We are living through what is undeniably one of the greatest disruptions to our sense of “normal”.
COVID-19 has touched every industry and every household in some capacity, and we are all scrambling together to revise and reinvent our lifestyles and plans to adapt to the unknowns ahead. As a wedding photographer navigating these times alongside my clients, I’m increasingly convinced that the format of celebrations may dramatically change, but this does not mean that the significance or heart behind these moments has to be lost.
Intimate weddings offer a unique opportunity for couples to narrow their focus to the most important and essential elements of their marriage celebration. As a participant in the wedding industry I share in the excitement about elaborate decorations, beautiful venues and a packed and rowdy dance floor, but I’ve also grown to appreciate and seek out the quieter and less extravagant moments of significance that are accessible even outside the adornments of a large-scale celebration. As a photographer driven by visual storytelling and human connection, I’m equally excited to photograph an intimate celebration in a backyard as I am to document a 300 person blowout.
Beyond the philosophical rationale that might motivate small-scale celebrations, there are also many practical benefits that might begin to spike this trend. I’ve offered a few below to couples who may be considering a vision like this.
1. It goes without saying that the larger your guest count, the less focused time you will be able to spend with any one of your guests individually. While large scale weddings certainly provide an opportunity to gather all of your favorite people under one roof, intimate weddings guarantee that you will be able to spend significant and valuable time with all guests in attendance. My wife and I planned what might be considered a “mid-size” wedding with just over 100 guests in attendance, and even at that size we were struck by how difficult it was to find time to interact with all of our guests.
2. With fewer guests to feed, less hotels to book, smaller spaces to decorate—micro weddings offer the opportunity to invest your budget in the elements of your day that matter most. Instead of opting for simple elements that can be spread thin for a large wedding, you may now in fact be able to indulge in certain ways with a small guest count. Perhaps you had previously needed to opt for a budget-meal that could be scaled to feed 200 guests. Suddenly you can offer a wonderfully thoughtful and deeply memorable dining experience. What was previously a simple floral arrangement on 50 tables can now be concentrated into a wonderfully unique centerpiece or arbor. The list goes on.
3. If you’re anything like my wife and I—you’ve probably had several “wow, it would be awesome to get married here” moments in the process of planning your wedding, only to identify some logistical issue that makes that location impractical for your guests. By reducing your guest count, you’ve suddenly dramatically expanded your venue possibilities. Everything from backyards to mountain tops to restaurants to public parks may suddenly be a viable option in a way that they weren’t previously. Not only does this expand your options for location, it can also dramatically lower (or even eliminate) your site rental costs. If you choose to still opt for a traditional venue for a small-scale celebration in order to utilize their experienced coordination and facilities, consider planning a mid-week celebration to take advantage of lower costs and increased calendar flexibility.
4. Wedding vendors are equally motivated to adapt their services to fit the growing need for small-scale celebrations. This means that you have a unique opportunity to join creative forces with an adaptive group of professionals eager to create an amazing experience regardless of size. As one wonderful example, my wife Molly works with an exceptionally creative group of women at Chive Events in Beverly, MA who are quickly innovating their sustainability-focused approach to events in order to translate beautifully to any scale of celebration. As a photographer, small events suddenly offer a wildly flexible platform to create legacy images in places or circumstances that would just not be practical during a traditional wedding day. Maybe you choose to exchange vows at sunrise with only each other, followed by a backyard celebration at your childhood home. Maybe I meet you at an amazing airbnb-turned-micro-wedding venue. Maybe I cheers alongside your 10 closest friends as you’re toasted at your favorite bar—who knows. My point is—let your imagination run wild, and know that there are vendors who want to do the same.