Finding Affordable Micro Wedding Venues

When you’re trying to plan an inexpensive wedding, the most common advice is to cut your guest list. Going from 200 to 25 guests can save a lot of money. In order to stay on budget, start by looking at the most affordable micro wedding venues.

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Check the Guaranteed Minimums

If you’re trying to save by cutting your guest list, the most important question to ask a venue is about their minimum numbers or guaranteed minimums. I know I’ve already said this before, but it’s so important for my couples when they want to stay on budget. If you’re planning to save with a small guest list, make sure your contracts allow it.

Most of the traditional venues and caterers I’ve worked with include this in their contract. Guaranteed minimums means that you’ll pay a certain amount, no matter how few guests you invite. Traditional venues and caterers usually require a minimum of 125 guests or a minimum spend of $10,000 or more.

If you’re on a smaller budget, I would recommend looking into alternative venues, like restaurants, or room rentals that don’t use in house catering. By avoiding minimum numbers, you can stick to a small budget to match your small guest list.

The Best Micro Wedding Venues

If you’re looking for a traditional wedding, start by checking out your local hotel and banquet halls. If you’re on a smaller budget, look for less traditional spots in your city. You can often find unique and inexpensive places to rent for a wedding:

Traditional hotel or banquet hall
Church, chapel or place of worship
Community center
City park pavilion
Botanical garden
Museum or art gallery
Historical building
Winery or brewery
Restaurant
Family home or backyard

Traditional Hotel or Banquet Hall

Most traditional wedding venues can adjust their room sizes to fit any size event. If you book a smaller wedding, they can set up a smaller room in order to suit your guest list.

If you decide to book a traditional hotel or banquet room, make sure to ask about their minimum numbers. Also remember to ask if they have a required vendor list. Check that it fits your budget before you sign the contract.

Your Church, Chapel or Place of Worship

If you’re having your wedding ceremony at a church, a chapel or place of worship, many of them will have an attached hall or meeting room. Having your ceremony and reception at the same spot will save time and money. Check if your ceremony spot has a space you can book for your reception as well.

Community Center

If you have a local community center, they can be an inexpensive spot to rent for a wedding. As well as cheaper rental fees, most of them will not have a required vendor list. That means that you can shop around and save on your caterer and other wedding vendors. If you’re thinking about doing DIY wedding food, most community centers even have an onsite kitchen for you to use.

City Park Pavilion

If your city has a local park with a gazebo or pavilion, look into the rental possibilities. In many places, you can pay a small fee for a daily permit and have your wedding ceremony or reception there.

Some parks have pavilions with tables and fireplaces that can be decorated and set up for a rustic wedding. A city park is the perfect spot for a more casual menu, like hiring a food truck, ordering takeout, planning a DIY barbecue or even organizing a potluck wedding.

Botanical Garden

For a romantic garden wedding, look into your local botanical gardens. Many will offer outdoor spaces with ponds, flower beds, greenhouses and conservatories. Because most of them are non profits, you can find low rental fees for a wedding ceremony or reception.

Some botanical gardens will only allow weddings before or after the space is closed to the public. Others will allow the rental at any time, but the space will still be open to the public. Check the rules at your local spot, then decide if it fits your plans.

Museum or Art Gallery

Depending on where you live, a local museum or art gallery could be the perfect spot for a micro wedding. If you live in a high cost of living spot, like San Francisco or Vancouver, the rental fees can be just as expensive as a traditional venue. But if you live in a smaller city, you might be able to find an inexpensive spot for your ceremony or reception at a museum or art gallery.

Historical Building

If your city has historical homes or mansions, they can be the perfect spot for a micro wedding. Some cities even have interesting buildings, like historical farms, chapels or schoolhouses. Booking an historical building for your micro wedding can be a unique and fun experience for your guests - plus your photos will be amazing!

Winery

For a romantic and sophisticated micro wedding, look for a nearby winery. Many wineries can offer outdoor spaces with spectacular scenery for your wedding ceremony. Afterwards, you can head indoors for a seated dinner or a cocktail party wedding. Most wineries can accommodate any size group, including a micro sized guest list.

Brewery or Distillery

For a cool, modern wedding reception, check out a brewery or distillery. Depending on the style of the venue, you could save by skipping a traditional plated meal. A brewery or distillery is a great place to serve a more casual menu, like barbecue or pizza.

Restaurant

A restaurant is a perfect venue for an easy micro wedding reception. Especially if you’re on a smaller budget. You can look for a restaurant with a private room and incorporate all the wedding traditions, like speeches and a first dance.

Or you can keep it simple and skip most of the traditional wedding events. If you’d like a low key micro wedding, you can host your guests for a delicious dinner, enjoy a few toasts and some wedding cake.

Family Home or Backyard

If your guest list is super small, you can plan an at home wedding or a backyard wedding and save on the venue fees. Even if you rent tables, chairs and linens, you can still save a bundle over renting a traditional venue.

Look for a caterer that specializes in small parties. Or you can order from your favorite restaurant. Many restaurants offer catering trays for parties of any size. If you’re looking for a simple meal, order in and set the food out for your guests when it arrives.

What is a Minimony?

Minimony is a word for a small wedding ceremony that became popular in the last few years. When couples couldn’t have their big wedding as planned, they went ahead with a mini ceremony and only invited a few people.

Some venues can still be hard to book, so mini ceremonies are a popular way to get married. Some couples plan a mini ceremony for just the two of them. Other couples will invite their parents, siblings and closest friends. Most mini ceremonies include 25 guests or less.

If you’re trying to stick to a budget, you can plan a minimony in the same spot as your micro wedding reception. Some cities have dedicated wedding chapels that are perfect for a mini ceremony. Or to keep it simple, you can get married at your city hall.

What’s the Difference Between a Micro Wedding and Eloping?

Traditionally, an elopement wedding was planned in secret. The couple would plan a ceremony for just the two of them and announce their marriage afterwards.

Recently, more couples have decided to include their closest friends and family members in their elopement. Many elopement packages now include 10 or 25 guests, making it the perfect choice for a destination micro wedding.

Can You Have a Destination Micro Wedding?

A destination wedding is perfect for a micro wedding. Many couples plan a destination wedding in order to keep the guest list small. As long as your VIPs can make it to your wedding, you can plan it anywhere you want.

I’ve met couples who’ve planned their wedding at their first vacation destination, their proposal spot, or even the town where they went to college. Other couples choose their dream destination. Some couples ideal spot is the Grand Canyon. Others dream of getting married on the perfect beach, like Hawaii or Cancun.

Locations For a Destination Micro Wedding

For elopement or micro wedding packages, you can find lots of destinations in the US and internationally. You can look for a small wedding package at a resort. Or you could plan a cruise ship wedding for your small group. You could also search for local wedding planners, hotels or resorts in spots like:

Las Vegas
Miami
New Orleans
Charleston
New York
Joshua Tree
Hawaii
Puerto Rico
Cancun
Jamaica
Caribbean

Want to learn more about finding unique wedding venues? Check out the book, Affordable Wedding Venues and Menus. Available in ebook or paperback: