Planning Tools, Ideas, & Advice
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For Wedding Pros
Hey friends! So glad you’re here! Today I will be giving away all my best tips on how to plan a micro wedding. Choosing to have a micro wedding is a big decision, and whether you suddenly pivoted from big wedding plans (like me!) or you knew all along you wanted to have a more intimate celebration, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all the information out there. But not to worry, we’re here to provide you with everything you need to get started.
Once you get through this guide, be sure to head over to our full small wedding planning checklist.
Micro weddings have become increasingly popular over the recent years, offering intimacy, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness that many modern couples are now seeking. Whether driven by budget constraints, a desire for a more personal experience, or just wanting something other than the traditional wedding, having a micro wedding presents a unique set of opportunities (check out our full list of small wedding ideas here). This blog post will guide you through planning a micro wedding, providing valuable tips to ensure it’s everything you've dreamed of.
Quick refresher on what makes a wedding micro. You can check out our blog, What is a Micro Wedding, to get the full picture, but the TL;DR version is:
If you’re ready to learn about how to plan a micro wedding - let’s dig in!
This guide will provide a lot of details for the big planning items.
The best place to start is determining your overall theme. When it comes to your wedding, the sky's the limit in terms of how it could look, so putting a stake in the ground early can really help you as you make decisions related to other aspects of your wedding.
Establishing your wedding vision can be fun! Thinking about where you and your partner draw inspiration is one of the best ways to determine the theme for your micro wedding. Here are some ideas:
If you're just getting started, here are some other ways to get the creative juices flowing:
Budgeting for your micro wedding is an important first step, but one that I see overlooked constantly. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen couples exclaim that they’re over budget, but they still haven’t booked things they’ll absolutely need, like food. Don’t let that be you! With some thoughtful planning and tracking (I absolutely love Zola’s budgeting tool), you can ensure you’ll stay out of the over-budget club.
We cover this topic in depth in our Budgeting for Your Micro Wedding blog where we break down the exact steps to determine your overall budget, guidelines for estimating and assigning amounts to categories, how to track it, and what to do if you go over budget on an item or two.
Knowing how many guests you’ll have is key at this stage, especially if you plan to have a small wedding. Ask any couple planning a micro wedding and you’ll likely learn narrowing down your guest list is the most challenging part of the process, but knowing your number before you begin looking for venues and wedding pros will help you zero in on the right partners and packages from the beginning.
There are many ways to create a wedding guest list that fits a micro wedding. Here are some ideas:
Using a guest list tracker like this one on Zola is a great way to stay organized from the beginning.
Once you have your wedding theme, your budget, and your guest count determined, you’re ready to start looking for venues and other wedding pros that can help you bring your wedding plan to life!
Have I mentioned this is my favorite topic?? Well, for those of you just joining us, it is!!! Small weddings have so many venue options—potentially even options that aren’t technically wedding venues (learn how to find a unique wedding venue here). The.sky.is.the.limit! With your vision in mind, you might consider:
You can bet we’ll be exploring this topic in depth so you can be sure to learn how to find all the best small wedding venues.
Ok, I get asked this question a lot: do I really need a wedding planner for my small wedding? My answer is always, “YES”! This was hands down the best thing I did for myself when I was planning my wedding. Wedding planners help with so many things including helping find a great venue and other micro wedding vendors, creating your micro wedding timeline, coordinating all the details, and generally making sure everything is covered leading up to your wedding day. And of course, the biggest value of all is handling absolutely everything on your special day so you can bask in newlywed glory and truly enjoy spending time celebrating with friends and family.
One small caveat to my “yes” answer is that choosing an elopement-style wedding with very few or no guests opens up the potential for the photographer to fill this role. Just note, this is not a given, but a lot of elopement photographers offer planning and logistics assistance as a part of their package so just be aware that’s an option.
Which brings us to choosing a wedding photographer and videographer. This is another wedding pro that’s bound to bring a lot of knowledge to the table.
There is no shortage of amazing micro wedding photographers and videographers out there. I had such a hard time choosing but I can tell you you will know it when you see it (and it’s also super fun to look through all the wedding galleries 😍). Things to keep in mind when selecting a photographer:
Micro weddings can be planned quickly, but in order to have your top pick of wedding locations and vendors, booking sooner than later is ideal. Also, be sure to secure your small wedding venue and your wedding planner before you book anything else.
