Elopements & micro weddings
The new normal. Are you sick of hearing this yet?
It’s been a tough year for all of us. And it’s been a disappointing year for all those couples who had planned to get married this year and then had to postpone, and then postpone again.
I’ve had couples ask me if they can postpone to 2022 in the hopes that by then things will be ‘back to normal’ and they can have the wedding they dreamed of. I get it. All the planning and imagining what your wedding will look like. It’s hard to let go of that.
I too have resisted changing the way I work. I’ve been admiring all the amazing wedding vendors and small biz peeps out there who are pivoting their businesses and creating something new. But I’ve stuck to what I do best. Until now. Yep it’s time to diversify! Instead of having a minimum spend and not accepting small jobs, I will now be offering small elopement packages (I hate the word package but stick with me.) I will also be offering some DIY options soon, so stay tuned.
Here in regional Victoria (I recently relocated to Geelong) things are moving out of lockdown quicker than Melbourne and elopements and mini weddings are now a thing - yay!
And good news for Melbourne - weddings are back on! As I write this, weddings of 5 people have just been allowed outdoors (cue elopements). This includes the couple, two witnesses, plus the celebrant. Plus you are allowed to move outside your 5km bubble for the wedding - woo! (Please note, this info is being updated all the time)
If there’s a silver lining to getting married in the time of COVID, it’s that you now have an excuse to break all the rules! And this can be a good thing. Perhaps you’ve been pressured to invite aaaalllll you distant rellies? Or, maybe the pressure of wedding planning has been stressing you out and you’ve been tempted to throw in the towel and elope but didn’t want to disappoint anyone? Well now’s your chance to go wild, throw out the run sheet and decide what matters most to you. Do you want to marry the love of your life ASAP or would you rather hold off until the time is right for a big party? Anything is possible.
So what are the options? When it comes to weddings, you’re only limited by your imagination. Chat to your celebrant and vendors for some inspiration. Or if you’d like to learn more about planning a wedding with more meaning, check out Bride Disrupted and Less Stuff More Meaning for some guidance.
You could choose to elope now on a clifftop somewhere, with just your celebrant, photographer and 2 witnesses and plan to party with everyone later. Or perhaps you could have a mini wedding (just 20 people) and invite your immediate family or closest friends, followed by a fancy dinner party and a weekend away. I could go on...
Down my way on the coast, there are mini weddings kicking off at The Warehouse Geelong (accomodation available upstairs) and Rocklea Farm to name just a couple. There are also some awesome vendors teaming up to bring you Elopements By The Sea and Big Love Elopements who can give you some ideas of interesting locations with killer views.
One of the things that strikes me when I meet with couples, is that they ask me questions such as ‘What are we meant to do?’. This is your day so please do it your way. And while it may be easier to use a template when planning a wedding, now’s a good time to be original and create a day just for the two of you.
I once had a conversation with a bride who was deciding if she wanted to have a throw away bouquet because she thought that was what ‘you were meant to do.’ But when it came down to it and after we chatted about it, she realised that that tradition was not right for her or her guests. Singling out the few single women in the room and asking them compete for a bouquet didn’t sit right with her.
I’m not saying traditions are bad, traditions that are personal to you or your families can be really meaningful. But keep in mind that marriage is an old institution with old traditions. There’s something to be said for sitting down and looking at where they came from, what they mean and if they’re right for you. There are some you may like to keep, like wearing a white dress because it makes you feel special or because you want to wear your mum’s veil. Others, such as walking down an aisle and being given away, may just feel wrong. Treat it like a pick and choose task. Or just ditch them all and create brand new ones!
Another bonus about smaller weddings? Smaller budgets! Maybe this means you save more to splurge on a fun party with a DJ and all your mates later, or maybe you save more for a deposit on a house or an exciting holiday.
When it comes to pricing for flowers, I’ve always steered clear of packages and set price lists, because no two weddings I do are the same, - no cookie cutter weddings here! Also, flower prices change depending on size, style, time of year and varieties of flowers used. Plus I just like to think when it comes to weddings, that one size doesn’t fit all.
But now I’ve started to put together price lists for elopements to make the process quick and easy, because wedding planning shouldn’t be a chore and it’s been enough for couples this year as it is! And in the end, flowers change with the seasons, so colours and flowers will be different for each wedding.
So, perhaps now’s a good time to think about what you really need to make your day special. Who are the people you want to include? What’s a place that’s special to you and of course which flowers would you like to include! Happy wedding/elopement planning!
Also if you’re interested in a price list for elopements or micro weddings - get in touch!