By Vita Duva
For better or worse, microweddings are here to stay and they can sometimes mean the difference between starting married life richer or poorer.
A “microwedding,” by loose definition, is an intimate affair of no more than 50 guests – often a lot fewer. For couples who fear settling for less when celebrating their big day, microweddings can still honor long-standing traditions and also welcome in new, sometimes unconventional ones. Despite any preconceived notions, if size really matters, it’s certainly not during a microwedding.
“We can do anything a regular wedding can do, just with less food,” Danielle Walsh, a representative of Vows Everlasting: The Little Chapel by the Bay, a “Vegas-style” wedding venue located in Keyport, told The Two River Times. They keep the day short and sweet by serving desserts only. “We don’t do dinners,” Walsh said.
“A microwedding is less than 25 people for us,” she explained.
“There is a new term now in the industry called a ‘minimony.’ That is probably closer to what we do.” Wedding website The Knot describes a minimony as a small commitment ceremony that may precede a larger ceremony at a later date.
According to The Wedding Report, a research company that forecasts wedding statistics, 2022 will see a record boom of 2.47 million weddings. One factor leading to the increase is the rescheduling of many weddings postponed from 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And 15 percent of couples who will wed this year will make cuts to their budget and plan to reduce their guest count, for monetary and safety reasons.
Vows Everlasting can get a couple hitched for just under $1,000, and that’s with all the trimmings the venue has to offer. The company’s ceremony packages run the gamut. The Elopement Ceremony will cost a couple $250 and includes a simple civil ceremony, two witnesses, 30 minutes of chapel time and filing of paperwork. The biggest offering – the Pearl Ceremony – starts at $600 and includes a consultation, personalized ceremony, up to 25 guests, one-and-a-half-hour chapel time, soft beverages and desserts.
Microweddings and minimonies can also accommodate couples who may have opted for elopement a few years ago.
“It only takes a three-day turnaround to obtain a marriage license. So, we can go as close to Vegas-style as people want,” Walsh said.
“Some couples come in and want to get married within the same week.”
Some are just happy to be getting married at all amid the continuing uncertainty of a pandemic. Gata Negrra and her fiancé Peace Moore of Newark, winners of the chapel’s Valentine’s Day Wedding Giveaway, will be wed in the evening Feb. 14.
“We are really excited that it’s even taking place to begin with. I like the intimacy of the chapel, especially now with the way the pandemic hit. Everyone is trying to be careful,” Negrra said. “It’s a way to have people that we love with us and have a great day without having to go completely virtual.”
In today’s unpredictable climate of pandemic-ridden highs and lows, it’s no secret that COVID-19 changed the way people think about tying the knot. But planning a small wedding can be just as involved and special as pulling together an extravagant event.
“What I always strive to do in my own business, is to take any couple’s vision, whatever their vision is, and really bring that to life,” Kathleen Deo, a wedding planner based in Shrewsbury told The Two River Times. “Tell me what you see in a day and let’s make it happen.”
When planning a microwedding, Deo advises couples to personalize the day because, with an already shortened guest list, couples will want to make sure their nuptials still feel celebratory.
“Bring in signage. Maybe put personalized place cards at every setting – something that makes it feel like a wedding and not just a dinner out,” Deo said. “Play up any details that you can about the couple. Maybe there are little fun facts scattered around the room. Do a big cake. Have fun with it.”
Local couple Erica and Rafael Caraballo did just that, opting for a Star Wars-themed microwedding in October with the help of Vows Everlasting. “We wanted something small mostly for budget, but also because of the way the world is now. We didn’t want to have a big indoor wedding where people could get sick. So, it made sense for us,” Carabello explained. “We didn’t want something that felt like a transaction. The chapel was a perfect choice. It was intimate and romantic. It still gave me the dream wedding that I always wanted.”
According to Walsh, the real love story here is one that includes the owner of Vows Everlasting, Rev. Keri Devine, who took a leap of faith opening the wedding chapel in June 2021.
And while business is flourishing for the intimate venue – over 30 microweddings are already on the books for 2022 – things have not always looked so promising for the Middletown native.
The former special education teacher and mother of twin boys has seen her share of hardships. Devine’s husband of 22 years unexpectedly died in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic – they were high-school sweethearts – and she fought a long battle with breast cancer.
But one thing that rings true for Devine: She never lost hope and vowed to teach her boys that no matter what roadblocks you come across in life, love conquers all.
Microweddings may have taken off during the height of COVID-19 and, although some industry experts, including Deo, predict they may be on a downswing, small ceremonies have proven to be a way for couples to safely celebrate with loved ones and also help offset today’s rising inflation costs. Some couples looking to take their first steps toward a bright and hopeful future purposefully choose a pared-down day.
“I think people are finally coming to understand the intimacy of small weddings,” Walsh said. “In today’s day and age, (some) couples would rather spend their money on a down payment for a house” than a lavish ceremony.
Microweddings and minimonies might mean couples can have their cake and afford a place to eat it, too.
The article originally appeared in the February 10 – 16, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
