INSIGHTS : THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ELOPEMENTS, MICRO WEDDINGS AND INTIMATE WEDDINGS
You’ve probably been hearing these terms all over the place lately, as smaller weddings have become the new temporary requirement. But it can be hard to figure out exactly what they are and what makes them different from each other. Well we’re here to help navigate you through the different options.
People choose to elope or downsize their weddings for lots of reasons, but most couples opt to go tiny because it’s intimate, more affordable, stress-free, and utterly romantic. It’s also a unique alternative to typical wedding styles, ensuring your big day is all about the two of you and your love story.
Our new Elopement and Intimate Wedding packages are designed to be completely stress free but keep the intimacy and elegance of a traditional wedding. We work closely with a curated team of vendors to make running off together affordable and effortless. We do all the behind-the-scenes leg work and on the wedding day, you simply show up and say “I do.” Then you enjoy the rest of your time sipping bubbly and basking in the glow of being newlyweds.
It's the perfect beginning for your adventure as newlyweds in some of the most beautiful places on earth! But which one is right for you?!
WHAT IS AN ELOPEMENT?
An Elopement is about two humans, madly in love, deciding to spend the rest of their lives together, oftentimes without telling anyone about their plans to get hitched!
WHERE CAN I ELOPE?
Gone are the days of bland courthouse nuptials and cheesy Vegas ceremonies with Elvis officiating, today’s destination elopement locations are only limited by your imagination! Elopements are meant to be very intimate events and almost always take place at a destination location (hence the reason why its sometimes called Running Off!).
SKIP THE GUEST LIST!
A true elopement is just the two of you! No need to agonize over a long guest list, or even a small one, as this wedding day is simply about you and your beloved beginning a whole new chapter of your love story. Of course, your officiant will be there to make it official, your photographer will capture every last breathtaking moment, and your planner will be around to ensure the details are perfect and the day flows smoothly, but we stay out of the way and invisible. Haha!
HOW MUCH SHOULD I BUDGET FOR MY ELOPEMENT?
Most of our couples typically end up budgeting between $5,000 and $7,000+ as they tend to include not just the wedding itself, but their honeymoons, attire, travel plans, rings, and printed announcements in their overall budget.
Our all-inclusive elopement packages start at $4,000 and can vary based on location, time of year, and day of the week. All of our packages include the flowers, the photographer, officiant, champagne and ceremony music.
WHAT IS A MICRO WEDDING?
Micro Weddings are legit, complete weddings with all the trimmings on an intimate, tiny scale! Micro Weddings can take place anywhere, from the couple's home town to a gorgeous destination.
With a Micro Wedding there's a beautifully styled venue, a guest list of your nearest & dearest (usually no more than 40-50 guests at most), with gorgeous flowers, delicious food, amazing photography, and all the other bells and whistles that you’d find at a large wedding. They're the perfect choice for discerning couples who prefer a modest guest list, crave all the beauty and carefully curated details that go into creating a dream wedding, prefer to take their time with planning, and have more generous budgets.
They can take place any day during the week, but most couples tend to opt for something Monday-Thursday, or on weekends during off-peak seasons as most venues won’t have the same minimum food & bev requirements to meet or higher rental rates.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I BUDGET FOR A MICRO WEDDING?
Honest answer: it depends on a LOT of factors, but just to give you an example- for a micro wedding with 25 guests, including our services, the venue, dinner for your guests, custom floral designs and live music on a WEEKDAY I’d suggest a starting budget of about $12,000-$15,000.
Now that we've explained the key differences between a Micro Wedding, Intimate Wedding, and an Elopement, let me tell you why you should totally hire us to help you out! Blue Lotus Insights Elopements and Intimate Weddings are planned, designed and styled by the expert Blue Lotus Insights Team from start to finish at gorgeous venues around Southern California and beyond. We will coordinate all the details and vendors to create the intimate, picture-perfect wedding you've always dreamed of!
We also offer complete elopement and pop-up wedding packages for engaged couples all over the world.