EP|4 The Small Wedding Dictionary
The wedding industry is going through a big shift right now and frankly, it is time. Weddings in most cultures have looked the same for generations of couples. But that is starting to change. The modern couple is ready to have more choices on how they tie the knot and now more than ever we are realizing that the “one-size fits all wedding”, doesn’t work for everyone. So what does that mean for you as a wedding pro? Well, it means that we have to adapt and learn some new things. And today I am going to share some new wedding terms that have become popular in recent years, but you might not know exactly what they mean or realize how they are redefining what it means to tie the knot. Let’s dive into the small wedding dictionary …
The world has changed a lot since our parents have gotten married, but in reality weddings have’nt actually changed that much - sure the wedding styles have changed, but not many of the expectations or traditions. You still have a big guest list of everyone who is expected to be invited, there is usually a ceremony followed by a hosted dinner reception followed by dancing, cake cutting, toasts and a maybe even a bouquet toss before the big send off. But, there are so many reasons why this might not be a couples ideal wedding experience. Most couples are ready to re-think who they choose to invite ( or not invite ), how much they are expected to spend on their big day, what they need to be doing at their wedding and frankly - everything else that was previously just assumed because “it’s tradition”.
Weddings are huge life milestones, but that also means that they have become more about tradition than personal choice. It is up to wedding vendors to provide our couples with other options and solutions for their big day - after all - we are the experts. And I am happy to say many wedding vendors are stepping up to this challenge! From planners to venues to officiants and photographers - wedding pros are coming up with new and creative ways for their couples to say ‘I do’ and redefining what a typical wedding needs to be.
Small weddings are at the forefront of most of these new wedding formats and that is mainly because small weddings are so much better suited to creativity. Without the expectations of a large group or the logistics, it makes it easier to re-think what a wedding has to look like. So let’s dive into the small wedding dictionary and some of these popular new wedding concepts and their definitions - I bet you have heard of many of these, but might not know exactly what they mean;
The Micro-Wedding:
First up is the micro-wedding, this is one you have heard become very popular lately. A micro-wedding is described as an intimate wedding for up to 50 guests ( you know I would say 30 ) and is essentially a smaller and paired down version of a typical wedding. This is the biggest version of the small weddings and can include some dancing and usually a focus on the decor and having a team of professional vendors.
The Mini-Wedding:
A mini-wedding is a very general term and doesn’t refer to any specific type of wedding, usually it is used by planners to describe their service or it is referring in general to any type of small wedding with less than 40 guests and can range from a proper ceremony and abbreviated reception to a courthouse wedding.
The Tiny Wedding:
A tiny wedding is a small wedding with usually less than 10 guests and with a ceremony only format. These are generally pre-planned packages from venues or planners that include all the elements needed for a ceremony, and then maybe cake and champagne following the ceremony. They are very short and sweet and primarily focused on cost savings.
Pop-Up Wedding;
A pop-up wedding is a wedding package usually for the couple only or maybe a handful of guests, no more than 10. The package includes the ceremony only and there are only a few fixed dates the couple can book. During the course of one day multiple couples will come through the ceremony site at set times to get married at one beautiful set up and use the same set of professional vendors. The couple is left on their own for their post-ceremony plans.
The Minimony:
A minimony is a term for a ceremony-only with a guest count of up to 10 that is really borne from the needs of 2020, and for couples to have their weddings sooner rather than later. It is a simple ceremony with usually just the couple or with a few of their closest family and friends that is more for the act of having a ceremony and with the knowledge that there will be a larger wedding later. There may be a few professional vendors or none at all.
The Elopement Wedding:
An elopement wedding is the term that has been around the longest and can be a wedding with just the couple or up to 30 guests and it can have many different formats, with the main goal being that it is something personalized for the couple and more cost-effective. It can be just the couple doing their ceremony-only at a location with significance to them. Or it can be a destination wedding with 25 of the couples closest friends and family for a weekend of activities and a beautifully decorated ceremony and dinner experience. There is no set format to an elopement wedding and post-ceremony plans can be nonexistent or more traditional. There are generally at least a few professional vendors involved and many times this is some sort of package experience for the couple.
The elopement wedding is the term that I most frequently use and that I think is what most vendors and couples are actually referring to when they say “small wedding, intimate wedding or micro-wedding”. Because of the flexibility of the definition and the non-traditional format, it is the most common.
What I love about all of these wedding concepts is that they are all different and they create options for your couples and give them alternatives to a traditional wedding. and hopefully also inspiration for you and your business. Many of these new wedding terms came about because a vendor got creative about what their couples were asking them for and they designed a solution. These newly defined types of weddings are being used by thousands of wedding vendors around the world in their own unique ways for their couples. For example; take elopement weddings - there are now so many different ways that couples can elope including adventure elopements, luxury elopements, chapel elopements and even drive through elopements! These wedding concepts are like the term “wedding” they are big enough that we can all interpret them a bit differently.
Listening to what your couples want and creating new ways for them to wed is just what the modern wedding market needs - different ways to define a wedding day. Get creative with your business, if you are already doing small weddings, but have a great new wedding concept that you would like to try, don’t wait - I bet your couples would love to see your ideas.
So, if you haven’t yet created a small wedding offer for your couples, this is a good place to start by getting inspiration on what is already popular Oh and I also have a cheat sheet for you called the Small Wedding Dictionary with all of these definitions so if you want to grab that go to elopementpro.com/cheatsheet
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