With all the new restrictions and recommendations, we thought we’d put together a how-to on hosting an incredible micro wedding. You’ve had a dream wedding ceremony and reception, maybe you had invited 250 people, your special day is something you’ve looked forward to for a year. And now things are changing everything… That doesn’t mean you can’t have a dream wedding, something that you’ll remember for your entire life with fond, beautiful memories.

Who do you invite and how do you tell folks you’re having a micro wedding in St. Louis?

This is where most couples are struggling to make a decision. How do you tell tons of people that they can no longer come to your wedding day? This is a huge challenge, and such an uncomfortable spot to be put in. That said, there are ways to have this conversation that can help make them a little easier.

Send out a letter (you can put it together on Canva) that addresses that you have to change your wedding. Include that this isn’t the first choice or the best possible choice that you’ve wanted to make — you’re being faced with impossible circumstances and your wedding day has to change to ensure the safety of your community as a whole. You can also include that you want to celebrate your wedding day with everyone who was originally invited and would love to make plans to do so.

Get an email list for all of your wedding guests. You can share your wedding gallery through MailChimp and any other updates to your wedding day by using MailChimp to send out notices to the group. Using Mailchimp, you won’t have to make 250 individual emails but rather send a bulk email notifying your guests of the changes to come, later the gallery from your photographer and video link from your videographer.

You can break down your Audience on MailChimp into tags, smaller groups. Break down your main audience into your immediate family, wedding party, and folks that are and are not going to be able to come to your micro wedding.

Don’t be afraid to not invite parts of your wedding party if the group is too large and you have too many family members that need to be there. Really ruminate on who absolutely must be at your micro wedding. This will be a unique wedding to what you had dreamed of but there are many ways to include everyone that cannot be at the wedding venue in St. Louis for this new wedding. If they have to travel, or they’re not someone that you absolutely adore and want at your intimate weddings then think about if it’d be ok for them to see it on Zoom or just through video/photos.

Now that you have that set up, put together the heartfelt email for your guests that can no longer come to your micro wedding in St. Louis. Include that this is out of your hands, that this isn’t the dream wedding you’ve been looking forward to, that your wedding photos and videos will be sent out after your wedding, and that everyone is encouraged to plan a time to celebrate with you two separately.

Do you send out new invites to your micro-wedding?

Absolutely! It’s so easy these days to pull something together on Canva to send out via just even that MailChimp tag you made earlier for your micro wedding. I would also send something out at the same time to your tag for folks that aren’t going to be able to make it to your micro wedding talking about how much you appreciate them, and wish they could be a part of your dream day. Mention how you’re so looking forward to being able to safety celebrate with each of them soon.

That same PDF you make on Canva you could send off to VistaPrint or Snapfish and have printed and mailed to all of your close friends and family.

On to your vendors…

Your already-paid for wedding vendors are who is going to help decide the new date for your big bash, but they may also not be able to participate in your micro-wedding on your original date. If the restrictions are preventing certain vendors from actually attending here are a few ways to bring them into your wedding:

— Check in with your photographer to see if they can either photograph your outdoor wedding, or virtually capture your ceremony via Zoom/Facebook Live. There’s a number of tutorials for this, one really helpful tutorial is from Tia Nash (it’s more about photographing virtual sessions but the knowledge is absolutely applicable to virtual wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions).

— Check in with the event spaces that you had originally booked with to see if the businesses are offering options for micro-weddings. Some have outdoor patios and other outdoor locations for weddings that can follow CDC guidelines.

— Check in with your videographer to see if they can either video onsite at your micro-wedding or do so, again, virtually.

— Dj’s have been offering digital services recently. This is a great opportunity to involve your entire guest list in something fun. See if the DJ would be willing to host a short wedding party for you virtually where all of your guests can jump into the fun. There may not be a dance floor, but you can certainly celebrate snuggled up on the couch with a nice cocktail.

— Your florist can potentially still provide a bouquet for you depending on some of the restrictions, reach out! Shoot them an email and talk about how excited you are for the flowers on your wedding day and that you’d love to use a bouquet from them during your micro-wedding.

— Your officiant can potentially still perform your wedding. In some cases, officiants have been able to work virtually and others are able to be at the wedding. In St. Louis, Missouri, officiants are still able to marry folks as long as everyone is following social distancing guidelines.

Get a little bougie during your micro wedding

Your micro-wedding should be happy, and feel GOOD! What can you do for the decor, dress, and all the other parts of your micro-wedding to make it feel a little more you. Can you up the decor in the historical buildings you’re hosting your wedding in? Can you get your guests something a little extra for coming? What can you do to really invest in your day?

Your Micro-Wedding in St. Louis

We hope this blog post got you thinking about how to have a micro-wedding within the guidelines of the CDC and our local and state governments. This is a chaotic time and regardless, you deserve the day of your dreams. Go out and have it.

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