The Difference Between Elopements, Micro Weddings, Minimonies, and Traditional Weddings: Which is right for you?
Gone are the days of cookie cutter weddings—we are in a new era where the possibilities for the day of your nuptials are truly endless. Although there are numerous options today, we’ll cover the 4 most popular wedding types in 2022, their differences, what to consider when planning, and how to choose which one is right for you!
Couples are taking advantage of the ability to curate a wedding day experience and make their own rules for the best day of their new life together. Some want to have a sweet ceremony as a precursor to their wedding in the future with a minimony, others want to elope a bucket list location with their best friends by eloping, people are loving the idea of a scaled down micro wedding where they can splurge, and understandably there are couples that can’t imagine having anything other than a traditional wedding. Now, which type of wedding sounds like you? Let’s figure it out!
4 Types of Weddings
#1 Minimony
Minimony’s are relatively new on the wedding scene as they were born from circumstance. Couples found themselves having to cancel or postpone their weddings due to COVID19, but still wanted to have a commitment ceremony with their partner, while saving the big celebration for a less uncertain time. For many people this was the best of both worlds! They would invite their closest loved ones and make the most of these small-scale celebrations with romantic backyard picnics, intimate candlelit dinners, small brunch garden parties, and simple local outdoor ceremonies.
Guest count: <10
Romantic Florida Keys beach picnic minimony
#2 Elopements
Gone are the days of impulse courthouse weddings and Elvis-inspired Vegas weddings (unless you’re into that kind of thing!). Elopements are beautifully curated experiences that focus only on the things a couple values. This minimal celebration is a blend of traditional and nontraditional elements that they can choose to share with their favorite people or keep all to themselves. Many couples roll their elopement into their honeymoon, by having a destination elopement and staying an extended amount of time.
Guest count: <12
Breathtaking Arkansas adventure elopement
#3 Micro Wedding
A micro wedding is best described as a scaled down version of a traditional wedding. This kind of celebrating is perfect for couples that want to have an intimate celebration and a thoughtful guest experience. This budget-friendly alternative to big weddings means couple’s can invest more in vendors and elements that they truly care about and speak to them as a couple. Many people also choose to have their micro weddings at smaller and more unique venues such as airbnbs, lodges, vineyards, bars, and gardens.
Guest count: <60
Forest inspired Santa Rosa Beach Micro wedding
#4 Traditional Wedding
This needs no real introduction, right? A traditional wedding, although it varies in scale, is larger than any of the other aforementioned weddings. Bigger budget, bigger venue, bigger guest list, and all of the pomp and circumstance your heart desires! This is still an experience that couples can customize to their liking and it’s a celebration that will never go out of style.
Guest count: <250
Sweet summertime outdoor wedding
The Most Important Things to Consider During Wedding Planning
Number of guests
For some people a wedding is all about the big party and everyone coming together and for others it’s about a sacred moment for just the two of them to share. Take away the pressure of who you HAVE to invite; who do you WANT to be there and how do you envision them being a part of your day?
Budget
Budget isn’t the end all be all when deciding what kind of wedding you want to have, but depending on what elements and vendors are really important to you that will really shape your day. Luckily regardless of what kind of wedding you want to have there is a vibrant DIY wedding scene of creative ways to save money in exchange for your time.
Location
Do you imagine saying “I do” on a mountain top, at a vineyard, or in a quiet chapel? More and more couples are utilizing the outdoors and enjoying places like National Parks for their ceremonies, for a less expensive and unique alternative for their wedding day. Guest count and budget will have the biggest impact on your venue options.
Values
Lastly and most importantly, values, what matters the most to you as a couple. Can you not shake the dream of a big fairytale wedding or are you craving something more intimate and unique? If large groups and hustle isn’t your thing, then consider something slower and more intentional with the people that mean the most to you in this world.
Guests, budget, location, and values—all of these are interconnected and some may hold more weight to you than others!
Why Couples are Choosing to Have Smaller Weddings in 2022
Many things came out of the pandemic, one of them being a shift in the wedding industry, where couples wanted to scale down and zoom in on what kind of experience they want to have outside of the traditional ideals, pressures, expectations that come with bigger weddings. When people evaluated and reflected on what is most important to them it resulted in more thoughtful and intimate celebrations. Most vendors and venues have picked up on this shift and now offer services catered to smaller weddings! This has really expanded the options available to brides and grooms to create a very tailored experience.
Planning the Perfect Wedding
Ultimately, there is no wrong answer when choosing what type of wedding to have. It’s all about having a joyful experience that reflects you two as a couple and creating memories that’ll last a lifetime. Your wedding day can be whatever you want it to be from the style to who’s in attendance! I’d love to hear what your vision is and capture it for you so you can relive the day time and time again.
