With the average wedding now costing an eye-watering £24,000, a new and beautiful trend is emerging. Enter micro-weddings.

A micro-wedding is a small affair with far fewer guests than a traditional wedding. The result is often a much more intimate day with just your very nearest and dearest present to help you celebrate. With its secluded coves, quaint fishing villages and spectacular scenery, we believe Cornwall is the ultimate destination for such a wedding. And here at Lower Barns, we offer the perfect intimate and romantic setting for a magical micro-wedding.

What’s all the fuss about?

For some people the thought of a huge event – let alone being the focus of it – brings them out in a nervous rash! If the thought of everyone including your twice-removed cousin attending your special day doesn’t fill you with joy – a micro-wedding could be the right choice for you.

Of course you can spend as little or as much as you like on an event no matter what the size. Generally speaking though, you can save money by having a micro-wedding as less people means less, well, everything! From food to favours, the less you need the less you can spend.

If you’re both busy or not a fan of event planning, it will also drastically cut down on wedding admin. There will be fewer invitations to write and send, no complicated seating plan to concoct and hopefully no intricate family drama to contend with! This may appeal to those who already lead very busy lives or simply don’t want all the stress that tends to come with a big, traditional wedding.

A smaller guest list allows the couple to spend more time with each guest. How many weddings have you attended where you’ve only got to have a brief five-minute chat with the newly-weds – or worse yet – not even spoken to them? At a micro-wedding you’ll get the chance to spend quality time with everyone who is there.

Just how small is micro?

It’s up to you just how micro your micro-wedding is! As an example of just how small you can go, here at Lower Barns, we offer a ‘just the two of you’ package and we can even be your witnesses during the ceremony. Our packages run up to a maximum of 20 guests, which allows for your closest friends and family to be present while still feeling very intimate.

Create an intimate vibe

A micro-wedding is, by nature, a fairly intimate affair anyway, but there are several ways you can add to that. Here are a few of our favourites.

• Inject as much of your personality as possible into proceedings. Is your dog a huge part of your life? Bring Rover along! Allowing your coupledom to shine through is one of the best ways to make your wedding intimate.
• Get your guests actively involved during the ceremony. If you only have a few, they could each say something about you or do a short reading.
• Use photographs of you and your guests to help conversation flow and encourage fun memories to be brought up. There’s nothing like laughing over fond and funny moments to get your wedding party bonding over nostalgia.
• Enjoy a delicious feast. This is another way of adding to the intimate vibe of your wedding. Go for a candlelit sit-down meal; shared platters are a great way to create a less formal atmosphere.

Are you considering a micro-wedding? Let us know what you’re planning in the comments below!