13 Ideas for Your Micro Wedding

Photo by Alexandra Elise Photography

Call it a small wedding, call it an elopement, just don’t call it boring.

The results are in, and micro weddings are here to stay.

What is a micro wedding?

A micro wedding has most of the same events as a traditional wedding, but with a smaller guest list. Micro wedding guest lists typically include 25-40 close friends and family members.

While micro weddings can be a way to cut your wedding budget, you can also have a big-budget micro wedding. This would give guests an elevated experience, spending more per guest.

Enhancing a micro wedding.

There are so many ways you can take a micro wedding from “really cool” to “really, really, really ridiculously cool,” and we’re going to lay out all the best ways to do that below!

1. Micro wedding with a macro guest list.

   It’s possible! One of the few downsides of a micro wedding is not being able to invite everyone you want, and having to be extremely tight with the guest list.
   
   That’s where live streaming your wedding comes in. A wedding live stream instantly expands your guest list from thirty or forty people to hundreds (if you want!). This gives you an intimate wedding with your nearest and dearest without having to worry about who isn’t going to get to celebrate with you.
   
   LoveStream makes it incredibly simple to live stream your wedding to anyone, anywhere. A wedding live stream service is a must-have for any small wedding, especially when you don’t want people to feel left out of the fun.

2. Handwritten invites.
   While your wedding live stream guests might get virtual wedding invites, it’s entirely possible to write a handwritten note for each guest invited to join you in-person. This is such a classy touch and will immediately make your entire (small) guest list feel like one big family. If you aren’t confident in your handwriting skills, consider hiring a calligrapher for a traditional invitation suite, but include a handwritten insert with a special message.

3. Gift boxes for everyone.
   Gift boxes like those from our friends over at Peachbox make the best wedding welcome gifts, and if you have a small enough guest list, you may be able to get a gift box for each of your wedding guests in lieu of traditional wedding favors.

4. Non-wedding wedding venues.
   No one said you have to have your wedding at a building labeled “wedding venue.” When you have a small guest list, the world opens up for where to have your wedding. Check out our list of small wedding venues that aren’t technically wedding venues!

5. Small wedding venues.
   Some dedicated wedding venues are on the smaller side and can’t accommodate a large wedding. This is often the case with venues at museums or botanical gardens, as well as venues that are just on the small side. Take advantage of less venue competition by looking at options whose guest limits max out around 50 people.

6. Unique seating arrangements.
   Classic round tables with 8-10 guests at each doesn’t quite have the same impact when there are only three or four tables, so why not experiment with other options? An extra long banquet table lets everyone sit and celebrate together, making it the perfect option for a micro wedding.

7. Invest in a good photographer.
   Your wedding may be small, but your photography can be mighty! If you have extra room in the budget to splurge on the best wedding photographer, we encourage it! They will be able to take pictures that make a small guest list feel large, exciting and full. We can even help you find that photographer over at Bustld.

8. Hire a band.
   Hiring a band is a great way to boost the energy level at a micro wedding. We recommend choosing a wedding band that can do it all - soft jazz during dinner, classic hits during the reception and the ability to keep the party going.

9. Create hangout areas.
   Make a small wedding even more intimate by having a few hangout spaces for guests to congregate. This can be a fire pit, a lounge area or a set of cornhole boards. It’s a great way to get people who don’t know each other yet to mingle. After all, these are your closest friends and family members - they will likely see each other at milestone events throughout your life, so you might as well facilitate conversations now.

10. Go big on dinner and dessert.
    If you have fewer guests, your budget can accommodate a higher spend per head. Take advantage of that with wow-worthy food and desserts. Bonus points for having a signature cocktail as well!

11. Personalized place cards.
    As with handwritten invites, personalized place cards are a great touch to any micro wedding. It’s a simple option that can be done affordably with a small guest list.

12. Tiny tiered cake.
    Just because your cake doesn’t need to feed 200 people, you don’t have to lose the classic wedding tiers! Work with a baker to create a scaled down version of a multi-tier wedding cake, with all of the flavor and design of a larger dessert.

13. Destination wedding, but make it micro.
    We love destination weddings here at LoveStream! Even though some guests may not be able to attend, you can still live stream your wedding to everyone on your invite list. Best of all, you can create an even more intimate experience by limiting the number of people you invite to your destination wedding, without them having to miss out.

Still thinking about how to expand the guest list for your micro wedding? Check out our live stream wedding packages to get started.