Is It Time To Consider A ‘Micro Wedding’?
With the worry of restrictions still being in place and all the uncertainty with weddings throughout 2021 you may be one of the couples debating a ‘mirco wedding’ too.
I even helped contribute towards a great wedding blog post on English Wedding about the ‘married now, party later’ revolution we’re seeing.
With the focus being on the ceremony and a smaller guest list this could be the perfect option for you if you like the idea of forgoing all the typical wedding traditions and potential pressure of a ‘big’ day.
I could tell you all about why I feel smaller micro weddings work so well, not just during the Covid pandemic but generally too.
I could tell you what I personally love about smaller, more intimate wedding days and what I feel makes them special.
But do you know what I feel you’ll love more?
Real words from two couples who were married during the tightest tier restrictions in the UK. Despite the constant uncertainty they knew that they would be celebrating their love with their closest family in a smaller wedding day regardless.
Real Couples, Real Experiences From Their Micro Weddings
So, fancy hearing what they had to say about their own micro wedding and why they feel it was the best decision they made…?
Then let me introduce Jess and Jamal who were married before Chistmas in Preston, Lancashire. Along with Katie and Dayne who had their legal ceremony in Southport before sneaking off for an intimate hand fasting by the river in Clitheroe, Lancashire…
I’m curious, have there been any moments in particular that you were glad you had your wedding ‘day’ and had it filmed?
“The intimacy of it all, the guests we invited were all so special to us because we had to reduce the number, so the ‘screen time’, if you would, be more on those people, Jamal and I instead of brief shots of 50-100 other guests where you don’t get to take it all in and reflect clearly.
A few people who have seen the video commented that it didn’t even look like a ‘lockdown’ wedding, even though all the safety measures were met on the day.
So glad we opted for film Jamal getting ready! Some really great shots of his family and moments that we can both now share instead of just all on ‘the bride’…having the different angles from the ceremony and outside too has captured way more than we imagined.
I know I messaged about this, but my brother being unable to attend due to living in Spain meant having to rely on technology, so him seeing the video from you inspired him to create his own mini highlights edited video on Xmas day of his family.
He got to see all the bits he wasn’t able to be there for so that meant a lot being able to share that with him and inspiring him to dabble in videography!”
Jess and Jamal
Before you finally got to marry, what was your biggest concern about getting married with all the restrictions? Did that thing actually happen? If not, what happened instead?
“Biggest concern was feeling on edge about ‘social distancing’ and everyone feeling safe/comfortable to attend with everything going on.
This didn’t even cross my mind on the day! Everyone was so understanding and respectful.
It was a lot more relaxed than I had anticipated and we made the most of everything we were able to do.
Luckily the weather was on our side considering the time of year so managed to make the most of that too.
We arranged a socially distanced ‘street gathering’ outside my mum’s house for people to see me off and family then attended the venue and waited outside to throw confetti.
Although it was a ‘short day’, people were understanding of the circumstances.”
Jess and Jamal
Wedding Worries, Postponements and Cancellations
“Our biggest worry was the wedding being cancelled days before hand. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and we were able to get married.
Other then that, I was worried about it being really quiet and miserable with not many guests and everyone wearing masks.
It was the complete opposite to be honest, everyone was just so happy that we had chosen to put getting married before having a big party and were over the moon to celebrate with us. ”
Katie and Dayne
What was your favourite part of your micro wedding? and why?
“Getting to spend quality time with each other!
I can imagine much bigger weddings can get a bit chaotic speaking to all the guests but with having a reduced number, we were able to actually get time together intermittently to take it all in and enjoy the moment…which was then captured by you as we barely even noticed you were there for those bits.
Especially when Sarah was doing the formal shots, it’s a lot of people standing around waiting, so having you and Paul to capture those candid moments was great, especially with my brother on the iPad!
Jamal’s favourite part is he liked all of it (typical man response) then after some thought and me pressing, he said me walking down the aisle.
Again typical man response so I’m not asking his involvement anymore haha!”
Jess and Jamal
Micro Weddings Can Be More Personal…
“Dayne’s favourite bit was signing the register, as at the point it ‘was done’ (isn’t he romantic).
Mine was afterwards, spending time just the two of us, having photos taken and being able to enjoy our first moments as husband and wife, especially having fun scrambling down river banks and saying our personal vows by the water.
It was peaceful and intimate and all about us. “
Katie and Dayne
Is Wedding Videography Worth It For A Smaller Wedding?
If you were to tell your best friend about your ‘pandemic’ wedding and having it filmed, what would you say?
“Best decision we made.
We didn’t originally intend on having the bigger wedding filmed, but decided that we could use the extra savings we didn’t spend on the Reception to have footage to keep forever.
We’ve watched it easily over 50 times already and have the biggest smiles on our faces every time.
Without a doubt I would recommend getting a wedding filmed, the memories are priceless and I think having so many conversations with you in the run up and being so honest and transparent meant that you were able to capture the details and things that don’t mean much to anyone else, but a lot to us!”
Jess and Jamal
Wedding Videography For Smaller Weddings
“Best decision ever.
Even with all the hundreds of decisions we made throughout the course of planning our wedding, I can honestly say the decision to just cancel all our plans and go for our intimate registry office wedding, followed by a private hand fasting, was the best thing we did.
We celebrated with our immediate family, got married and the focus was on becoming husband and wife. It was perfect.
Having it filmed wasn’t initially on our list of ‘must haves’ but I’m so so glad we did it as all the little details we wouldn’t of caught ourselves, were captured on the video, the little smiles, waves from family and friends, just everything.
It is absolutely beautiful and such a lovely way to remember our day. Well worth the cost! Plus, it didn’t feel awkward at all, didn’t feel like we were being filmed at all. “
Katie and Dayne
A Smaller Micro Wedding or A Big Wedding..?
After hearing from couples who made the decision to have a smaller wedding day and to forget the original plans for a big, ‘traditional’ wedding, I wonder if it’s helped you make up your mind?
From listening to couples over the last 11 years and even my own experience of our wedding planning back in 2009 I know a lot of the pressure comes from other people trying to ‘encourage’ their views and wishes on to your wedding plans.
I wonder if this would be the perfect opportunity to avoid those sort of conversations and make it about the two of you again?
There is no right and wrong right now, only what feels right for you.
So when it comes to downsizing and having a micro wedding or postponing and waiting out the restrictions, do it for you and what you want from your wedding day!
Do You Still Need A Wedding Videographer..?
I hope you enjoyed hearing from real couples and their own experiences of a smaller ‘micro’ wedding and it’s help you with your own decision too.
The wedding industry has had to adapt with the changes in the wedding world. Although I do offer my super popular packages for ‘traditional’ or ‘typical’ full day weddings I do love helping couples create more bespoke packages.
So if you’ve got plans to downsize and fancy capturing a shorter wedding, or maybe you feel you only need one videographer to capture a few hours then I’d love to hear them and we can chat ideas to create the perfect wedding videography package for you.
If you happen to be looking for a wedding videographer to capture your wedding (big or small) then do take a look around my website and see if you like my style of wedding videography. If you do (yey) then I’d love to hear more about your day….
