Temecula Micro Wedding Photographer
Micro weddings have been on the rise prior to 2020. There’s a number of reasons: large weddings are expensive, and brides and grooms are also looking to create a more custom, intimate wedding experience, sometimes in nontraditional locations.
As we enter this unprecedented period of time in our lives, I don’t think love will be celebrated any less! Micro weddings are going to become somewhat of a “new normal” as couples find a way to honor their commitment, albeit on a slightly smaller scale! A micro wedding is the perfect way to do this, and as a Temecula micro wedding photographer, I’m able to help give couples guidance on making your day just as special as a large celebration!
What is a Micro Wedding?
A micro wedding is, simply put, a smaller, more intimate event. The definition of “intimate” is up to the couple! Perhaps it means your parents and siblings; or maybe a slightly broader group including your closest friends.
How Does a Micro Wedding Differ From a Traditional Wedding?
Traditional weddings often follow traditional timelines. These days can run 10+ hours in total event time, from getting ready at the beginning of the day, to reception events at the end.
A micro wedding timeline is much more flexible! Because you’re working with a smaller number of people, there’s less to coordinate. With a smaller scale event, your budget will also change, and you can designate your budget to the areas truly important to you. Maybe if you are spending less on floral centerpieces, you can have an amazing floral arch for your ceremony. Or without a catered dinner for 100, you can have a lavish surf-and-turf spread for your 10 closest family members (or an In-N-Out truck - heck - I think everyone would be happy with that!).
Benefits to a Micro Wedding
Smaller Budget
You’ll spend less money in certain areas - food, florals, bar service, rentals and event decor. With a photographer and videographer, you’ll likely be paying for less coverage - unless you want to spend several hours traveling to a different location for portraits! Other costs are fixed - wedding dresses, suits, and your officiant come to mind.
Nontraditional Locations
The world is your oyster when picking a location! If you’re looking to host your friends and family in this experience with you, an Airbnb or other rental property in a gorgeous location is the perfect choice! The Temecula area has plenty of properties like this that would make a fantastic location for your wedding day. While the local wineries will reserve their weekends for larger events, you may be able to find a day during the week for a smaller-scale event.
Create the Wedding Timeline of Your Dreams
Wedding days are often rushed, with so many people to coordinate and get ready - and of course that’s much of the fun! For a micro wedding, you have much more control over your day. Want to spend 2 hours before your ceremony shooting portraits? You can do that! Want to move everything to a second location for dinner? You can do that! Want to get catering from your favorite Old Town restaurant? You can do that! Want to have a bar crawl with your family and friends? You guessed it - you can do that! Many couples LOVE this type of planning because it makes their wedding day feel so much more like THEM and less cookie-cutter.
Get the Best Light of the Day for Your Portraits
I’ll be honest - as a Temecula wedding photographer this is one of my truly favorite things about micro weddings! Once you choose your wedding date, you can work your wedding events around sunset and get the most gorgeous light of the day for your wedding portraits!
Micro Wedding Timeline
The first thing you should do once choosing your wedding date is figure out the sunset time. This is the most flattering, romantic light of the day, and since you have the ultimate flexibility with your timeline, you’ll want to plan your day so you can take portraits a half an hour before the sun sets.
Here’s a sample timeline for a wedding day with a 7:00 PM sunset, geared around 3 hours of photography coverage. For 3 hours of photography coverage, you could end coverage after the newlywed couple portraits. You might want more time if you plan to leave your location and have to account for travel time!
3 Hour Micro Wedding Timeline - One Location (7:00 PM sunset)
4:00 - 4:30: Getting ready pictures
4:30 - 5:00: Ceremony, champagne toast with guests
5:00 - 5:30: Family portraits, followed by newlywed couple portraits
5:30 - 6:30: Reception events, such as toasts, dances, dinner and cake cutting
6:30 - 7:00: Couple sunset portraits
Temecula Micro Wedding Photography Packages
3 Hour Micro Wedding Photography Package
- 3 hours of continuous photography coverage with Courtney McManaway
- Digital gallery of downloadable high-resolution jpeg images delivered within one month of wedding day
- Travel fee applicable to weddings outside a 25 mile radius of Temecula
- $1,500
4 Hour Micro Wedding Photography Package
- 4 hours of continuous photography coverage with Courtney McManaway
- Digital gallery of downloadable high-resolution jpeg images delivered within one month of wedding day
- Travel fee applicable to weddings outside a 25 mile radius of Temecula
- $2,000
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