For decades, people have been arranging elopement weddings and small weddings (those are the labels decided on!). However, with all of the damage Covid-19 has wrought on more traditional weddings, there has been a recent surge in the appeal of elopement weddings and private weddings.
Due to the growth, many have seen the emergence of several cutesy new phrases. But what exactly do they imply?! Let’s have a look at everything. At first, we will try to understand what exactly elopement refers to.
What is Elopement?
In the last five years, the concept of elopement has changed, especially as couples increasingly personalise every aspect of their life. Elopements have always been thought to be spontaneous, unplanned occasions involving some kind of secrecy. In today’s elopements, there is still a sense of sweeping romanticism, but couples are going above and beyond to personalise it.
Elopement Packages
The current interpretation of “announcing elopement” has developed over time and now encompasses a larger concept that does not always imply a clandestine or unexpected wedding. People elope for several reasons, and nowadays, elopements are often more meticulously arranged. However, the organisations are receiving requests for elopements the next day (not joking!) and elopements more than two years in the future (also not exaggerating!).
The definition of elopements has evolved over the years. Couples now define elopements, including the pair and upwards of 12 visitors! Most of our couples will incorporate an element of adventure. Still, an engagement does not have to be imaginative.
Do what feels natural for you and your spouse, whether at a local park, a courtroom, an apartment, or your family’s garden. Some elopement couples want a wedding and photographs, but most prefer to share a modest picnic or supper. The benefit of an elopement wedding (and other minor marriages) is that you have more freedom to do anything you want. And the reason is simple! There are fewer people who will tell you what to do or how to do it!
Petite Marriage
The Petite Destination Wedding plan includes 25 attendees. The VIPs are mainly intimate family members and personal friends! Individuals that opt for a small wedding usually have a ceremony and a celebration, and they can pick and choose which elopement photography package and aspects they want to include.
With an engagement party, you can lavish attention on the individuals who matter most to you (something you might not be able to accomplish with 200 attendees) and create a more personalisation! For most smaller weddings, the price per visitor is more than that for larger weddings.
Mini Marriage
A “Mini Marriage” is the same as an evening event, and it can be for up to 50 guests (depending on which marriage theme you follow or which organiser you contact).
A modest wedding is one with less than 25 attendees. However, once people exceed that number, it becomes more challenging with respect to a number of things. For instance, to find Guesthouses to host the ceremony, to obtain licences for national park weddings, for anyone to fit accommodations in the vehicle, etc. Hence, the practicalities become almost the same as a “comprehensive” marriage.
Minimony
The recently developed phrase “minimony” (aka mini-ceremony) in reaction to Covid-19 has been stealing the show lately. We’ve been dubbing their destination wedding, but in any case, they’re intimate weddings followed by an enormous banquet!
Now, Minimony can have up to 10 guests. However, this varies from organiser to plan. Minimonies are the best when you’ve had to delay your preparations and still want to get wedded on your intended date and rejoice with your entire family! Some of our spouses have purposefully opted to divide the two halves of the day!
Parallel Wedding
Also known as the “Prequel series Wedding,” a Parallel Wedding is a wedding that has been postponed or delayed. Most newlyweds will greet their friends with beverages and appetisers, share images and perhaps a video from their Minimony, eat dinner (or not), and then dance with their friends!
Covid-19 has jolted the wedding business, but we can applaud it for managing expectations about what a marriage should seem like, inspiring everybody to be inventive! We’re ecstatic that more couples are jumping on the tiny wedding wagon, whatever you call associated with the way!
5 Ways to Involve Friends and Family
1. In The Ritual, Have Your Celebrant Address Everyone
Simple and delicious! We usually ask newlyweds if they’d like to recognise anyone who won’t be with them about their departure day when we’re officiating. It can be a specific person or a generic statement like, “I’d like to take a minute to honour those unable to join us today; no question they are rejoicing from afar!”
2. Use Voice Mails in Your Celebration
A couple can use their voice mails as a surprise on their D-day. Likewise, it can include family members in the event. Even recorded poems, verses or plays can be a piece of writing on a grand day.
3. Reading Their Messages on Your Elopement Day
Couples nowadays read aloud the messages of their dear friends and family on the day of their elopement to include them partially and fully in the ceremony.
4. Watch Video Messages on The Elopement Day
Video messages help friends and families, who live far away, send their love notes through small video clips. This can turn out to be a real memory breaking the traditional system of marriage.
5. A Virtual Meet on The Day of Elopement
Since the pandemic, video conferencing is a common term, which can be an excellent idea for an elopement day. You can conduct an instant virtual meet to include long-distance friends and family in the ceremony without missing any events.
Conclusion
Finally, remember that whether you have a small or huge wedding, a black-tie or no-tie affair, the choice is ultimately yours. Couples may be concerned about reducing their guest list to the level of a micro wedding. It’s ideal if they’re upfront about the fact that they’re having a small wedding with only their closest relatives and friends.
In other words, if you want to have a minimony first, then a wedding, and then your ideal party with the close-knit family, then so be it. Now is the time to focus on laying the groundwork for your marriage, which will almost definitely be followed by a celebration with your loved ones.
Read my Elopement Guide if you are curious on how an elopement wedding work. You wanna know something about the typical elopement costs, read here.