Rebecca Grant of New Creations Weddings shares her perspective on weddings of the future in light of COVID-19.
Elopements, micro weddings, mini weddings, intimate weddings. Whatever you want to call them, they’re coming.
Couples are waiting just as much as we wedding professionals are about what’s coming down the pipeline in terms of mandates from our government and officials. We have seen the target move on us too many times to count, and it’s been exhausting trying to figure out how best to guide and navigate our couples through this.
From a planners perspective, we have seen couples who are just so ready to be married and make it through to the other side, that they have opted to slash their guest list to make their wedding day happen- in hopes that we’ll be within an appropriate phase by the time of their date.
Cutting the guest list doesn’t mean less quality of a wedding. We have had many intimate weddings of 50 or less who have spent well up into the double-digits. Intimate weddings allow the couple to really give focus and clarity on not only the who, but the what is important to them. Is the best dinner they’ve ever had the priority? There is opportunity with less guests to create an elevated dinner experience with foods and presentation many guests may not have seen or been a part of before. Is the priority the décor? With limited table counts, couples can go luxe- velvet linens, elevated chair rentals, stunning floral, and the list goes on.
Since we don’t know what the future of weddings looks like, and how long certain restrictions will be in place, guest counts are going to get smaller with couples hoping to still be able to get married, but with a more intimate experience.
Seeing this trend beginning already, we at New Creations Weddings developed “Elevated Elopements”. This is a service for couples wanting to get married Monday-Thursday only (so we don’t give up our big wedding weekends). This is a stylized, streamline elopement for couples seeking an intimate, yet elegant wedding day. This allows the focus to truly be on the couple and those they hold nearest and dearest.
We have decided to cap it at 30 guests total (including the couple) to allow the vendor team to round out events of up to 50. This service allows for a wonderful celebration, with a curated list of trusted vendor partnerships and venues. We’re not locking couples into only one vendor team that a lot of the elopements I’ve seen pop up are doing.
Couples that opt for this service through New Creations Weddings get their choice of 5 venues, and typically 2-5 vendors per each category. The couple tells us their overall budget and style, and we do the rest.
We match them up with the venue that best suits their overall aesthetic, location and budget; match them with the vendor categories they need and submit contracts for signature and payment. It’s a one-stop-shop for couples seeking ease of planning, not a lot of decisions and who trust we will make their wedding day vision come to life!
Regardless of how you want to think about appealing to smaller weddings, I highly encourage you to begin thinking about what this service looks like for you. We as an industry are going to need to figure out how to adapt to this ever-changing climate, and best to be there ahead of your couples rather than try to adapt to fit well after the trend has happened.
I would love to know what you think of this article and what you are doing to adapt to a changing climate of intimate wedding celebrations.
We will make it through this, and I’m excited to have one heck of a party with you all when we do! ~Rebecca Grant
Rebecca Grant
New Creations Weddings | Owner | Lead Planner
About New Creations Weddings
Seattle Area Wedding Planning, Coordination, and Design. Experienced Seattle-based wedding planning company for the couple who prioritizes excellence in service, reputation and design. Nothing has been more telling about the importance of having a wedding planner by your side than the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We’re like a flight attendant. 99% of the time we’re there to make things pretty, have things go smoothly and bring you a drink. That 10% is where we really shine. When your experience matters, let our experience work for you.
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