Happy Sunday! Here is a little Sunday morning story time from our Owner Lauren, on her own Micro Wedding experience last summer, and what led her and her husband to picking this style of ceremony and celebration.
If you're currently planning your wedding, you're probably familiar with the stress and anxiety that can come with it. As a newly engaged couple, we were no exception. There are a lot of things that come into play when planning your wedding and are unique to you, like family dynamics, finances, timeline for things that may be out of your control, etc. In the end we decided to have an intimate micro wedding with only 14 of our closest friends and family members, with the plan to host a large anniversary party in the future for our original guest list of 180. It turned out to be the perfect decision for us!
Now we are doing something slightly less traditional in that we will be hosting an anniversary party in the coming year or two, to invite our friends and family to celebrate at a large lake venue. But for this time, we chose a micro wedding for a few key reasons...
Firstly, we didn’t want to wait to get married, we were engaged in December 2022, and been together since May 2015. We also have had a lot of life changes this past year, have moved into our first home together, and have had family health changes. Finances played a big role in the decision too, as our initial guest list started to creep up to the 200 person mark (our work lives bring in big amounts of people, and our families are very very big to say the least lol (hello 113 aunts, uncles, cousins, significant others, children, grandparents….). With those big life moments happening, we knew it wouldn’t be realistic to host our friends and family in the way we knew we would want to, so we decided to hold off on that.
Secondly, I really wanted to elope personally, because at first, with my anxiety around the day and how I thought others would perceive (or judge it), I thought sharing my most intimate moment with my future husband would be better off just me and him. But I realized throughout the process with Cam, that I had fears that really were not realistic in a sense!
No one was going to judge any part of the day from our family, because they were all just so happy to see us getting married. That changed my mind on the elopement, but I still was thinking a lot about having an adventurous wedding. We bounced the idea of Hawaii, Vancouver island, California and Portland all around. But ultimately we landed on Harrison Hot Springs, BC.
Lastly, I knew I wanted an English Country Garden Party inspired wedding for this first one (which I didn't even realize was going to start trending this year with bud vases and simple cozy decor!). The quaint and intimate nature of a micro wedding led us to this beautiful theme, with everything from our invitations, to the bud vase and earthy nature of our table settings, to Cameron and my rather simple outfits. It was special, once again quaint, and matched this whole idea of slow living and being in the moment that harmoniously matched the English Countryside lifestyle and our dream for how the day would feel.
The venue types I came across perfectly matched our low guest count, and when we made a tough last minute decision to change venues less than one week out from the wedding, we were handed a beautiful and serene flower garden venue in Chilliwack, BC that I always say was sent from a greater power just for us. And of course being a planner and coordinator myself, we couldn’t have a perfectly smooth lead up to the event I knew lol.
The joy of being in the moment for those few hours in that garden, and truly feeling disconnected from the outside world, but so connected to that small circle of people around me meant more than words to me.
Despite facing multiple roadblocks, like wild fires making for bad breathing conditions in the Fraser Valley and having to change our venue one week out from the wedding, we didn't let it ruin our special day. Instead, we embraced the changes and ended up having the most wonderful afternoon in the new flower garden venue, surrounded by thousands of flowers, lush grass, and a delicious charcuterie lunch snack in Chilliwack, BC.
Our micro wedding was part of a full wedding weekend in Harrison Lake at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort with family and friends from four provinces. We had gone to a separate venue for our reception to a Greek restaurant for supper later in the day, and spent a lot of the weekend in the hot springs. It was a great time to catch up with our loved ones and enjoy each other's company.
I DIY'd all of the flowers in our room the night before and we DIYd all the food as well at the ceremony, and even though there were some things forgotten (like our personalized welcome cards for each guest's seat at the table, and our cake knife), it was beyond perfect. We were surrounded by love and laughter, and that's all that mattered.
If you're considering having a micro wedding, we highly recommend it. It allowed us to focus on what truly mattered - each other. We were able to spend quality time with our guests and create unforgettable memories. Plus, it was a lot less stressful and more cost-effective than a traditional wedding.
Of course, every couple's situation is different, and a micro wedding might not be the right choice for everyone. However, we believe that it's worth considering! It's a great way to have an intimate and meaningful celebration with your closest friends and family members! (Especially if you find the idea of socializing with dozens of people at once overwhelming like I do lol).
In conclusion, our intimate micro wedding was a truly special experience. It was filled with joy, love, and laughter, and we wouldn't change a thing. If you're thinking about having a micro wedding, we hope our story has inspired you to take the leap and create your own perfect day. Remember, it's not about the size of your wedding, but the love and happiness that surrounds it!
Warm wishes and see you next Sunday!
Lauren
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