Micro wedding trend in the wedding industry. We’ve been photographing small weddings, elopements, and intimate weddings in Boston since my first year in business ten years ago.
WHY SHOULD I HAVE A BOSTON MICRO WEDDING?
- You want to still get married, and then have a bigger celebration next year – 2020 is a funny year, but I believe in couples who won’t let COVID stand in the way of marriage and love.
- A perfect way to celebrate with a small guest list! – It doesn’t mean that your wedding day is less important or less special.
- Less stress and fewer opinions – Some say that planning a small intimate wedding reduces the stress are fewer opinions on what couples “should” do for their weddings.
- Free up the budget – Cutting down a guest count for your Boston micro wedding often frees up the budget so that couples can invest in wedding areas that are more important to them. (For a previous Italy destination wedding, the couple had 38 guests and 60% of their budget was photography and videography, because that was their priority.)
- More quality time with an intimate group of people – Have you tried to connect with 250 guests in several hours, while trying to have a good time, love on your future forever best friend, and trying to slow down the wedding day so that it doesn’t go too fast? Yeah. It’s hard.
- Less “all eyes on me” anxiety – For some, myself included, we’ve never dreamt of having a larger wedding where all of the attention was directed towards ourselves. (I think that’s why I love being a photographer. No one really notices me, but I still get access to be right in the middle of the action.) Without any guests, this solves this problem!
- You don’t have to say, “Thank you for coming” 500 times – If you’re having a Boston micro wedding, you only have to say it a handful of times!
- Fewer table cards, save the dates, and invitations to write – Since your guest list is shorter, you don’t have to write (or pay for someone to write/print) all those table escort cards for the wedding venue table!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MICRO WEDDINGS
What are the main advantages of a micro wedding?
Some people have never considered an elaborate dream wedding. A traditional wedding with a long wedding ceremony, big wedding hoopla, big event insanity, a zillion guests, and useless wedding favors is what they picture to be an ideal day. For them, they’d like a small wedding party of their closest friends, the important family members, and amazing wedding photography.
Some couples truly hate wedding planning, so getting the marriage certificate from Boston City Hall and having a friend officiate their wedding is a dream. Some have only a few guests, while some have no guests at all (except for their favorite photographer, of course)
Who should I invite to my micro wedding?
For smaller weddings, let’s start with your immediate family on your guest list. These are the closest family members that you love and cannot imagine getting married without. With a limited guest count, sometimes it leads to a very special intimate experience.
Then, let’s look into listing out close friends. You don’t necessarily need to officially call them your bridal party, but you can if you’d like! You can only invite your best friends if you want.
Because of limited guests, you may hurt some feelings, but remember – it’s your wedding. You are entitled to have a celebration that is a smaller scale, with less guests.
How can I save money for my micro wedding?
Food -Fewer guests also means fewer mouths to feed. While most Boston venues require $100-$250 per person per plate, it’s no wonder that having a smaller guest count at your wedding will lessen the budget.
Venue – Fewer guests means that you may also have different venue possibilities. There will be different (maybe more) types of event space available to you. Some venues have specific micro wedding packages that include all sorts of fun elements that make planning a micro wedding much easier!
Alcohol – Typically priced per head, you can still have custom drinks, but open bar (or just picking up the tab at the end of the wedding reception) will definitely be less expensive!
A micro wedding cost may be exactly the same as a large wedding, depending on if you’re eating caviar, truffle, and lobster.
From what I’ve seen in Boston, the average cost of a micro wedding still tends to be less than large weddings with a full blown reception.
Can I still wear a wedding dress?
ABSOLUTELY. I’ve photographed micro weddings where the bride changed wedding dresses three times during her wedding day, because she couldn’t decide which she liked. It’s still your day. Do what you want!
Will wedding planning be easier?
Planning a micro wedding is sometimes easier, but it also depends if you’re having a destination micro wedding where you’re throwing in travel, accommodations, etc. Another situation where planning a micro wedding is not easier is when you’re juggling many of the logistics (like chair and table rentals, generator for electricity, etc) for a micro wedding in a your mom’s backyard that a traditional wedding venue would have taken care of.
What do micro wedding wedding ceremonies look like?
For some couples, they still have full Catholic masses or 3 hour Hindu full ceremony for their micro wedding.
For most of my couples, their micro wedding ceremony is an intimate celebration or a commitment ceremony that is typically shorter in length (15-30 minutes), often officiated by a family member.
