The micro-wedding trend is still on the rise, with Brides deeming small weddings its third top trend in the wedding industry in 2022. The penchant for intimate affairs surrounded by family and friends makes sense considering the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and the isolation and distance it imposed for family members living in different states or countries. If you are planning your own small event, take the following tips in mind so that you stay on budget, design a visually aesthetic event, and feed your guests a meal that is filled with appealing flavors and textures.
What Does a Small Wedding Cost?
Crunching numbers and creating a budget is one of the most important components of planning an event. The average cost for a wedding with a guest list of 50 is approximately $8,550, compared to around $28,000 for an average-sized wedding. The main costs of a small wedding arise from the reception venue (budget around $4,000 for this expense), food (around $35 to $50 per person), wedding attire (between $500 and $1,000), stocking your own bar (around $750), photography (around $1,000), and music (if you rent a speaker and other equipment, expect to pay around $250). Try to identify which of these areas you can spend less on, so you have a little extra for wedding favours, a photo booth, a donut wall, and other decorative and fun features your guests will enjoy.
Selecting Your Venue
Small weddings are particularly suited to outdoor, boho-chic wedding styles, which are so in vogue this year. Whether you have a caterer or someone in the family will be preparing a buffet or grilled meal for your guests, you can save on venue costs choosing the beach or the woods for your event. Check the regulations in your area first, as some beaches may require you to obtain a permit to hold an event on the shore. Once you are given the go-ahead, you will need to budget in table and chair rentals. You can also enlist the help of family and friends to create a beautiful arch with flowers and wild grasses, beneath which you can exchange vows. If you will also be dining outdoors, then you will need to factor in the cost of renting out outdoor tents, shade sails, and other equipment that will keep guests comfortable.
Making it Sustainable
Even small weddings can be a burden on the environment. The average wedding (with around 200 guests) in the US, for instance, has a carbon footprint of approximately 63 metric tons of carbon, with guests’ travel alone generating over 40 tons of carbon emissions. Although your wedding’s footprint will be around a quarter of that size, there are further steps you can take to be kind to the planet. These include staying local (avoiding destination weddings), using potted flowers instead of cut, imported ones, recycling wedding attire (for brides, grooms, bridesmaids, and best men), and serving plant-based cuisine (since meat is a big contributor to CO2 emissions). Micro-weddings are trending at a time in which togetherness is gaining the battle against materialism. To ensure your wedding goes to plan, create a tight budget and see if you can reduce costs by wearing vintage or recycled attire, serving a plant-based meal, and celebrating outdoors. All these moves will also ensure your wedding is more sustainable, so it will be a win-win situation for you, your guests, and the Planet.