You don’t need a big guest list to have the wedding day of your dreams. Meet the micro wedding: These intimate celebrations let you celebrate your love with the most important people in your life, without the stress of planning a larger wedding.

Micro weddings are also a budget-friendly option. Since larger weddings are more expensive, throwing a micro wedding can give you the flexibility to save big, or create an extra-special experience for your guests.

Whether you’re engaged or planning your betrothal, our step-by-step guide will make planning your micro wedding a piece of cake.

What is a Micro Wedding?

Micro weddings are intimate gatherings, typically with 30 or fewer guests. These are not to be confused with elopements, which include only the couple and sometimes a few close family members.

Micro weddings let you open up your celebration to immediate family and close friends, without the price tag of a large wedding. These small weddings offer an opportunity to get creative and truly make your day your own.

Ready to make your intimate wedding dream a reality? Read on for our step-by-step guide to planning your micro wedding.

1. Determine Your Micro Wedding Budget

Your budget is the key to making decisions along your planning journey. Micro weddings cost significantly less than full weddings and can be as affordable as $5,000 or less. The average cost of weddings in 2023 was $35,000, and the average size was 115 guests. (Source: The Knot) Throwing a micro wedding can help you save big, or create flexibility in your budget for an unforgettable event.

Your location also affects how far your budget will stretch. For example, a micro wedding in a Los Angeles or New York venue will cost more than a rural backyard elopement. If you’ve been dreaming of a luxury wedding, a small guest count can make it work for your budget.

When planning your micro wedding budget, consider how many vendors you’d like to have, and which ones you could go without or DIY. The following lists can help you prioritize your budget to bring your big day to life by focusing on what’s the most important to you.

These wedding costs scale with guest count, meaning that micro weddings let you save big:

• Catering

• Cake

• Alcohol

• Table decorations

• Transportation

These wedding costs don’t scale with guest count:

• Venue (though very large venues typically cost more to book)

• Photography/Videography

• Bouquets/boutonnieres

• Bridal arch/chuppah & decorations

• Bridal attire

 • Hair & makeup

• Entertainment

• Honeymoon

Everyone’s big day looks different. But for a starting point when planning your micro wedding, consider investing in catering and photography to satisfy your guests and capture the memories for years to come.

2. Choose Your Wedding's Aesthetic

From summertime soirees to international escapes, the possibilities for your micro wedding’s vibe are as boundless as your love. Consider the location, level of formality, and time of year. You might also want to choose a wedding theme to guide your planning, such as farmhouse chic or garden party.

The sky is the limit when planning a smaller wedding.

3. Find and Book Your Micro Wedding Venue

Planning a micro wedding unlocks a whole new world of venue options outside of the traditional country clubs, hotels, and restaurants. Read on for small wedding venue ideas to consider when planning your nuptials.

National Parks & Public Parks

National parks offer stunning views and an unforgettable atmosphere for nature-loving couples. In your own town or city, parks and other public spaces can provide a convenient escape with lush greenery and local flair. Make sure to check your local guidelines to obtain any necessary permits.

Backyards

A backyard can provide the perfect atmosphere for an intimate event, from family homes to VRBO or Airbnb Wedding Venues. If you’re renting, make sure to check with the host to ensure weddings are allowed.

Private Yachts

Treat your guests to an unforgettable experience on the water by renting a private yacht or other boat for your wedding. 

Restaurants

Celebrate your love with your favorite food. Many restaurants offer private dining rooms for parties, while others may allow you to book the entire establishment.

Boutique Hotels

Small hotels and bed and breakfasts can provide an intimate, romantic setting for your micro wedding. They often have an onsite restaurant for the reception, and your guests may even be able to book their rooms onsite.

Resorts

Domestic and international resorts often offer wedding packages with full accommodations. Bonus: You could extend your stay to double as a honeymoon.

How to Choose Your Micro Wedding Venue Type

Are you itching to plan every wedding day detail, or ready to pass the reins to your venue? Some venues offer all-inclusive micro wedding packages with catering, staff, décor, and more. Others are more barebones, so you can fully customize the day to fit your vision and budget. Consider factors like venue rental fees, amenities, indoor or outdoor wedding, unique locations, and whether you’d like to have room for a dance floor.

