Back in December 2019...
a gorgeous couple planned the perfect, last-minute Micro Wedding at The Grand Hotel in York. The lovely Zena & Rob contacted me only a few short weeks before, and when I showed up on the day, they completely blew my mind with what an intimate & stylish wedding they had pulled together in such a short space of time!
The Grand Hotel, York
Zena & Rob picked an absolute stunner of a venue - the wonderful Grand Hotel, right in the heart of York. Now i'm completely biased as I am the Hotel's preferred &officially recommended Wedding Photographer, but this is a proper gem! Situated slap-bang in the middle of York, just a stone's throw from the railways station and overlooking the city's Bar Walls, this is a historic building in it's own right. The Grand used to be the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway, and as it was built over century ago, it is a beautiful building with tonnes of architectural charm. It's also a versatile venue, with two rooms available for ceremonies. With less than 15 guests, Zena & Rob opted for an intimate ceremony in the smaller of the two rooms. Due to just how 'Grand' (see what I did there?!) the rooms are, they actually need very little decorating and look beautiful in their own right!
The Details
This was a short & sweet wedding, with the length of the celebrations not taking away from the amount of thought & detail that was put into every aspect of the planning. In one of my favourite photos of all time (and I don't say that lightly!), Zena looked absolutely stunning when she took her first steps down the aisle. The dress was an absolute show-stopper - simple but stylish, with understated detail coming from the ruffled shoulders, and perfectly complimented by a seasonal winter-inspired bouquet from Dutch Nurseries.
Planning a Micro Wedding
Although Micro Weddings started to see a surge in popularity last year, this wedding was planned just a couple of months before Coronavirus swept the world. This is purely speculation, but I have a hunch that Micro Weddings and Elopements are going to surge in popularity, especially in 2021! So here are my top tips for planning a Micro Wedding!
- Keep your guest list small - close friends & family only! The definition of a Micro Wedding differs depending on where you look, but to me a Micro Wedding is anything bigger than elopement, up to around 35 guests. When planning my own wedding, I realised one of the most substantial costs were the 'pre-head' fees (such as for venues & catering), and keeping your guest numbers down is a great way to keep your costs lower.
- Think about the structure of your day! - There's no reason why you can't have an all-day Micro Wedding, but with less people there, things can happen quicker than at a bigger wedding. So carefully think about the structure of your day, to make sure you spend time doing the things that you really enjoy!
- Don't forget about the details - A Micro Wedding is less about a huge celebration and party, and more about a carefully curated day of celebration with your nearest & dearest. It's a perfect opportunity to make the details a centrepiece of your day. For example, Zena & Rob put a lot of thought & effort into the gifts for their guests, with my personal favourites being a gin botanicals box for the grown ups, and customised Nutella jars for the kids!
- Pick the right venue - You don't want to end up with a venue that's too big! Carefully select your venue with your guest numbers in mind, too small and you'll feel crammed in, but too big and your venue will feel empty - which will kill the atmosphere! Thankfully, venues are starting to catch on to the Micro Wedding trend, and like The Grand, are offering smaller spaces to suit a wider range of celebrations.