in the city that you reside in, but couples also choose to travel to cities and places that are special to their relationship. With an elopement, the destination is essentially wherever you’d like it to be, without worrying about a hefty deposit on a wedding venue.

Micro weddings: A micro wedding, like its name suggests, will typically include a guest list of up to 50 guests—often immediate family and super-close friends only. Couples often combine an elopement and a reception to create their micro wedding, but you have the option to do both with a smaller party. I like to think of a micro wedding as an extended cocktail hour from a normal wedding. After the ceremony, instead of allowing guests to mingle for 45 minutes to an hour and then have dinner, like you would at a traditional wedding, at a micro wedding, you may serve heavy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails for two hours to allow guests to mingle longer and not serve a dinner. This is a great way to cut costs for a wedding as the guest count has a lot to do with the cost of catering.

Minimony: A minimony is a mini ceremony held with your loved ones, or simply a moment of commitment shared between yourselves. I have seen a lot of minimonies being shared on social media for couples that wanted to keep their original wedding day but couldn’t have a traditional wedding. They have chosen to have a minimony in their backyard, or at a park in order to tie the knot, but plan on having a bigger celebration at a later date.

Despite the differences, there are so many cool things about these wedding options. I know a lot of engaged couples want the party and want 200 guests there, but the reality is that it probably won’t be able to happen for a while. I am a huge fan of turning lemons into lemonade. So how do we take this entire situation and make it something good?

Here is what I want to share about my own wedding experience: I did a New Years Eve wedding with over 200 people. It was nothing short than a huge party and celebration. I loved every minute of it. I also don’t talk to half of the guests that attended. After you get married, naturally your circle gets smaller. You get busy with your career, some couples have kids, some have other obligations they have to tend to. There is a lot that happens as you get older, so you have less time to invest in relationships and people on a wider scale.

The biggest thing I love about smaller weddings is that people are there to support you and your spouse. They aren’t there for a free meal and free party. They are there because they want your marriage to last. They believe in your love. They want to support you and continue to do so for years to come. THAT is invaluable.

So instead of focusing on what you can’t have right now, let’s focus on what you can have. I see a lot of people ‘settling’ for smaller weddings, but is it really settling? OR is it changing your mindset and seeing the good?

If you want to know more about how our team approaches the planning for intimate wedding experiences, please reach out to us! We want to help make it the best day ever!