Weddings are big business and planning a wedding often occupies a couple for several years. Weddings in Ireland now cost an average of €29,624 and cater for large numbers of guests, and some couples opt out of the stress altogether and elope for an easy alternative. However, if you want a wedding day but don’t want to spend a fortune and invite everyone you know, it may be time to consider a micro wedding.

A micro wedding is a small, intimate wedding with up to 50 guests, with all the elements of a traditional wedding that you want, but on a smaller scale. This type of wedding is still a feat of planning and organisation, and here at BCH we are on hand to help you find everything you need to ensure your day is perfect for you and your betrothed. Read on for our tips on planning a unique and wonderful micro wedding.

Create a Magical Micro Wedding

Small but perfectly formed. This is the essence of a micro wedding, so you don’t need to forgo all of the little touches that you want to include in your wedding, but it will become an affordable and intimate occasion rather than a big blowout. Creating a day to remember on a smaller scale can be a great way to cut out the unnecessary details and avoid getting bogged down in logistics, and this gives you the opportunity to focus on what really matters.

Here’s how to create a beautiful micro-wedding:

  • Find a venue.

    Planning a micro wedding means you won’t be restricted to large, over-priced wedding venues in order to accommodate hundreds of people you barely know. Making your wedding a small and intimate occasion means you can cut down the guest list to a select group of family and friends you wouldn’t want to be without, and this opens up a great range of venues you would normally not associate with weddings. For example, if you have a favourite restaurant, theatre or gallery, you can enquire about hiring out a space for your special day and you may find that exclusive hire fees for this sort of space are significantly lower than standard wedding venue hire. You may find that you can hold your wedding ceremony at your chosen venue, but many people choose to get married in their church and then move on to another location for their wedding reception. There’s nothing to stop you holding your wedding reception at home or at the home of a loved one, particularly if someone you know has a beautiful garden, so take the time to consider what you really need from a venue and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

  • Focus on food.

    Your wedding is the first day of the rest of your lives in partnership, and this is the purpose of the occasion for you and your spouse. For everyone else, it’s an opportunity for celebration and fun, and food and drink will be a key part of the day. Once again, it’s liberating to realise that you don’t have to be restricted to ‘standard’ wedding options, and your budget will go a lot further with fewer guests to feed! Think about the sort of food you really enjoy and don’t be afraid to go wild – a local pizza restaurant could be a great venue with plenty of food choices for everyone, or you could go for a seafood or bbq theme for a beach or outdoor wedding reception. Find out whether your chosen venue has a bar or whether you will need to supply your own alcohol, and remember that you can hire the glassware, cutlery and crockery you need from BCH to turn any space into a wedding venue.

  • Think about entertainment.

    You may feel that you do not need any entertainment at your micro wedding, but music is often a key element so you may want to include this in your planning. There’s no pressure to choose a typical wedding band, and you could book a local musician or DJ for just part of the evening on your special day. Just take the time to talk about what you and your new spouse will enjoy, and don’t forget that weddings are often long and exhausting!

  • Have fun with your plans.

    Having an intimate wedding means you can play with traditions as you wish, and there’s no need to worry about what your distant cousins will think. You can opt for a fairytale white wedding dress or wear your favourite outfit or even go for a bold fancy dress theme that your friends will love, such as your favourite musical. If you want flowers, find a florist who understands that your day will be a reflection of your unique personalities and can create something special on a small scale. You don’t have to have a big wedding cake and could ask a loved one to bake your favourite cake as their wedding gift to you, but you may also consider choosing your favourite dessert from a local caterer instead. If you want a huge cake, however, you’re free to go all out and can freeze or store any leftover cake, or ask for it to be donated locally to share the love.

 

Small = Beautiful

Having a small wedding means you can pay attention to the details and it won’t break the bank. For example, if you’re inviting 20 people to your wedding, you can create individual invites that reflect your relationship with each guest, and add special touches throughout the day to create meaningful memories. Don’t forget that you’ll want to book a great photographer to capture the essence of your day, or you can ask your friends to take as many photos as possible and share the best ones with you.

Micro weddings are becoming increasingly popular with couples who want to step off the wedding treadmill and create something really unique and meaningful, so don’t be afraid to challenge traditions and design a wedding day that really reflects the two of you. Happy planning!

 

Whether you are having a lavish affair or a small intimate gathering, a marquee in your own garden or a reception in a Hotel, we can help make your wedding original, personal and highly memorable for you and your guests. We can put together a wedding hire package that suits your budget.

See our Wedding Gallery for examples of some recent Weddings that we have been involved in.