Whether you choose to bring on a full-service micro wedding planner, or hire a day-of-coordinator, it’s good to get them hired early so you know exactly where you’ll have additional support versus the things you’ll need to worry about. I hired a day-of-coordinator that came online 6 weeks before the wedding. This was so amazing because I just needed to get my vendors in place and they handled all the coordination leading up to the wedding.
Popular locations book up fast so don’t delay. If you are booking a venue less than a year out, having date and day-of-week flexibility will open up options.
Based on my experience trying to find a caterer, I recommend checking on available options before you book your venue. I booked my venue (a VRBO) in the mountains of Southwest Colorado without considering food. Once I went to book my caterer I realized that there weren’t any good options that fit my budget. That was stress I didn’t need.
Similar to venues, great options book up fast so be sure to book early.
Whether or not to hire a DJ or other entertainment depends on your budget and the overall vibe you're going for. Something to consider when making a decision about whether or not to hire a DJ is that someone needs to be in charge of queuing the music and directing your guests where to go and when. While you can totally just create a Spotify playlist, someone on your guest list is gonna have to manage it (and your wedding planner isn’t it).
Do yourself a favor and get on this task pronto. If a wedding dress is on your shopping list, know the timeline for finding a wedding dress, getting the wedding dress, and having it altered is longer than you might think so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time. Same can be said for custom suits.
There are so many fun options for wedding decor and having a small wedding shouldn’t mean you have to skimp on this item. More and more wedding florists are offering a la carte options for small wedding centerpieces and bouquets more suitable for more intimate events.
Not all states require an officiant for your wedding, but if yours does, or you’re choosing to have one anyway, now is the time to find a good fit. Believe it or not, there is a wedding officiant for just about any type of wedding and finding the right partner can totally elevate your ceremony.
It’s so fun to be pampered on your wedding day. Leave plenty of time to find the hair and makeup vendor that can execute your vision. You’ll likely want to do a trial so you can get on the same page and feel full of confidence that your desired look will be perfectly executed.
With a small wedding or elopement, lodging may just become part of your venue selection and booking task. If not, and you have guests traveling from out of town, you’ll want to book hotel blocks. Alternatively, your guests may choose to rent an Airbnb or VRBO so it’s a good idea to get an idea of everyone’s plans before you make arrangements for accommodations.
Once you have your vision nailed down, your location, and your date you’re ready to find save-the-dates and invitations. Save-the-dates go out 6-8 months ahead of time and invitations go out 6-8 weeks before.
You can’t forget the dessert! Whether you’re going for a traditional wedding cake or something totally unique like a cotton candy bar, consider securing your desert between six and nine months before the wedding.
The event rental industry has totally transformed in the last several years. Where offerings were constrained to tents and white chairs you now can get wedding decor rentals that range from comfy sofas, wedding arches, floral and centerpiece rentals, and even vintage, whimsical dinnerware. If you’ve been looking for sustainable wedding ideas, this is a great one.
Whether you’re looking for a vintage car to whisk you away post ceremony or need a few 4x4’s to get your guests up to your mountaintop ceremony site, this is something you’ll want to arrange ahead of time.
Don’t forget the rings! If you plan to have custom wedding bands made then be sure to leave yourself enough time!
Here is a checklist you can use as you’re planning your event. Keep in mind that most of this stuff is optional.
Contrary to popular belief, micro wedding timelines are not necessarily shorter than traditional weddings.
Traditionally, these are the things that are included in a ceremony, but we’re all about bucking tradition so feel free to keep what works and throw out the rest!
If you’re looking to infuse your small wedding with some unique elements, check out these 35 micro wedding ceremony ideas.
Same rules apply for the reception. Keep what aligns with your vision and leave the rest.
Always remember, this is YOUR day so try to make decisions based on what you and your partner want, not what everyone else wants or just because things have been done a certain way in the past.
Planning a micro wedding calls for a fresh perspective. The small-scale nature of these weddings allows for personalization and creativity and can make for a more intimate, unique ceremony that remains memorable for years to come. Keep in mind that even though it's on a smaller scale, planning is still crucial; a combination of smart budgeting, mindful guest selection, handling key details and emphasizing personal touches will undoubtedly create a beautiful, intimate event. Utilizing this guide to plan your micro wedding will ensure that you create a dream wedding day that truly reflects your unique love story and shared tastes, no matter the size of your guest list.
We’re so excited to go on this journey with you! We have a whole community of couples on this same journey just waiting to support you! Head on over to our Facebook group to feel the love or follow us on Pinterest for daily inspiration!
Welcome to microWED collective - we can’t wait to be with you every step of the way!
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