WASHINGTON 鈥� For some people, it鈥檚 the cost. For others, a big fairy tale wedding just isn鈥檛 their style. Whatever the reason is, couples young and old are downsizing their big days and loving it.
Three locals in the wedding industry share their experiences with wallet-friendly weddings.
Maggie Winters Gaudaen,
Maggie Winters Gaudaen, the co-founder of elopement and pop-up wedding company , says most of her clients are more focused on the actual marriage rather than the party.
鈥淭hey want it to be an amazing experience but they want it to be amazing in a non-stressful, affordable way,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 lot of couples don鈥檛 want to spend a year planning it and spend what could be the down payment for a new house on a wedding.鈥�
Gaudaen鈥檚 husband, Steven Gaudaen, is the other half of Pop! Wed Co., as the paperwork guy and the wedding officiant. She聽plans the ceremony and takes the photos. Pop! Wed Co. weddings usually take place in less traditional settings, such as beer breweries, vintage stores and the occasional local landmark. But, you won鈥檛 find them at the monuments. To them, D.C. has a lot more to offer.
Sometimes, part of the fun is having life continue as usual around the pop-up ceremony. Gaudaen says they never ask venues to close for a wedding, since it鈥檚 part of the experience.
鈥淲e did a wedding at , [a vintage furniture and home goods store] and we didn鈥檛 realize there were a lot of people shopping in the store, and watching, but as soon as Steven pronounced them married, the whole store erupted in cheers.鈥�
Most, but not all, of the Gaudaens鈥� clients are on the younger side. They鈥檙e not just from D.C. either. Gaudaen聽recently on tiny-wedding planning after responding to the volume of emails from around the world got to be too much. Rather than just lay out the process point-by-point, she says she tried to reframe the way we think about weddings.
鈥淔or a lot of people in their 20s聽and 30s, growing up it was always about the pretty princess wedding dress, the ballgown, the huge wedding, thinking about what your wedding invites are going to look like, all from a young age. It鈥檚 a part of our culture.鈥�
What she鈥檚 finding now is that a lot of people don鈥檛 want that kind of wedding anymore.
In her book, she counsels couples on how to build upward from the minimum viable wedding. Start with the essentials and customize it the way you want. It鈥檚 a good way to keep an eye on your budget while still personalizing your experience.
Bree Ryback,
A pop-up wedding, which usually has no more than 25 guests, may be a bit smaller than you鈥檙e looking for. No problem, says writer Bree Ryback. The wedding coordinator and blogger says she helps couples cut costs in other ways besides venue costs.
Capitol Romance is a D.C.-based wedding blog that Ryback started in 2011, citing her passion for supporting local businesses and helping all different kinds of couples in , and 聽plan the wedding they want to have. A lot of couples, Ryback finds, just aren鈥檛 interested in the hotel ballroom-style reception.
Instead of renting an indoor space, check out local parks and other free, public options as a ceremony location. An example Ryback gives of a laid-back, small wedding without any expensive rentals is one that took place in the couple鈥檚 own neighborhood. The couple got married at a park near their house and had a brunch reception in their backyard.
If you鈥檙e looking to invite more than 40 to 50 people to your wedding, this may not be feasible for you, but if your living space allows, it can be a great way to stay on budget 鈥� as long as you don鈥檛 mind doing the dishes.
Some couples who can鈥檛 host their own receptions opt for a dinner at a local restaurant, then hit the bars for their reception. Instead of hiring a shuttle company for you and your guests, opt for ride-sharing apps such as Lyft or Uber. And just because a wedding blog tells you that gold-plated flatware is absolutely essential for your perfect day, doesn鈥檛 mean you have to believe it. The fun of a small wedding is that it fits your personality and your budget.
For Ryback鈥檚 own wedding, she chose to “DIY” a few aspects of the big day. Her mother made the bride and bridesmaids bouquets out of Christmas ornaments and tulle. She also made Ryback鈥檚 wedding dress by hand. Ryback also used recycled paper, more Christmas ornaments, and funfetti cupcakes instead of a wedding cake to personalize her wedding day. If you鈥檙e curious, you can see photos of her big day .
Ryback cautions that DIY doesn鈥檛 always mean cost-cutting, and you need to be prepared for a lot of late nights working on your projects, but she says the end result is worth it.
鈥淲e wanted to DIY because it gives the whole thing a more personal touch,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e felt more connected to it.鈥�
Bil Malbon,
Bil Malbon, an ordained minister in Richmond, Virginia, says he sees all types of wedding parties come through the doors of his .
One couple he married had a gothic wedding, he says, and then they went to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum afterward as part of their honeymoon.聽 Another couple requested that he bring the chapel to a spot along the bank of the James River in Richmond so they could celebrate in their favorite place. The farthest he鈥檚 taken his chapel on wheels is to Chicago for an on-the-spot marriage on the Steve Harvey Show.
Having a tiny wedding doesn鈥檛 mean giving up the joy of celebrating a marriage, Malbon says.
鈥淵ou can still make it very nice, elegant and intimate. You don鈥檛 need to have a large wedding to have people celebrate with you.鈥�
An added benefit of a tiny wedding, he says, is being able to save the money you鈥檇 spend on a large-scale reception and put it toward long-lasting memories.
鈥淚nstead of spending thousands of dollars on an event that lasts a few hours, you can spend that money on a trip to Europe, to the Caribbean, or a cross-country trip. Do something that will give you years’ worth of memories.鈥�
鈥淚 tell couples all the time, it makes the beginning of the relationship a lot more exciting when you鈥檙e not worried about paying off that one day,鈥� Malbon says. 鈥淏e married to each other, not married to debt.鈥�
