Guest Blog by Kate Cartwright @ Burleigh Pottery. Want to make your wedding ceremony more intimate without cutting back on the luxury? Here, Kate shares her tips for elevating your micro wedding to create an unforgettable day.
Your wedding day is one of the biggest moments of your life, so it's no surprise that no expense will be spared to make the day as magical as possible. But, while a big, grand wedding has been a favourite among many in previous years, couples are choosing to leave behind the grandeur of a big ceremony in favour of a micro wedding.
Sparked by recent events, these miniature weddings have a reduced guest list of around 20 people. As they have a much more intimate feel, micro weddings are quickly becoming popular with couples who want to celebrate the day with only their closest friends and family.
Hosting a smaller wedding certainly doesn't mean you need to cut back on the luxury. In fact, having fewer guests means you can focus on creating a more personal experience, as well as offering the opportunity to push the boat out with your décor.
If a micro wedding fits into your plans, I'll be offering my five tips to help you make the day truly special.
1. Choose a more intimate or luxurious venue
Your wedding venue can make all the difference to your big day, so finding the perfect one is
important. As you're catering to a much smaller crowd, you might have a little more choice with where you choose to get married, as you can almost guarantee that there will be enough room for all of you. This makes it a little easier to find the ideal location for you to say "I do". And, as you've got a much smaller guest list, you may be able to spend a little more money on a more unique venue.
While some venues do have a minimum guest requirement, you also have the option of specialist micro venues that cater exclusively to smaller weddings. Some popular micro wedding venues include boats, lighthouses, and breweries, as well as chateaux and estates. These sites can also usually offer guests much more flexibility, including multi-day hire, so you can make a whole weekend of your wedding day.
2. Send out elaborate invites
Once you've decided on your location, it's time to send out your invites. With a smaller guest list, you may want to go bigger with your wedding invitations. These are the first look your guests will see of your wedding, so choosing luxurious stationery will give them an idea of what's to come.
Consider elevating your invitations by using thick paper adorned with your initials and decorated with gold foil to offer a sense of grandeur. You could also personalise them even more by including a handwritten message.
3. Focus on your table settings
Your décor is what truly elevates your wedding, and you certainly don't need to compromise on style when it comes to a smaller gathering. In fact, the intimate feel of a micro wedding can give you a little more flexibility with your table settings. Now is your chance to get creative.
While most large wedding venues will offer their own tableware, with a smaller wedding you can easily request to bring your own. This means you can create a table setting that reflects your personality.
White is a traditional choice at weddings, along with pinks, greys, and blues — especially if you opt for romantic floral pieces. You can choose tableware in one colour for an understated look or mix and match your colours and patterns for a more unique tablescape.
Choosing high-quality pieces will also help to elevate your wedding table and add to the sense of luxury and occasion. You deserve the very best for your big day, so look for well-made, handcrafted pieces that you can take home and cherish for years to come.
Don't forget your centrepieces. Bright and beautiful blooms are a popular option, and you can
choose your favourite flowers for a personal touch or pick seasonal foliage that will match your setting perfectly. For an intimate wedding, plenty of smaller flower arrangements will work better than a few larger centrepieces, so look for small vases and place a handful of blooms in each. If you've opted for a rustic wedding, for example on a farm or beach, you can swap glass vases for jars or ceramic jugs.
Candles are another great way to add some atmosphere to your wedding table. Small tealights are perfect for creating a magical, intimate feel, while tall pillar candles can help add to the sense of occasion.
4. Experiment with unique food and drink
When you're catering to a large crowd, it's a good idea to pick a wedding menu that suits plenty of different tastes. However, this might not necessarily be your perfect wedding dinner. One of the benefits of an intimate micro wedding is that it offers you more flexibility with your menu, as you're more likely to know the tastes of your closest friends and family.
You could choose to be a little more personal with your menu. For example, you could pick dishes from your hometown or favourite country, or just pick dishes you and your partner love to eat. An alternative is to let guests choose from a menu, so you know everyone is eating something they like — an option that would be difficult to do with a bigger wedding. Send your menu out with your invites to give guests plenty of time to make their choice.
5. Offer more personal party favours
At the end of your celebrations, why not give your guests a little token that they can remember your special day by? Small edible favours such as chocolates and macarons always go down well, and you can add an extra personal touch by choosing bespoke flavours that you know your loved ones will enjoy. Other great wedding favours include small plants, wildflower seeds, or a personalised candle.
No expense needs to be spared when it comes to a smaller wedding. By following my five tips
above, you can make your micro wedding an unforgettable experience for everyone.
Making your wedding day perfect can take a lot of planning. To help make the process go as
smoothly as possible, take a look at Smitten Weddings' micro wedding planning services.
