Do you know the difference between a micro-wedding and a mini-wedding? A sequel-wedding and an elopement? A tiny wedding and a minimony??

There are so many new wedding terms this year that it is hard to know the difference between them all! Do they all mean the same thing? They are all just weddings at the end of the day, right!? 

Well, yes and no. And since we consider ourselves a bit of an expert on small weddings, let us break that down for you below.

Traditional western weddings usually follow a pretty standard format of Ceremony + Cocktail Hour + Reception. They don’t necessarily have to be in that order, cocktail hour may come before the ceremony, but generally the ceremony comes first and it is followed by the reception with a wedding program. The program can, and usually does, include at least a few of the traditional elements likes toasts or speeches, formal dances and cake cutting followed by dancing and celebrating with your guests late into the night.

In the past five years this has been steadily changing, with more and more couples opting out of the traditional wedding and the expense that comes with it. Of course with the complication of a pandemic, the small wedding has become even more popular, and in many cases, a necessity. Small groups naturally lend themselves to alternative wedding formats and don’t follow the traditional wedding program guidelines, as dancing the night away on the dance floor doesn’t quite make as much sense when you only have 15 guests. Every type of wedding has a ceremony, but there are many variations the celebrations can take post-ceremony - if they even choose to include that. Here is an overview of the new wedding formats and what they mean and how to choose which one is right for you:

The Micro-Wedding: 

The micro-wedding is described as an intimate wedding for up to 50 guests and is essentially a smaller and paired down version of a typical wedding. This is the biggest version of the small weddings and can include some dancing and usually a focus on the decor and having a team of professional vendors.

The Mini-Wedding:

A mini-wedding is a very general term and doesn’t refer to any specific type of wedding, usually it is used by wedding planners to describe their service or it is referring in general to any type of small wedding with less than 40 guests and can range from a proper ceremony and abbreviated reception to a courthouse wedding.

The Tiny Wedding:

A tiny wedding is a small wedding with usually less than 10 guests and with a ceremony only format. These are generally pre-planned packages from venues or planners that include all the elements needed for a ceremony and then maybe cake and champagne following the ceremony. They are very short and sweet and focused on cost savings for you.

Pop-Up Wedding;

A pop-up wedding is a wedding package usually for the couple only or maybe a handful of guests, no more than 10. The package includes the ceremony only and there are only a few fixed dates the couple can book. During the course of one day, multiple couples will come through the ceremony site at set times to get married at one beautiful set up and use the same set of professional vendors. You are left on your own for your post-ceremony plans. 

The Minimony:

A minimony is a term for a ceremony only with a guest count of up to 10 that is really born from the needs of 2020, and for couples to have their weddings in this calendar year. It is a simple ceremony with just the couple or with a few of their closest family and friends that is more for the act of having a ceremony and with the knowledge that there will be a larger wedding later. There may be a few professional vendors or none at all.

The Sequel Wedding:

The sequel wedding is a wedding after you are officially married, whether you did an elopement or mini-moon or simply went to the courthouse, you are already married and it is the second wedding for you. It includes a larger group of family and friends and generally will follow the traditional wedding format. This is also a common type of wedding for couples who have family in very different locations and choose to do two different weddings, or who want to do two different types of cultural weddings or religious weddings.

The Elopement Wedding:

An elopement wedding can be just the two of you or up to 25 guests and it can have many different formats, with the main goal being something personalized for the couple and more cost-effective. So, it can be just the couple doing their ceremony-only at a destination with significance. Or it can be a destination wedding with 25 of the couples closest friends and family for a weekend of activities and a beautifully decorated ceremony and dinner experience. There is no set format to an elopement wedding and post-ceremony plans can be nonexistent or very traditional. There are generally at least a few professional vendors involved and many times this is some sort of package experience for the couple.

We hope that helps to clarify all the new wedding terminology and formats. There are many different ways couples are choosing to have small weddings — which one is right for you?