What is a Micro-wedding? A guide to different types of Weddings

What is a Micro-wedding?

Weddings have changed a lot in recent years. Since the Pandemic especially, there are lots of new terms regarding weddings and also the previous terms used have changed in what they mean and in the way they are viewed. Average guest numbers have reduced year on year, with some reports suggesting an average guest count in 2025 of 60 guests and an average wedding spend of around £21,000. When you start to plan your wedding, one of the first decisions you will need to make will be who and how many people do you want to invite? This decision will affect how your wedding day feels and also how you feel whilst planning it.

Cornwall has become one of the UK’s most sought-after wedding destinations and a big part of this is the flexibility it provides. Whether you are dreaming of a sunrise beach elopement for just the two of you, a relaxed cliff-top micro-wedding followed by a meal in a beachside restaurant, or a full-scale celebration in a Cornish Country Estate, the size of your wedding will shape everything.

This guide breaks down the different types of wedding by rough guest numbers – so you can choose what actually fits your vision for how your day unfolds (and not just what you feel tradition dictates you should do!).

Elopements in Cornwall

When the word Elopement is used, I feel it often conjures up visions of a secret wedding ceremony, often at short notice and is seen as a form of running away. And for some couples, there could be an element of truth to that view. However, increasingly, and for me how I see them, is an intentional choice by couples who want to prioritise their experience on their wedding day. They want to completely focus on one another and the true meaning of their wedding ceremony.

Many couples feel that a bigger ceremony is too stressful to organise, family issues complicate guests lists and seating plans and planning can quickly feel overwhelming. So som couples choose to Elope and make their wedding day experience truly memorable, combining their ceremony with a trip away, somewhere new and hopefully meaningful to them.

I personally LOVE to capture elopements. Elopements generally involve the couple getting legally married before their ceremony and the having a symbolic celebrant led ceremony somewhere wild and epic. Or they choose a venue suited to very small and intimate ceremonies that have been licensed for legal ceremonies. Sometimes, for a legal ceremony certainly, you will require at least two witnesses and may opt for a handful of guests.

Elopements allow for a high degree of flexibility, think sunset ceremonies on a cliff-top or a sunrise ceremony in a sea cave and then spending some time on the beach before other people have even gotten out of bed.

For more information of the legalities of getting married in Cornwall, check out this blog post here.

Micro-weddings in Cornwall

Micro-weddings are currently trending right now, especially since the dreaded Covid times. Many couples are opting to have smaller, more intimate wedding days with just their closest friends and family. Micro-weddings are generally seen as being a more intimate version of a bigger wedding, with 10-40 guests on average.

You still get the feel of a full day wedding with a ceremony, drinks, dinner, perhaps speeches, but without the pressure of a bigger event. Some couples opt for this style of wedding so that they can invite the most important people in their lives and actually get to spend quality time with with them. They can also sometimes spend a greater amount per gust for an enhanced experience and with smaller numbers, have increased access to more varied venues. They also tend to be more relaxed days, which suits the Cornish way of life!

Another term you may hear is a Minimony. This describes when couples have a small ceremony ahead of a bigger wedding celebration, often if they are getting the legal side of things taken care of ahead of time, in order to have a celebrant led ceremony in a different location. For example, couples who want to have a beach wedding. if this is you, check out this guide to getting married on the beach in Cornwall here.

Small weddings in Cornwall

This is where size guides can get controversial but as a rough guide, I would see a small wedding as a wedding with 40 to 70 guests. This can often be the sweet spot for many couples choosing Cornwall as a wedding destination. Big enough for a proper party but small enough to keep things personal. There are a huge range of wedding venues perfectly suited to accommodating weddings of this size.

A wedding of this size strikes a balance between intimacy and atmosphere and may be slightly easier logistically and financially.

Medium sized weddings in Cornwall

Now you are starting to have what many people would traditionally consider to be a usual sized wedding. With 80 to 120 guests, you can have most if not all your family and friends with you to celebrate your big day. You can guarantee the dance floor will be lively later on and the atmosphere will be buzzing. A wedding of this size often suits a destination wedding weekend. With this many guests, the itinerary for the day can become more structured and it needs to be to keep the day moving long. for example, making sure you are all sat and ready for your catering team to serve your food on time whilst it is still hot.

Large weddings in Cornwall

Once you get over the 120 gusts or more mark, you are entering the Large wedding event sphere. Think of marquee weddings on a cliff-top, country estate venues and a full weekend destination wedding experience with guests travelling in from everywhere. These weddings can be amazing but need serious planning and it can really be a benefit to hire dedicated wedding planners to take control on your behalf.

They can help you craft your perfect day and also allow you to actually enjoy your day, as well as your guests as you won’t have to delegate lots of tasks to your wedding party or family. It is also important to take into account your planned location, accessibility, transport to and from the venue and accommodation, particularly in peak holiday season.

So what is the “right” size?

There really isn’t one and to help you decide, you really need to sit down with your partner and work out what exactly YOU BOTH WANT. Your wedding day is a one time event and at the heart of it, are the two of you. Bigger isn’t always better – it’s just louder. and that can be amazing or the exact opposite of what some couples want. Smaller isn’t always lesser, it is often just more intentional. As a rough guide;

If you want a highly emotional, private moment where you can be yourselves with zero expectations, then maybe an Elopement Wedding would be a good choice.

If you want an elopement style but with a small selection of your closest family and friends in attendance, a micro-wedding could be exactly what you are looking for.

If however, you want a more ‘traditional’ wedding day with your friends and more family along to have a big party, then go for it! My own wedding had 85 guests during the day and then another 40 or so in the evening and it was brilliant. At the core of the decision, I always steer all couples to just remember what the day is about and that it is supposed to be a fun, life enriching experience. Yes planning any sized event will have decisions to be made, constraints that limit choice and some element of stress – But – it should also be exciting and not keeping you up at night.

Final Thought

Most Couples start off their wedding planning with a number – how many guests should/can we invite.

Instead, perhaps start with the feeling you want from your day. Do you want calm, connection and space to breathe without feeling under pressure to perform? Or do you want high energy, noise and a packed dance floor?

Once you have answered that decision between you both, the guest list and all the other decisions will become more obvious. And then everything becomes easier.

And if you are planning a wedding in Cornwall of any size, I would love to help you create those life-time memories for you and your friends and families. So feel free to send me a message here, and we can start planning something extraordinary together!