Micro weddings can be the most spectacular celebrations of all, allowing you to immerse yourself into the beginning of married life full of intimacy with your handpicked chosen few.

At Wedinspire we are very much advocates of micro weddings with founders Mike & Charlotte opting for a destination micro wedding over four years ago and we certainly envisage their popularity growing not only due to current situations but with couples requirements shifting.

Plan the Perfect Micro Wedding

There really is a whole host of advantages to micro weddings and whether you’ve always had your heart set on one or current restrictions are somewhat forcing you down this route, don’t stress your day could be more epic then you ever imagined.

We have collated our top tips for the most amazing micro weddings with a little help from trusted industry friends as planning a wedding for under 20 guests is a very different experience to circa 100, there may even be extras or alternatives you haven’t even thought about!

Throw out the rule book!

When it comes to traditions & expectations it’s a lot easier to throw out the rule book when it comes to micro weddings. From timings to top table arrangements, formalities can be looked at in an entirely different way. Imagine a long table full of everyone chatting away instead of smaller multiples and a day where running around to match tight time deadlines is non-existent and instead a relaxed atmosphere takes over with a focus on quality time with friends and family.

Extend your celebrations

Without the logistical nightmare of a large wedding, extending your celebrations with a micro wedding is an easier and enviable option. Experience your celebrations across a whole weekend or week with your intimate guest list, exclusively hire out a whole venue with accommodation, look at nearby experiences and take in local culture, an evening of wine tasting, a game of tennis or an indulgent afternoon tea. These extra memories will be with you for a lifetime.

Choose the right venue

You don’t want to end up celebrating in a vast space which your guests look lost in but you do want an idyllic location with areas for you and your guests to enjoy and spread out if they want. Some venues are currently developing their spaces to suitably accommodate micro weddings and it’s important to understand what these entail but there are also a selection of venues specifically designed just for micro and intimate weddings.

What makes these venues micro wedding specialists you may ask, well we spoke to Emma the proprietor of one of our most desired intimate wedding venue’s, Treseren in Cornwall to get an insight into their world of micro weddings;

“At Treseren, we have grown to know the secret about small, beautiful weddings – those couples choosing to be selective with their guest list can create a really special and magical experience. Choosing a small wedding is a positive choice and doesn’t have to feel like a compromise. We set out to create a really relaxed wedding experience where couples could retreat and enjoy a celebration over a few days, encompassing the wedding day.”

“We have witnessed the joy and the incredible atmosphere that a small wedding creates, with our couples joined by family and friends that mean the most in the world to them. We have witnessed first-hand the real love and sincerity, as well as the fun and laughter that these special, intimate celebrations bring. There’s more time to spend with each person and have meaningful interactions. The day doesn’t have to go past in a whirlwind of hellos, which sometimes is the hallmark of the bigger wedding with friends and relatives that may not have been seen for years.”

“With a smaller wedding, couples can focus on the details – have amazing private dining for example if food is their thing, and ultimately have a really quality experience for themselves and their guests. What’s great about doing things on a micro scale, is that your spend per head can go up, but the overall cost go down.”

Why is Treseren an ideal micro wedding venue?

“We offer beauty, romance and a sense of occasion, albeit on a smaller scale.  Our beautifully elegant and stylish venue offers a special setting to celebrate and create a small wedding with style, where the proportions and atmosphere feel ‘just right’.

The Treseren vibe is relaxed and convivial. We offer a unique blend of five star service, incredible food and great wines in a home from home atmosphere. A three night wedding weekend, or three night mid-week stay are the main-stay of what we do.

Arriving on Friday to home-made cake and tea, we offer a delicious welcome feast, so our couples can gather everybody together and start the weekend as they mean to go on, with great food, wine and atmosphere. Some are bringing their two families together and it’s a chance for everyone to settle in and get to know each other better before the big day.

Private dining at our long table, which seats up to 22 and is set with gold cutlery, is at the heart of the wedding day, and as the light fades, we light the fire pit so everyone can gather with drinks and toast marshmallows. Most couples love the relaxed nature of their weddings and having a day after their wedding day to relax in the house and gardens, or enjoy the local beaches really makes their whole experience.” Emma, Treseren

How to Dress your day

Get creative, personalise your space and remember guest numbers do not represent the amount of decor you should include. By utilising smaller spaces you can focus on filling a concentrated area to create a real wow feature.

What styles are better adapted to micro weddings?

“The destination wedding is made for a Micro Wedding experience – more time together and a mini escape can lend itself beautifully to a small scale celebration. At Treseren, we are lucky with our location on the North Cornish Coast, that our couples can enjoy the stunning coastline and time at the beach the day after their wedding with family and friends.

