Micro Wedding Vs Traditional - How Your Guest List Can Affect Your Venue Choice

The last few years weddings have shifted ain a few different directions for a few different reasons. Here at Spring Lake Winery, we provide a multitude of opportunities for a unique indoor or outdoor ceremony & reception. Today on the blog, we want to talk about a few trends, including micro weddings, and why they’ve become more popular. 

2020 Weddings

We all remember the COVID era. Looking back on the era we all can probably also remember a few unlucky brides and grooms who were forced out of their orignal plan, or at the very least forced into an alternate plan. 

Once COVID calmed down and people began booking larger events and weddings again, there seemed to be a sense that maybe some couples actually liked the look and feel of a smaller, intimate event. 

Whether that event be out behind their home, at a local natural outdoor wedding venue, or heck, in a county hall, younger couples certainly have shifted the perspective of what a “normal” wedding looks like. 

Church Weddings

“You’ve gotta get married in a church!” Isn’t seeming to be as strict of a rule for mothers and fathers of the bride. As our world has evolved we’ve seen different people from different cultures and backgrounds alter their typical rigidity, or even their typical definition of a wedding ceremony. 

With many brides hoping to get married on-site and enjoy an immediate reception and photo op, this presents a challenge when considering travel from church for the wedding party and all the guests. 

Some folks just decide to skip the church ceremony and meet at the reception, but for the most part younger couples are definitely ditching the church bells for a comfortably planned, on-site wedding day experience. 

No matter what, what’s most important when planning a wedding is what’s most important to the bride and groom. This is of course, their day to celebrate the beginning of their new life together. That being said, deciding on chopping down a guest list from 250 to 230 is hard for some couples, let alone 250 to 25 or 50!

Let’s just take a quick look at some of the pros of a big wedding versus the pros of a micro wedding, a term popularized in the last few years, and a style of wedding we see often here at Spring Lake.

Pros of a Big Wedding

Follows Potential Traditions

Can make things easier in ensuring you are following family customs that expect a large gathering

No One is Left Out

You don’t need to feel guilty about leaving your Dad’s best friend’s second wife off the list

Bigger Party

Bigger parties can sometimes offer more memories, considering you have more people remembering (or forgetting) the night

Higher Amount of Gifts

The number of guests will typically directly correlate with the contributions you receive from guests. 

Pros of a Micro Wedding

A calmer, more intimate atmosphere

Less people means less eyes on you, and a more relaxed environment missing extra energy you may not want

Less Stressful Planning

Less invites, less meal choices, less picking who sits next to to your Dad’s best friend’s second wife

Lower Overall Cost

Less mouths to feed, less drinks, less chairs, less linens, will chop your budget down significantly

More Venue Options

Considering you won’t need to meet a massive need for people, there will be more venue options available for smaller events. 

More Quality Time

You can get a little more facetime with the people who matter most

There are benefits and challenges that come with each type of wedding. Today, as we approach fall 2026, we have seen a pretty even mix of guest list counts. Some couples are still going all in and looking at 200-250 person events, and many are vouching for a smaller, intimate all-exclusive event with 50-80 people. The nicest part is when you book with Spring Lake Winery, you have a lot of options for either choice. 

Are You Looking to Talk About Your Wedding Day?

We should talk! Get in touch with us using our wedding inquiry form or by phone to speak with Tamre Varallo, our owner. She will walk you through all of your different options and hold your hand throughout the planning process. We treat our brides and grooms like our own family here at the Winery. Come on out and let’s talk about your wedding over a glass of Spring Lake wine! Hope to see you soon!