It should be simple math: The bigger the wedding, the bigger the budget, and the smaller the wedding, the smaller the budget – right? Not necessarily. Because couples that really want to pull out all the stops to really give their guests a lavish experience often intentionally opt for more intimate affairs to do so. By keeping their guest list down – say from the average 100-plus people to 30 – they are able to take that same “big-bash budget” and invest in more amenities to treat themselves and their guests to a high-quality event.
What this means for wedding venues? That micro weddings have the potential to bring in a similar dollar amount as a bigger bash. And especially as COVID has made more intimate affairs a must, wedding venues that aren’t leveraging the “luxuriate-your-guests benefits” of a micro wedding are missing out on an opportunity to not just to book more guests, but book more guests with a big-bash budget to pour into an intimate affair at your venue. The key is arming them with the experiences to inspire, excite, and, in many cases, upsell them on additional services and amenities your venue offers. Here are a few ways micro weddings allow couples to go all-in on the details…and how wedding venues can use them to sell more features.
Personalized Wedding Touches Galore
Traditionally more expensive, custom touches – like handwritten invitations in beautiful hand-lettering, custom-curated welcome boxes for guests, and elaborate escort displays – are all the more possible when being created for a much smaller guest list.
How Wedding Venues Can Leverage:
- Build Custom Packages/Special Add-Ons – Worked with a calligrapher in the past who can handle all stationary or signage (invites, personalized place cards, menus, etc.)? Or a vendor who makes amazing custom welcome boxes? Rather than simply recommending them as one of your preferred partners for couples to look into on their own, work with such partners to brainstorm and create special packages or a-la-carte add-ons that the couple can build right into their micro-wedding pricing package when they book with you.
SOLUTIONS
Be the First in Their Feed
Pandemic or not, newly engaged couples are still shopping for wedding venues.
Big-Budget Décor Statements in Ceremony, Lounge Areas & Reception Spaces
Not having to outfit a massive ceremony site or ballroom with décor means more opportunity to go big with decorative statements in smaller and more unique spaces.
How Wedding Venues Can Leverage:
- Think Outside of the Box with the Spaces You Offer – If there are beautiful places on your property that you don’t normally advertise since they aren’t naturally conducive to larger groups, it’s time to take a second look to see how smaller groups could use them. Because many venues are full of unexpected spaces often overlooked that are perfect for creating separate mingling areas – like a library within a large historic estate, courtyard nooks, smaller galleries, etc. And if a couple is looking to book multiple smaller spaces – for the ceremony, reception, and smaller lounge areas – it can all add up to a similar price of booking your biggest, most expensive event space.
Thoughtful Entertainment, Activities & Ways to Mingle
At smaller weddings, many couples opt to forgo many of the traditional wedding elements, including common entertainment go-tos, like dancing to a deejay, to really customize it and make it their own.
How Wedding Venues Can Leverage:
- Invest in Easy Ways to Provide or Bring in Those Unique Experiences to Sell A-La-Carte – For example, lawn games are super trendy when it comes to micro weddings (as everyone can actually participate). So by purchasing all the equipment and games once – we’re talking bocce ball, horseshoes, life-size Jenga, and more – it’s an easy additional amenity you can sell to couple after couple, rather than each couple having to bring that feature in.
CASE STUDY
The Vine
Inside our dramatic rebrand and new website for this premier Texas wedding venue.
Ability to Really Splurge on Food & Drink
When couples don’t have to feed a huge crowd, that means more room for a creative and detailed menu.
How Wedding Venues Can Leverage:
- Creative, Multi-Course Menus – If your venue handles the food, these smaller events are the time to let your chef get really creative with what you can offer. And if you can, offer the option of having the chef work personally with the couple to create a totally custom menu (yes, it may mean the same amount of work as preparing food and beverage for 100-plus people, but the price tag the couple will be paying will also match that).
- Partner with Local Experts to Bring in Memorable Food Options – Have connections with a local winery or distillery that could provide a custom tasting? Or is your venue located within a destination that has access to some really amazing food trucks? Establish relationships and talk partnerships to create custom offerings that couples can factor into their micro-wedding package with you.
The Lasting Takeaway
With experts predicting that even after big parties are deemed safe again, smaller, intimate ceremonies are likely to persist, so now is the time for wedding venues to think outside the box and get creative with what they offer to make small the new big. Not just because couples are looking to go all out on the details and create experiences for those select friends and family that they hold nearest and dearest to themselves (after all, quarantine made a lot of people realize how much they want to be around certain people in their lives), but because wedding venues can be the ones to give that them – and that can be a way to make up for lost revenue that was typically associated with the bigger bashes of the pre-COVID era. Need help brainstorming experiences, promoting them, marketing them, and more? Our creative team of strategists, brand experts, writers, designers, and more are at your disposal.