How To Plan A Microwedding In Maryland
Lesley and Todd got married with about 20 of their closest family members and friends this year at the stunning Maryland wedding venue Liriodendron Mansion in Bel Air. Many wedding venues are now offering microwedding, or, elopement bookings on weekdays or early in the day on weekends. Liriodenron Mansion and Gramercy Mansion are two historic Maryland wedding venues offering elopement bookings that have both indoor and outdoor spaces, lush gardens, and beautiful photo spots (regardless of the time of year). (You can also check out my blog post on eloping and self-officiating in Washington DC here.) Here’s how to get started planning your microwedding in Baltimore:
Email several wedding venues to see if they do microweddings or will take 1-2 hour bookings. The most common time for these, in my experience, is Friday afternoons. It’s almost the weekend, but still technically a weekday and less likely to be booked with a full wedding.
Pick your date! It’s totally normal to inquire about elopement services only 1-2 months out (or sometimes, even within days)! Many wedding vendors are happy to take a shorter, daytime wedding on a day they wouldn’t have had a booking otherwise.
Book a photographer who is familiar with microweddings. I always help all my couples who are planning tiny weddings with their timelines. I factor in the time of day for lighting, how many guests (or any at all) will be attending, whether my clients want to move to a different portrait location after the ceremony, and more. My normal elopement booking is for up to 1.5 hours and can be extended to cover some or all of a celebration after the ceremony and portraits.
Decide which other vendors you want to involve in your day. Microweddings and elopements are already less traditional than a bigger event. And as with any wedding, you never have to do ANYTHING you don’t want to do! So do you actually want a bouquet? Fancy wedding gown or cute colorful sundress? Do a champagne toast or eat some cake right after your short and sweet ceremony? It can be fun to incorporate something besides the actual ceremony to mark your new marriage.
Invite who you want. Many couples elope completely alone, at the courthouse or with a hired officiant, or with a small group of family or friends alongside them. You do you boo.
Announce your marriage! Besides posting a few photos online if you wish, you can always mail out marriage announcement cards to friends and family who weren’t at the ceremony. Think holiday card cuteness but at any time of the year :) happy planning!
