The Covid-19 or Coronavirus pandemic threw hundreds of thousands of brides and wedding vendors in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area into a frenzy of confusion. We all felt the winds of change and it caught us off guard. But what do you do when corona virus has changed your wedding plans? Understandably many couples had the first thought of canceling or postponing their wedding, but before you jump to action consider moving forward in a different way! Here are some real reasons to consider having a smaller wedding, micro wedding or elopement in the Bay Area for your marriage union celebration…and in some ways this is how it can actually be better!
1. RELAXED AND EASY
This might be the reason that is the deciding factor alone. With fewer guests there is less stress. With a smaller wedding you can actually relax and enjoy your marriage celebration. Create the perfect union ceremony elopement or micro wedding for just the two of you, and plan the bigger wedding next year. With bigger weddings so often the day gets swept away by greeting the guests, big lists of family photos and arrangements of seating charts. I often see the bride and groom in a daze of overwhelm. With a wedding being one of the most special and important things you ever do why not enjoy it! Micro weddings or elopements can allow you to stay present and celebrate the reason why you both came together. But Where?
- The Lyford House – One of our all time favs is this awesome vintage spot overlooking the San Francisco Skyline. The Lyford House offers gorgeous antique furniture for their decor as well as a super intimate experience by the sea. Perfect for accommodating a small group of people for dinner as well. Check out the amazing elopement inspired shoot we did there!
- Muir Woods – A very exciting and enchanting forest with majestic redwoods that feel energizing. Muir Woods is a special place to have an elopement filled with beautiful light and calming energy.
- Sailboat Elopements – This will always be our first choice on place to shoot an elopement or wedding. Being at sea is just like an adventure in itself and San Francisco Bay has so many incredible views to offer such as The Golden Gate Bride and Alcatraz.
2. LUX AND DETAILS MADE AFFORDABLE
I have to say this would be my number one reason. Details in a wedding can often times fall by the way side when the wedding budget is stretched. With an intimate wedding or elopement you can bring more luxury to your wedding for a smaller budget. There is less to plan so here is where you can focus on (my favorite part) the details. Now you can add the beautiful cutlery, beautiful china, calligraphed vows, and even go all out for those Christian Louboutin shoes you wanted. Details are really what elevate the wedding gallery. Don’t let Corona virus get you down, instead be more creative in adapting to the change. Think of your elopement or mini wedding as a way to become more inspired for detail. Plan to add in the extra things that will last in your images or video for an above and beyond luxurious wedding gallery. When you indulge in the details with smaller wedding you can elevate your experience and your images…
3. EPIC WEDDING PORTRAITS
On a typical wedding day we usually get about 30 mins, to an hour at most, for portraits and are limited to what is closest to the venue. With a micro wedding, the skies are the limit! We can go wherever we want to capture some fun and gorgeous imagery. From the beautiful mountains, an elopement in the trees at sunset to a vast ocean as our backdrop, wedding portraits won’t fall by the way side or be rushed! Some of my best imagery was created during an elopement or micro wedding where the portraits became fun and turned into an adventure with an unexpected view! Not only that but couples loved taking their time and not feeling rushed through the day. They got to snuggle up to each other more and enjoy their new titles as “Husband” and “Wife” while enjoying the experience of an amazing day.
4. SPEND TIME WITH GUESTS
Most brides say they didn’t get to say hi to all their guests or they felt rushed through the guest greeting process. During a micro wedding you can actually enjoy your time with your guests and not feel disjointed from the entire experience. I love photographing the guests and with a smaller wedding I can do so more and create more artistic portraits for them as well. Now that we offer Livestream for weddings, couples can still have all their guests witnessing their vow exchange without the rush of attending to everyone. Live stream allows for everyone to be involved and also have a more relaxed experience while enjoying their day.
5. ENJOYMENT WITHOUT THE EXHAUSTION
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could be present, enjoy your wedding day, and not be incredibly spent or exhausted after the wedding is over? Yes this is how enjoyable micro or intimate weddings are without all the stress and craziness of having a massive wedding. You actually get to feel and look amazing while enjoying the day at a slower more relaxed pace. Spend the day in love and celebrate your union together in a special more intimate way, then head to an epic scenic view of your choice followed by social distance dinner outdoors or picnic in the park. The great thing is it doesn’t have to stop there! Next year you can have the celebration continue together in style and with a bigger party.
These are just a few of our suggested ways to really enjoy the process and adapt to what is happening around us. Our greatest hopes are for our couples to have a wonderful wedding experience and really stay preset. We know that sometimes things happen that can really change our plans or leave us feeling let down. We are here to let you know that it doesn’t have to be so bad…there are other ways to ensure that getting engaged in the time of corona virus can still be amazing if not even more amazing! Please reach out to us with any questions you might have!
