home > blog > Guide to Hosting your LGBTQ Micro Wedding

Hosting a Vermont LGBTQ Micro Wedding With al Fresco Dining

If you love to daydream about Vermont landscapes with lush forests, green mountains, picturesque farms and spectacular sunsets; local farm-to-table dining and architectural designs that perfectly blend with the surrounding nature, you're in for a treat.

What are micro weddings?

A micro wedding is an intimate affair, typically with no more than 50 guests. They can feature a few traditions you'd see at a more traditional wedding, but on a much smaller scale. This type of wedding favors simple but personalized approach, hand-picked designs and sustainable food options over a large scale generic wedding event with hundreds of guests. Micro weddings are much more intimate and relaxed than traditional large weddings and it is my experience the happy couple seem to have more time to enjoy their wedding day with their chosen guests and each other.

What is al fresco dining?

The phrase al fresco is an Italian word for dining outside, or in the fresh air. There's no better way to take advantage of summer months than to dine al fresco, enjoying local farm-to-table fare and libations under the sunny Vermont skies.

So, how do you make your LGBTQ micro wedding an unforgettable, intimate affaire? Here's some tips on doing just that.

The sky is the limit, so celebrate wildly!

You do not have to limit your micro wedding to Vermont, although I'm a bit biased as far as all the spectacular locations we have here, but, with a micro guest list, you can most likely get married anywhere. You can set off to a boutique hotel in Vermont, California, Europe or The Caribbean and make a destination wedding out of it. Another option is to use an alternative venue for your micro wedding and support your local business: cafés, farm-to-table restaurants, local bars or galleries.

Keep the guest list short

One of my observations shooting large traditional weddings for over fifteen years, is that the couple rarely have the time to interact with all of their guests. Spending thousands of dollars to invite hundreds of guests without having the opportunity to connect with them seems like a major waste of money and energy.

Music, food and drinks!

Music, food and drinks set the tone of any event and are the magical trifecta that makes or breaks your wedding! Music has a magical power to transform the mood of your event, so choose wisely! Do you enjoy deep house? Hire a European DJ! There are so many options, so make sure to avoid the generic. One of the best ways to figure out the vibe of your micro wedding is to imagine yourself in a movie and envision what you'd like to see. Personalized vows, carefree dancing, candle-lit dinner table, toasting with glasses filled with wine, sharing fresh, vibrant, local foods family style, laughing wiht your guests and each other throughout your reception.

Have fun with designing

Making a space feel intimate provides an opportunity to get creative with seating, lounging areas, table layouts and food stations. If you're using a hotel's garden area or a private home, add lanterns, fairy lights, candles, flower arrangements. You can consider an extra-large community table to fill more space with custom made stationery, placeholders and table settings to add to the ambience. Incorporate family heirlooms like vintage china, silverware, or hand-embroidered napkins.

Create a personalized experience for your guests

To add more personality to your event, write handwritten notes or choose guest specific gifts and place them at each guest's seat. It’s much easier to add the unique touches for 30 people than it is for 300! And since you’ve gone through narrowing your guest list down, you’re guaranteed to have a close connection to every guest, making those little details more meaningful.

Splurge on what you care about and skip what isn’t important

Your finances will go further with fewer guests, so use those extra funds to enhance the elements that matter most to you. Create a truly unique experience you and your wedding guests will treasure forever. Upgrade your standard dinner to a fine dining experience paired with great wines and craft cocktails or hire a well known local band or string quartet. Having a horse and carriage is also a great idea, you can arrive at your reception in the carriage and then have it stay for a few hours for guests to take a quick ride, not to mention it is always a great photo op!

Make your wedding meaningful in every detail

I’m a huge fan of personalized vows in any setting, but especially at intimate micro weddings, when the couple feels comfortable sharing their words with a small audience. Our experienced, excellent officiant Annie Alexander-Kramer has been helping couples with their wedding day vows for years, so be sure and touch base with her for any advice, guidance or just a friendly chat. Don’t skip the chance to share promises with one another, surrounded by the people who are truly closest to the two of you, it will mean a lot to them! Include sentimental details, like wearing your grandmother’s bracelet or including your dog in the ceremony as the ring bearer. Family homes can be challenging for events with a large guest list, but work well with a smaller group. You can also look into renting a beautiful home which will make your day more cost-efficient.

Hire a photographer

No matter how small your wedding is, hire a photographer who believes in your values and captures your day in an authentic and candid way. Our main photographer here at LGBTQ Weddings Vermont is Sally Carpenter and she has been photographing weddings and capturing love stories for over fifteen years. You’ll want to document this day, no matter what, but that doesn’t mean you need an entire shot-list with family formals and a second shooter. Talk to Sally about creating a custom package for your event that will reflect the unique vibe of your micro wedding.

Whether it’s an issue of budget, a desire for intimacy, or simply not wanting to stress over all the grand details, not every couple wants a huge wedding celebration. The micro wedding offers a middle ground that allows couples to have their tiny cake, and to eat it with those they care about most.

For more information on micro wedding planning, packages and/or professional photography please contact us using our contact form or visit our sister site A Wedding Awaits for full elopement and micro wedding collections.

Guide To Hosting Your LGBTQ Micro Wedding

Hosting a Vermont LGBTQ Micro Wedding With al Fresco Dining

What are micro weddings?

What is al fresco dining?

LGBTQ Weddings Vermont

Sally Carpenter Photography

Archive