There is an overwhelming number of decisions when wedding planning - date, vendors, venue, and now with more restrictions couples have to decide what type of wedding to have and how many guests to invite! If picking colors weren’t hard enough, now couples in 2020 are facing more challenging choices! Before you had two options, or at least you thought you did. You either could choose a traditional wedding, big or small, or elope for a more intimate setting. But now there are more options and ways to customize your wedding day to make it suitable for you, your loved ones, and ultimately the vision of your wedding day. Two new terms have hit the wedding scene this year - micro weddings and minimonies!
I’ve been documenting more intimate weddings this year than any other year and I absolutely love it! Each intimate wedding is unique, infusing the couples’ individuality and personal story. I’ve captured commitment ceremonies, elopements, minimonies, and micro weddings! So, what’s the difference?
COMMITMENT CEREMONY
I documented my first commitment ceremony this year and it truly is a beautiful way for the couple to honor their original wedding date or say forever and always before having a wedding at a later date. A commitment ceremony, according to The Spruce, is "is simply a public affirmation of a couple's commitment to one another." I captured Julia and Jenna’s commitment ceremony at Stony Creek and they both wrote the most beautiful vows, or commitments to each other, that were funny, emotional, candid, and filled with so much love! There was lots of laughter and a few beautiful tears shed. Following their ceremony, we chased the sunset and danced in the field to Abba. They rocked out to Dancing Queen after popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate their commitment to each other.
ELOPEMENT
Elopements hold a special place in my heart as they combine my love of travel with my passion for photography, but elopements are not always what they seem. Now, elopements can be very laid back intimate affairs close to home or they can be adventurous getaways. I love the intimacy and individuality that can be intertwined with traditional and non-traditional components. According to Simply Eloped, “An elopement wedding is typically thought of as running away without telling friends or family, but that definition has changed over time. Now, an elopement wedding means that you a