Couples opt to make their small celebration special with their friends and family.
Can I still have a first dance?
All of the wedding ideas that you have for a large wedding (or a “full wedding”), you can still have for a smaller wedding.
Your guest list might be smaller, but your wedding plans with your mini ceremony will still be awesome.
Don’t forget to add practicing your dance steps to your to do list!
Can I have my friend officiate my wedding?
Absolutely. You can have any of your guests officiate your wedding at your venue. They just need to register online for a one day solemnization license. Then, pick up your marriage license, sign it, and you’re good to go!
Friends and family will love seeing one of your guests officiate your wedding. This trend has gained popularity as most couples enjoy having one of their guests be their officiant that can share personal stories about them during their ceremony.
At larger weddings, sometimes officiants can feel shy or embarrassed to share funny personal stories. This is a huge benefit to a micro wedding ceremony with fewer guests!
What is the average wedding size for a micro wedding?
Micro weddings can range anywhere from 3 (couple and photographer) to 50 guests.
What are the most creative ideas that you’ve seen for a micro wedding?
Couples are able to prioritize what they actually want for wedding ideas. Some splurge on a 15 course meal for their 8 closest family and friends for their wedding. Other wedding ideas are around picking an epic venue with beautiful natural light- like standing on a mountain cliff rather than a stuffy hotel wedding venue.
Micro wedding ideas can be sentimental, hilarious, or ridiculous. I’ve seen micro wedding portraits taken at alpaca farms!
BEST BOSTON AIRBNBS AND APARTMENTS TO STAY IN AFTER YOUR MICRO WEDDING
Always wanted to stay in a Beacon Hill historic brownstone? Here’s your chance!!
After your micro wedding, splurge a bit on a nice place to stay! Here’s a list of my favorite airbnbs in the city, broken down by neighborhood.
Best Micro wedding venues
BEST MICRO WEDDINGS VENUES IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
- Boston Common & Boston Public Gardens – 139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111
- Boston City Hall – 1 City Hall Square #500, Boston, MA 02201
- Fairmont Copley Plaza
- Quincy City Hall – 1305 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02169
- Hampshire House – 84 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108
- Willowdale Estate – 24 Asbury St, Topsfield, MA 01983
- Grand View in Mendon
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
- Warehouse XI – 11 Sanborn Ct, Somerville, MA 02143
- Boston Winery – 26 Ericsson St, Boston, MA 02122
- Dorchester Brewing Company – 1250 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02125
- Commander’s Mansion – 440 Talcott Ave, Watertown, MA 02472
- Gore Estate – 52 Gore St, Waltham, MA 02453
- Stonehurst, Robert Treat Paine Estate – 100 Robert Treat Paine Dr, Waltham, MA 02452
- Lyman Estate – 185 Lyman St, Waltham, MA 02452
- Your favorite restaurant
- Your backyard
- White room in Worcester at Crompton Collective
- Five Bridge Inn
- White Cliffs Country Club
- Glen Magna Farms
- Chatham Bars Inn
- The Endicott Estate
- Cedar Hill Events
- The Barn at Sweet Fern Hill
Best Micro wedding venues in Connecticut
- The Mansion at Bald Hill
- Tamarack Lodge
- The Mansion at Bald Hill
- Bluebird Farm CT
- Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate
- Wickham Park
- Celebrations at River’s Bend
- Lavender Pond Farm
- The Lace Factory
- Blue Bird Farm
- Historic Granite House
BEST MICRO WEDDINGS VENUES IN RHODE ISLAND
- The Hotel Providence in Providence, RI
- Queen Anne’s Loft
BEST MICRO WEDDINGS VENUES IN MAINE
- First Hill Gardens
- Inn at Sunrise Point
- Scotland Fields
- Hilton Garden Inn Freeport Downtown
- Bear Mountain Inn
- First Hill Gardens
- 1812 Pierce House
BEST MICRO WEDDINGS VENUES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Top of the Ridge Farm Bed & Breakfast
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR BOSTON MICRO WEDDING?
Let’s talk!
The perfect venue is out there for you, I promise. There are plenty of spaces in Boston that are a perfect compromise of city and nature. The only thing is that you might have to get married on a weekday to get that venue locked in, but that’s okay because wedding planning will be easier if you’re not competing for the popular Saturdays! Hopefully your guests will be okay with taking a day off of work!
