How to Plan a Microwedding During Covid-19
If you’re reading this, chances are you are one of the thousands of couples whose wedding plans were affected by Covid-19. Planning one wedding is stressful enough - and now to scramble and reorganize a totally different, smaller wedding than you had envisioned, can be really overwhelming. Below are a few tips and tricks to help you plan a microwedding.
What is a microwedding?
A microwedding is a smaller wedding with up to 50 guests. The guests will typically be your closest family and friends. This differs from an elopement, which is just you two and a witness, and sometimes performed in secret. A microwedding is a blend between your average large wedding celebration and an elopement. It’s essentially a scaled down version of a traditional wedding.
Determine budget & guest count
This is the first step to figuring out your plan for your wedding. Do you want an affordable wedding, with just you two eloping somewhere scenic? Or would you rather be surrounded by 40 of your closest family and friends, enjoying a buffet dinner? Once you figure out how many people you want and how much you are willing to spend, your options will be narrowed down significantly.
Pick a location
Where do you want everything to take place? This ties back into the first question - how many people will be there? If it’s a microwedding with friends & family, consider a backyard wedding or an outdoor venue that will be able to accommodate social distancing. If you’re thinking of an elopement, consider making the drive to Yosemite or the Saratoga Hills, and enjoy an intimate ceremony with your love.
When is the wedding?
Selecting a certain time or date will affect how expensive your wedding will be. Choosing a date that is during wedding season (March-October), and/or a weekend date, will be in the highest demand. This higher the demand, the more expensive it will be, and the more difficult it will be to find vendors. If you can, I would highly recommend selecting a date that is less popular, such as a weekday, or a date during “off-season” (November-February). This would be perfect for an elopement, for example.
Also be sure to consider the time of day. Time of day can affect comfort, hair & makeup, outfits, and even how the photos will turn out. I always recommend to hold microweddings or elopements closest to sunset - that way, the hottest part of the day is usually over, and the photos look best closest to golden hour too.
Postpone the reception
One option that most of my couples are opting into due to the pandemic is to have a microwedding or elopement on their original wedding date, and postpone the reception with all of their family and friends until next year. This will help you to stay within your original budget, and keep everyone safe. Plus, you can share the more emotional moments with the people closest to you, and then party and celebrate with everyone on another date.
Keep your guests safe
Be sure to keep your guests’ health in mind when planning your microwedding. Consider seating families together at tables, and leaving enough space for people to socially distance. Another great way to keep guests safe during your wedding is to provide party favors such as hand sanitizer or custom face masks. You can get really creative with this, and include your wedding theme/colors, as well as your names and the date on your party favors. Etsy is a fantastic place to look for wedding favors, such as these personalized hand sanitizer bottles and these custom wedding masks.
I hope that this information was helpful to all of you struggling to reschedule and re-plan your wedding date. I know these times are difficult for everyone, so please don’t hesitate to reach out for more tips or advice! You can reach me via the contact form here, or at laurenweberphoto@gmail.com. Have a beautiful & safe week everyone!