Micro Wedding in Cornwall – Jen and Al’s Springtime Celebration

It’s no secret that micro weddings are increasing in popularity and the search term on google is like 900% more popular than this time last year. Couples are being much more intentional in their wedding choices, prioritising their wedding experience over more “Traditional” weddings. Average gust numbers for UK weddings in 2025 were around 60 and the number seems to drop each year.

No doubt the cost of living increases are having an affect on couples decision making but I also think there has been a real shift in mindset particularly post-covid. So what even is a micro wedding? For me a micro-wedding is just a much smaller, more intimate wedding with guest numbers anything from 10 to 30 people. Micro weddings tend to be just a smaller version of a more traditional wedding and often follow a similar format.

A ceremony, often a celebrant-led ceremony, to start the day and then drinks, some group photos and then usually a chilled out period of time followed by a meal and speeches. Couples opting for this kind of celebration will often take care of the legal marriage side of things ahead of their day. this can often mean that they feel more relaxed on their actual ‘wedding day’ and will even then opt for a friend or relative to conduct their symbolic marriage ceremony in a place of their choosing, meaning they can opt for a ceremony wherever they choose without being restricted by marriage laws requiring a venue licensed for legal ceremonies.

I have actually written a blog on How to get married in Cornwall which you can read here.

Why choose a micro-wedding in Cornwall?

Cornwall is a fantastic place to get married and is one of the most popular destination wedding locations in the UK. There are so many different landscapes on offer and plenty of accommodation options and dedicated wedding venues in Cornwall, that every taste can be catered for. The relaxed vibe in Cornwall draws repeat visitors and I often find that the majority of my couples have been regular visitors to Cornwall since their childhoods and have likely been to the same beach many times on family holidays ad into adulthood, s they are especially drawn to certain locations

Which is exactly why Jen & Al were drawn to get married over looking Harlyn Bay near Padstow in Cornwall. They had planned a wedding abroad but Jen suffered a serious illness and so their plans changed. And whilst looking at alternative options, they decided that they wanted a small intimate wedding day with their closest family and friends.

So they decided to hire an amazing rental property elevated above the beach and to have their ceremony and day there.

An Intimate Micro Wedding Ceremony

Jen & Al had decided that they would take care of the legal marriage beforehand with a simple registry office marriage. They decided to go down the celebrant led ceremony route and hired Lisa from Celebrants in Cornwall to lead their symbolic ceremony in the grounds of the property. the view over Harlyn Bay was beautiful in the early spring sunshine. Lisa is an expert in creating bespoke and genuinely inspiring ceremonies. She does this by really getting to know her couples and working with them to craft a ceremony for you.

Sophie from Sophie’s flowers had created a beautiful flower arrangement for the ceremony and for the bridal parties flowers and button holes, as well as the table dressing inside for their Mal later on.

The ceremony last around 35 minutes, longer than your standard registry office affair but that is because it was so personalised to them and as in common in micro wedding ceremonies and elopements, the ceremony IS what the day is about, not just an entry on the timeline for the day as can often be the case during larger weddings.

Beach group shots and couple shoot

Following the ceremony, everyone just enjoyed a few drinks after the ‘confetti’ shot where they had opted for coloured ribbon stringers which made for some great images of Jen and Al in a right tangle, but also helped with being easy to clean up to avoid any issues from the venue on their departure.

Everyone then enjoyed a drink in the sun and I got to capture the hugs and congratulations from everyone present.

We then headed down to Harlyn Bay to capture a few group shots and then I took just the two of them off for a few relaxed portraits on the beach. Luckily the weather held as by the time I had left them all to enjoy their evening meal at the rental, the sea mist had come in! And then stayed for the next two days! The beauty of a micro wedding in cornwall is that you can have your dream day for much less expense than a traditional wedding. and you can also (if you want) splurge out on the essentials such as your accommodation and hiring in a great catering company to take care of dinner.

Looking for a Micro Wedding Photographer in Cornwall?

I really love these kind of days where I get to capture two people who know exactly what they want, which is a truly memorable and bespoke wedding day experience in a relaxed and chilled out way. Everyone is there because of how much they mean to the couple and those feelings are always very close to the feel of the day and in the interactions between everyone, which is lovely to be trusted to capture.

If you are planning a micro wedding in cornwall and would like some advice, please get in touch with me via my contact page. And I have written a blog on how to find the wedding photographer for you for some tips on getting started on your search for a wedding photographer in cornwall.