I know it's been hard to pair down your guest list with the event changes. Each state is different, I think currently in Chicago you can have 25 people at an event. We don't know exactly what the future holds for events, (my last event was Feb 1st, 2020. Exactly a year without weddings!) but if you're deciding to go small, there are definitely some pretty amazing things you can do now, that maybe were out of budget before, or simply too complicated. Just a few of my favorites here:
You can handwrite it, like I did here for a spring planner brunch a few years back, and my favorite option to encourage letters back to you is keep the response card blank. A great tip for any size wedding.
Our love letter wedding invitation shows you how to pen a romantic letter suitable for every guest. Complete with ink splotches, twine and your choice of charm.
Or turn any one of our semi custom invitations into a letter to your guests to say whatever makes sense for your guests. This is Arianna, changed online to look like a letter.
Now you can do EXACTLY what you want. If you were compromising on decor because of budget or availability (nimble well only has 30 of those mint green goblets? -well now that works for you) you can really go big on decor. Create a cozy outdoor tent, go low in the grass, hang that one really amazing floral creation, or just make a beautiful table with custom china, real silver and custom linens.
One my favorite go tos on the web is Ellie Styled. Her instagram stories are a daily source of event inspo.
The main regret I had at my wedding of 120 was I didn't get to connect with all of my guests. Your nerves are high, (I also had a toddler I was keeping an eye on) and there is so much to do, from the cake to the meal to the first dance. A micro wedding can ensure everyone feels like the guest of honor.
Embroider your place cards. At our spring brunch, I asked Linda from Day Street Designs to make linen pockets for each guest which held their menus, a letterpress notebook, and a sprig of eucalyptus. This created a sweet little takeaway made just for them.
Another special idea - choose a poem or family saying or prayer and embroider one line of stanza per napkin, asking everyone to read it before dinner. Photo below by Abby Jiu in collaboration with Anne Book.
For your small ceremony, a way to get everyone involved is to replace a traditional program with customized book jackets for each seat, and ask people to read from it. You can mark their page with a personalized book mark. Photo below and all brunch photos by Julia Franzosa.
Now you can get super decadent. Multi courses, custom cocktails, amuse bouche, sorbet palate cleansers, a roasted pig, a cheese course. Whatever you want!
Either have your favorite restaurant cater it, or ask your caterer to go big and include dishes that have special meaning to you, like that pesto you had in Italy or a mini picnic cheese course to commemorate your first real date.
Boutique Bites served an amazing 5 course menu at our spring brunch. Grapefruit sorbet palate cleanser shown above.
We served bbq tri-tip at our wedding which was a local cut not that well known outside of Santa Barbara at the time, and asked our caterer to make our favorite salad from a local restaurant.
So many fun ideas for them to remember your day: a cocktail kit to remake your signature cocktail, local treats, a book of poems you read in the ceremony. But maybe the most thoughtful to send away is breakfast the next morning. Your caterer can put together a box of treats that includes champagne, cold brew coffee, pain relievers, fruit, and decadent pastries, all wrapped in a linen tea towel embroidered with your new monogram.
This Breakfast Basket can be ordered through Towne & Oak. Check out their new cafe in Winnetka! Photo by Cristina G Photography.
Or send your invite along with a gift and some other details to get them excited for your wedding, like local treats and an itinerary of the weekend.
Happy Cabbage will create any custom gift for your guests to get them excited about celebrating small.
I'm obsessed with Picnics, and think picnic weddings will be in full swing this summer. Check out our post on it and the sweet watercolor crest you can download for free personal use.
Here's a gift we made for a personalized cocktail experience, what a sweet way to get them excited about your wedding, or to toast you from afar. Complete with cocktail recipe.
What are some ways you are making your micro wedding feel bigger?
Here's an image to help you remember!
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