With all the crazy things going on in the world these days, a lot of couples are rethinking the way they should have their wedding and choosing a micro-wedding (or mini wedding) instead.

Believe it or not, this is not something new, rather it’s sort of renewed and we actually have some great information on what a micro wedding is, what it usually includes and even a micro-wedding photography package too.

What is a Micro-Wedding anyway?

Great question.

A micro wedding is a wedding that is a complete wedding, just condensed into one half of a day and it usually has less than 50 people.

The idea is to have everything that you want, just trimmed down to a smaller time frame.

Here in Roanoke, Virginia, were seeing an increase in couples having micro-weddings about 32% increase in 2020 compared to 2019 and that’s because of COVID-19.

According to The Wedding Report, a national wedding survey company, of the nearly 2,000 weddings we had in Roanoke, 119 were considered micro-weddings in 2019. In 2020, that number rose to 157 weddings that were technically ‘micro-wedding’ types.

Officially, a micro-wedding has all three of the following elements:

• 4-6 hours average

• Less than 50 wedding guests

• Generally less expensive

Is a micro-wedding just an elopement?

No, not exactly. With an elopement, you usually have just the couple and an officiant, maybe a couple of family members.

Elopements don’t have receptions or any of the components that comes with them, first dances, cake cutting, etc.

Micro-weddings are different because you still have guests, a ceremony and a smaller reception. With a microwedding you still have all the normal elements of the wedding, just in a speedy time-frame. These are also different that a backyard BBQ style wedding.

Why choose a micro wedding instead of a full day wedding?

Perhaps the biggest advantage of a micro-wedding is money savings.

In fact, choosing a micro-wedding can save you roughly 40% on your entire wedding day.

Currently, only a handful of venues that operate in Roanoke offer micro-wedding packages as well as a few wedding photographers.

With vendors, spending roughly 3-5 hours of the day instead of 8-10+ you can save a lot of money.

With guests being the number one expense for most couples, micro-weddings have roughly 30 guests, although 50 or less technically is a micro-wedding. The less wedding guests, the less you’ll pay in catering, happy hour and alcohol.

What is a Micro-wedding photography package?

For wedding photos, you’ll get either Carole or myself for the day and it includes 4 hours of coverage for your wedding. Since most micro-weddings start mid-day and typically end before 6pm, 4 to 5 hours is plenty of time to get all the wedding images for the day.

Our package is going to start an hour before the ceremony and we you’ll get unlimited images for the duration of your wedding. Some of the things that you’ll get include:

• Prewedding coverage (detail shots and bridal prep images)

• Ceremony coverage

• Bridal Party portraits and couples images

• Wedding Reception images

The package also includes our wooden USB keepsake along with the images being processed as jpegs so you can view them. You can view more about our micro-wedding photography package and our sale going on too.

Pricing for wedding photos is typically less because there is less hours worked than a full day.

Are there disadvantages to having a micro-wedding?

Well, yes and it’s time or lack thereof.

Having a micro-wedding will only give you a limited time-frame to enjoy the wedding day and that’s the biggest disadvantage with them.

Some couples will strip down the reception time with just finger foods instead of a dinner, maybe just a first dance and cake cutting with an exit and that’s about it.

With regards to wedding photography, less time means less images you’ll get, it’s just a timing factor. The longer the wedding day, typically, the MORE you’ll get.

Can you really save money with a micro wedding?

Yes, you can.

From guests to the venue and everything in between, you’re going to see a good amount of saving sin your pocketbook.

For example, with your wedding guests, the less you have, the less you’ll pay. That also includes your videographer and photographer too generally speaking.

90% of the time you’re going to save money.

There are some categories that cost the same, the officiant for example is going to charge the same amount if there are 200 people or 20, your dress, makeup and hair artist, should you have one will also cost about the same, although you may have less people to prep before the wedding.

Should We Have a Micro Wedding?

Well, that depends.

If you’re limited by a tight budget, under $7,000 and some of your friends and family will skip your wedding because of a pandemic, then yes, you should highly consider having a micro wedding or mini wedding.

While they are not for every couple, they are a great alternative to the full wedding day and they still allow you to have everything you wanted, it’s just condensed into a half a day or less.