Decide on Your Ceremony Location

Choose whether you’d like the ceremony to be at the same location as your reception or different. Many venues allow ceremonies, but you could also say your vows in a courthouse or place or worship before moving to the reception venue. 

Book Your Micro Wedding Date

Once you’ve found the perfect place for your wedding needs and budget, all that’s left to do is book the date! While Saturday is the most popular day for weddings, consider what day of the week will work for your guests. Many venues provide a discount for Fridays, Sundays, or weekdays. 

The right vendors can help you bring your fairytale wedding to life.

4. Find and Book Your Micro Wedding Vendors

Determine what you need for your wedding vs what you want. One of the benefits of micro weddings is that by reducing the guest count, you free up more room in your budget for what matters most to you. Read on for some considerations to keep in mind while choosing vendors for your big day.

Catering

Catering options for micro weddings can range in formality, from casual brunches to cocktail hour and four-course dinner. Whatever you choose, plan to provide a meal for your guests as well as any vendors.

If catering isn’t included in your venue package, you’ve got options. Consider hiring a catering company, ordering catering trays from your favorite restaurant, or booking a food truck for the day. Consider providing alcohol, whether you purchase an open bar package or simply buy wine and beer to serve to your guests.

Make sure to check your venue’s restrictions for catering and alcohol. And don’t forget your wedding cake—if it’s not included in catering, you can purchase your cake through a local bakery or grocery store.

Photography 

Wedding photographers help your big day last forever and preserve memories with the people you love most. You could also hire a videographer or social media content creator to capture your big day. For a budget-friendly wedding photographer option, hire a photographer for just the ceremony instead of the whole day, or ask a camera-savvy guest to take photos.

Hair & Makeup

Make a glam plan. Do you feel your best when you’re pampered by professionals? Some micro wedding brides hire a hair and/or makeup artist, or book a blowout or other salon visit.

If you prefer DIY, visit your local makeup counter to find the best color match for your foundation and get expert product and application recommendations. You can also find expert advice and tutorials for hair and makeup online. Plan a makeup trial to test out your look before the big day, even—and especially—if you’re going the DIY route.

Of course, there’s no obligation to wear makeup or an elaborate hairstyle for your micro wedding. It’s your wedding day—when in doubt, go with the style that feels the most you.

Florals

From boutonnieres and bouquets to full floral arches, decide what décor you need for your big day. A florist can create beautiful custom work to bring your dream to life. Silk floral bouquets and fresh flowers from retailers such as Costco and Trader Joe’s can provide more budget-friendly options.

Entertainment

Do you dream of walking down the aisle to a string trio, or dancing to pop hits all night long? There are entertainments for every budget, from DJs to live musicians to Spotify playlists. Remember to consider both ceremony and reception music when planning your entertainment.

Celebrate your love with your closest friends and family cheering you on.

5. Create a Guest List

When planning smaller-scale weddings, each guest counts. Make a list of the friends and family members who you’d most like to celebrate with.

Consider whether or not to invite plus ones or children. These factors can help you cut down your list. However, if you are inviting a single person who may not know other guests, it is considerate to offer a plus one.

At the end of the day, it’s your wedding. Your family and friends will understand that micro weddings are a truly intimate affair with only your closest people.

6. Create Your Registry and Wedding Website

Creating a wedding website is a great way to keep all the information your guests will need in one place. Include important details like dress code, timeline, RSVP, and directions to the venue.

Your wedding website can also host your wedding registry. If you don’t want physical gifts, cash funds are a great option. You can set them up for guests to contribute to your honeymoon, a down payment on a home, or other important expenses.

7. Invite Your Loved Ones

Most of the planning is done, so now it’s time to invite your guests. Revisit the list you made at the beginning of your wedding planning process and decide if any changes need to be made. Determine if you will invite any children and/or plus ones.

