5 Reasons to have a Micro Wedding in Vancouver

COVID-19 has affected all of us in different ways. As a photographer based in Vancouver who has documented beautiful weddings both during and prior to COVID, I’ve found that people are still planning an intimate wedding even years after COVID. If this is something you’re thinking about, it might be helpful to hear first-hand from couples that took this leap and had a smaller wedding either during or prior to COVID, as well as some of their tips that made it a success!

Table of Contents

• Reasons to have a Micro Wedding in Vancouver

  • But first, what is a micro wedding?

  • You’ll save money

  • You’ll spend more time with your guests

  • You’ll enjoy a more relaxed day

  • You’ll make your celebration unique

  • You’ll finally take that big step in building your life together

A micro wedding is just like a regular wedding with all the bells and whistles - the main difference is that it consists of up to 20-50 guests.  Don't get this confused with an elopement, which is typically held in secret and is attended by only the couple, two witnesses and an officiant. An elopement is a quick and simple civil ceremony, whereas a micro wedding is a full day event - just smaller scale.

During and beyond COVID, people have opted to have micro weddings, and with GOOD reasons! In addition to this being a safer option during this time, below are some reasons to have a micro wedding:

Who doesn’t love to save money? With a smaller guest list, you have the option to spend less. And with extra savings, you have wiggle room in your budget that you may not have had with a bigger wedding. This means that you have the option to put some of that money towards a different part of your big day, like your dream wedding photographer, bouquet, decor, or dinner! Alternatively, those savings could be used to start a joint savings account, buy a home together, or enjoy a special honeymoon experience. The options are endless!

“COVID-19 ruined many plans, and unfortunately, we were not immune to its’ wrath. However, my favourite protagonist in one very famous rom-com once said, “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” And we were so ready for the rest of our lives with each other! As such, for our Nikkah ceremony (our Islamic marriage), we planned a very intimate reception dinner with our immediate family and friends, followed by an outdoor vow exchange. Yes, it was very hard to keep it so small - we both come from robust, large, loving Pakistani and Filipino families. Yet, we still talk about how surprised we are at how much we appreciated the beauty of a smaller union. This also helped us put money towards other things - like our planned move to the U.S. and upcoming (socially-distanced, mask-wearing) adventures! We’d still like to have a bigger wedding celebration with a larger venue and our crazy, fun, extended family post-COVID, which just means we’ll get to celebrate twice as much! And we are always ready for a good party.”
TIP: Big, small, extravagant, simple, loud, quiet - ultimately, your wedding day is about you. Like most things, our advice is to always follow your heart (that’s how we ended up together in the first place, after all)! Cherish your special day together, because it really does fly by.

- Onassis & Rida

Narrowing down your guest list is a feat, but comes with a big reward! For some, COVID regulations may be a great excuse to limit the number of guests without offending anyone. You get the chance to invite only your closest and dearest family and friends. This will make for a more intimate and meaningful experience, where you can immerse yourself in the support from your guests and celebrate with them throughout the day. With less people to greet and converse with, you can focus on being present with the people you know and love deeply.

“Although our small wedding took place before COVID, it gave us the chance to spend time with every guest throughout the night, which is quite different from a quick handshake, and thank you. It allowed us to connect with our guests on an intimate level. There might not be any hugging during COVID, but you’ll still get to see the watery eyes and smiles of close friends and family as you celebrate your day. The majority of our guests all knew each other prior to the wedding, which made it feel like a reunion and a fun dinner party! When most of your guests know each other, making conversation isn’t difficult and they likely won’t be stuck at a table with people they don’t know.  We were even able to have most of our guests participate in the tradition of singing Blue Rodeo’s Lost Together, and it’s a memory that we’ll always hold close to our hearts.”
TIP: Quality over quantity, always. Inviting select guests will make your day feel so incredibly special. There are few times in life when you add a new member to your family. Be it birth or weddings, we think that these rare moments should be celebrated – and in this case, a small wedding may be your best (and safest!) option.