The relaxed vibe of the bigger festival wedding also translates well to a micro setting. We have a fire pit which we light as the light fades and provide marshmallows for toasting. The atmosphere, with twinkly festoon lights on the terraces as everyone reflects on the day is truly magical.”

How to add a personal touch

“Really, anything goes! We have hosted a garden party with a Great Gatsby vibe, with afternoon tea served on our vintage china with a string quartet playing swing music. Another couple chose to put the mixology skills their friends learnt in lockdown to good use, with a cocktail making station proving to be a popular go to for post-ceremony drinks.

For some, relaxing with a barbecue and playing table tennis on the lawn is the most relaxed way to celebrate. Others love to style things up with a stunning floral arch for their ceremony and bespoke table settings.” Emma, Treseren

Impressive Stationery

Extra special touches are ideal for your intimate wedding day, Amelia of Millie Stone UK Wedding Stationer explained to us what items can really make your day stand out.

“At the moment I am really loving personalised wedding favours, such as trinket dishes, resins, little personalised plates and agate slices. They are a really unique way of doubling up your place cards and wedding favours, and an alternative keepsake for your guests to take away as a lifelong reminder of your special day.”

“My brides and grooms go crazy for my personalised Perspex Signs; they really give the effect of neon but without the price tag! My perspex signs are 1m x 50cm maximum for £85 and all design work is included, so you can really get the look you want! Choosing some lyrics of your first dance, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ (etc) or even a love quote really gives a nice effect. It’s a lovely keepsake from your special day after the wedding!”

Do you think you should include a table plan at your Micro wedding of up to 20 guests or simply use more elaborate place names?

“I think it really depends on the layout of your day; if your drinks reception is in the same area as dining, your guests will have a chance to find their names whilst socialising. However, if there is space, I would always suggest a table plan even for the smallest weddings, because there’s nothing worse than all of your guests hunting for their seats at the same time. Combining your table plan with a welcome sign is also a great idea if you don’t have too many guests to fill up the Foamex board!” Amelia, MillieStoneUK

Stylish wedding cakes

When it comes to micro wedding cakes, small doesn’t mean you can’t have a show-stopper! Creativity is key, think intricate details with splashes of accent colours. Wedding cake maker Sarah of The Cornish Cakery shared with us some of her micro wedding beauties and her thoughts on this type of wedding day.

“Tall single tiered cakes and colour can make a real statement when it comes to micro weddings. You can add fresh florals with gold leaf accents for a simple yet elegant finish or for a more classic look you can add handmade sugar roses to iced cake. If your style is more rustic, edible flower confetti with a raw top cake edge adds a pop of colour and compliments your theme.”

“Micro weddings are so personal and relaxed that the couple can take in every single moment of the day in the comfort of their surroundings, sharing this special day with the closest of family and friends, something which has been highlighted in recent months.

This is why they are so wonderful to be a small part of, ensuring the couple can have a beautiful smaller cake that fits in with their day but can still provide a focal point and then be enjoyed by all.” Sarah, The Cornish Cakery

Source suitable entertainment

Think about the space and environment you will be enjoying on your big day and the best way to entertain your guests. Relaxed garden games and scaled down musical groups such as jazz trio’s, string quartets or even a solo singer are excellent ideas. A full 10-piece band is probably a bit of an overkill!

Photography counts

After all the hard work of planning your special day, capturing your precious moments is vital and your decision to invest in a quality professional wedding photographer will be something you approve of way into the future.

Mark Gawthorne of South West based Evolve Photography gives us his thoughts on micro weddings;

“From a photography perspective micro-weddings are a very different and intimate experience. One of the biggest benefits for a photographer and ergo the couple is the absence of the usual time constraints. I have more time as the couple have less pressure to meet and greet a large number of guests in a concentrated time frame.”

“One thing I avoid at a large wedding is taking the couple away for any extended period, they will have a lot of guests to entertain and so to vanish with their photographer for a few hours seems rude. With a smaller wedding this isn’t so much a consideration and we can even travel to locations outside of their venue to capture unique images that are personal to them without concern for upsetting any of their guests.

Everyone at an intimate wedding is more at ease, even the celebrants I work with are much more amenable, allowing positioning and shots that perhaps they might not be so keen on during a big wedding.” Mark, Evolve Photography

It’s your day

One of the nicest elements of a micro wedding is the intimacy and bonds formed between you and your guests, everyone is there for the two of you without expectations or rigid formalities. Relax, style the way you want and revel in the true meaning of your wedding day- to marry the one you love!