Invitations for micro weddings can be as formal as a stationary suite, or as casual as an evite or text blast. Traditional paper invitations make beautiful keepsakes for years to come. Since micro weddings require fewer invitations, consider making your invitations extra special with wax seals or other bespoke details.

Remember to include an RSVP deadline. Check with your catering provider or venue to determine when they need your final headcount and menu selections.

8. Find Your Micro Wedding Attire

You and your fiancé(e) should look and feel your best on your big day. Decide what level of formality works for your venue and vision: Do you want to feel like royalty in a full ball gown or tuxedo, or something more casual? There are wedding attire options for every budget, from custom designs to dress and suit rentals. Don’t forget about accessories, dress shoes, and bridal lingerie, if desired.

This thin gold stacker wedding band complements the sparkle of the Marquise Jenna engagement ring.

9. Choose Your Wedding Rings

Find wedding bands to accompany your engagement ring and serve as lasting tokens of your love. Consider creating custom pieces as a symbol of your unique love story.

10. Find a Place to Stay During Your Micro Wedding

If you’re getting married out of town, make sure to book a hotel or Airbnb for at least two nights—the night before and after your wedding—so you have a home base during the wedding day. If your wedding is local, consider booking a honeymoon suite to make your wedding night extra special.

11. Plan Your Honeymoon

Whether you’re dreaming of a tropical vacation or a relaxing weekend trip, decide how you’ll celebrate with your new spouse. You might want to book your honeymoon for right after the wedding, or use your registry as a honeymoon fund and book it after the big day is done.

Finishing touches make your big day shine even brighter.

12. Make it Official

No wedding is complete without a little paperwork. Secure your officiant, whether you’re having a religious ceremony or have a friend who’s an ordained minister. Don’t forget to obtain your marriage license.

13. Create a Day-of Micro Wedding Plan

Make a list of everything that needs to happen on your wedding day, from vendor setup to photos to guest arrivals. Don’t skip this step—even the smallest wedding celebrations have many moving parts.

A day-of-coordinator can help make the day run seamlessly, but may only be necessary if you have a lot of vendors or a complicated vision to pull off. You could also assign a friend or family member to be the point person for wedding vendors and guests on the big day.

14. Tie the Knot

You did it—you planned your micro wedding to perfection, and the day you’ve been dreaming of is finally here! Have trust in your vendors and support system and enjoy every moment of your special day with the people you love most.  

Micro weddings let you focus on what’s important: you and your partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to plan a rehearsal dinner for my micro wedding?

If your wedding requires a rehearsal, you should plan to provide dinner for everyone who’s in your wedding. It doesn’t need to be formal: A brief walk-through of the ceremony, followed by pizza and beer, is perfectly acceptable.

Another option is to invite your wedding guests to a celebratory dinner the night before. If your ceremony is very simple, your officiant should be able to guide you through it without a rehearsal.

Do I need a wedding party for my micro wedding?

Wedding parties are optional for micro weddings. Consider the proportion of guests to your wedding party. If you only have ten guests, it might seem odd for half of them to be in the wedding party. You might choose to have only a maid of honor and/or best man, or forgo the wedding party altogether.

Do I need to send save-the-dates for my micro wedding?

One of the perks of planning a micro wedding is that you can forgo sending formal save-the-date cards, if you desire.

How far in advance should I plan my micro wedding?

Micro weddings can often be planned more quickly than large weddings, but not always. Popular venues might be booked six months to a year in advance. For a backyard wedding, you may just need a few months to coordinate vendors and give your guests time to plan. As a rule of thumb, the more elaborate the wedding, the longer the planning period will be.

Dainty details meet classic elegance with the Colbie and Nicole bands.

At the end of the day, your micro wedding is all about you and your partner. Focus on what’s in your control, stay true to your vision and budget, and the rest will fall into place. Remember: Your wedding is only one day, but the memories you make last forever. Celebrate your union with wedding bands to represent your enduring love, because every love story deserves to be celebrated. For more wedding and engagement tips, how to care for your diamonds, and more, visit the Sarah O. blog!