- Larsen & Eilish

With less moving parts and pieces to plan, you’re likely to enjoy a more relaxed day. A smaller wedding can often mean less stress and more manageable planning. Of course, you’ll probably still have butterflies in your stomach, and all the beautiful feelings and emotions that come with marrying your best friend, but a micro wedding will minimize some of the extra worries that come with having a bigger wedding.

“Planning our small wedding was less stressful and more manageable in many ways. For one, we got to avoid potentially awkward conversations about the guest list, because we only invited our immediate family and friends. A smaller guest list also meant a smaller venue, which meant more options for less money: We were able to find a space that we wanted without too much trouble or compromise. Finally, if you are having a micro wedding, you are probably only inviting the people closest to you. These may be your best friends, parents and other loved ones, which takes a lot of pressure off the couple to impress guests with a lavish event. Our group hung out together for the whole day, we were able to spend time with each guest, and there was no real concern about trying to keep people entertained. In the end, all our guests attended to celebrate a special day with people that they care about. Having a small wedding simply meant that we could maximize our time with our guests.”
TIP: We caution against sending out early invitations to potential guests in case you decide to change your mind, as this is something that we experienced. We also recommend keeping in mind the reasons why you are having a small wedding, and plan around that - besides the mandatory number of guests set by COVID safety protocols, this could be a really special way to have a more intimate celebration.

- Keegan & Hongmi

With fewer guests and potentially extra funds, you have more options to make your wedding celebration especially unique. This could mean having a food truck during cocktail hour, splurging a little more on some unique decor, impressing your guests with a creative menu, playing around with different seating arrangements during the ceremony, having a grand entrance/exit, or simply incorporating a ‘first look’! A micro wedding allows more flexibility for you to make your celebration your own, and ensure that your story is reflected throughout the day – this is how you will truly make your wedding unique.

“What made our small wedding celebration unique for us was sharing it with the most important people in our lives!  Family and tradition is extremely important to us. We wanted to have wedding celebrations that reflected and respected both our cultures. Thus, shortly after getting engaged, we planned a small intimate Nikkah in 2019, with intentions of having a larger celebration in 2020 with more family and friends (which will now take place in 2021!). As we didn’t have to plan around COVID, our Nikkah took place in a mosque in front of our closest friends and family, followed by a small reception with about 80 people in a party room. We never thought having an intimate event would be so perfect! We were able to interact and have a good time with all our guests, and share laughs and photos with our best friends and new families!”
TIP: Don’t hesitate about having a micro wedding - you won’t regret it! All the most important people that matter in your life will be there to share the intimate moments and love! 

- Hammad & Melanie

With all the uncertainties that come with the pandemic, it’s sometimes important to pursue the opportunities and life events that we can control (safely!), which in this case, is the celebration of love itself. Couples have expressed to me that they simply cannot wait until next year or the year after to start building their lives together. Some have needed to buy a home together, but face challenges doing so without being married, while others have needed a spousal visa to reunite and live together.

“Two weeks prior to our initial wedding date, we felt sadness and regret about postponing the next chapter of our lives. So, we quickly decided to go ahead and get married on our initial date. It was difficult to decide who’d be attending due to COVID guidelines. We weren’t able to have all our vendors attend due to the restrictions, but we were certain on having Oliver there to document everything. Having a micro wedding made our experience incredibly intimate and enjoyable. We were able to share the most important chapter of our lives with the people we love the most, and with much more ease and relaxation. In hindsight, our COVID wedding might have been a blessing in disguise. We are still hopeful some restrictions may be lifted next year, which will give us the opportunity to celebrate a traditional Indian wedding with all our friends, family and vendors.”
TIP: To all the couples who may be on the fence about their wedding plans, we highly recommend celebrating your special day with a smaller party. You could even live stream the event with friends and family abroad! Live in the moment, because what tomorrow holds is uncertain.

- Anu & Daman

Regardless of what your unique circumstances may be at this moment, not having the big wedding that you’ve always dreamed about may not be so bad after all. With all that micro weddings have to offer, we must take advantage of the opportunities we have at hand. And if you decide to go that route and are looking for a wedding photographer with a love for small weddings, know that I will do my best to document long-lasting memories for madly in love couples like yourselves.