How To Plan The Best Micro Wedding In Calgary

The wedding planning process has changed significantly in 2020.

I’m here to share some silver lining, and give you the tips that I’ve learned over the past few months.

Who am I? I’m Mason Benning and I’m a wedding photographer in Calgary Alberta, Canada.

I’ve been working with couples since March to re-plan their weddings.

Along the way, I’ve learned a number of things.

1. SMALL IS BETTER

THIS YEAR IS YOUR EXCUSE TO HAVE THE WEDDING YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO.

You now have full control over the guest list. If you had hoped to have a smaller wedding but felt pressure from family to invite enough people to fill a stadium then choosing now to get married is the perfect time to keep it small and intimate. You get to invite the most important people in your life to be there.

2. YOU GET TO SPEND TIME WITH EVERYONE THERE

It’s usually rare for couples to actually talk to everyone that attends their wedding.

With a smaller wedding, you can now spend quality time with everyone you’ve invited.

3. COST

Couples this year are saving so much money on weddings. Prices really have gotten out of control, and now you can spend the money you save in other places that are more important to you.

4. YOU CAN NOW GET MARRIED ANYWHERE

This is one of the most exciting things with micro weddings.

You no longer have to look for a giant hall to accommodate a massive guest count, while also meeting your budget.

Now you get to be creative. You can get married in front of a towering mountain in the beautiful rockies, in lush forests, in front of waterfalls, and at your favorite restaurant that would not have been possible with a larger guest count.

5. BETTER WEDDING PHOTOS

As a wedding photographer, this is the most exciting part of micro weddings for me.

Weddings have become much simpler overall this year. Which means less stress for you on the day. Less problems to troubleshoot, you just get to enjoy the day.

This lack of stress on the wedding day really comes through in the photos.

We have all the time we need for photos, and we get to choose the time of day we take them. At a traditional wedding, the photo session just kind of fits wherever it fits -- which means non-ideal lighting conditions where you might not look your best.

With micro weddings, we can schedule the best time of day for photos.

To add to that, you can now use the budget you saved to spend a little more on the details you’d really like to have.

SO HOW DO YOU PLAN THE BEST MICRO WEDDING?

My suggestions:

Pick your dream location. There are no longer any rules to where you should have your ceremony. Parks and businesses are all going out of their way to be very accommodating these days, and that makes your life a lot easier.

Spend some of the money you’re saving on bringing in great vendors. Budgets usually get stretched very thin because of the number of guests at the wedding. This is the best time to involve all of the vendors you would want to have for your dream wedding.

Set up an on location dinner, or move to a restaurant. With smaller guest counts, it’s now possible to set up a small reception wherever you’d like. Again, whatever your dream location is for this, this is probably the only year that it will be possible to do.

TO GET THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHS:

Schedule your ceremony when it’s good for photos. 2 hours before sunset will give us the best light for photos.

Hire a photographer (me!) for 2-3 hours. That will cover a little of the getting ready, the ceremony, family photos and photos of the two of you. (There are also packages if you’d like me to come to the reception)

My photography is primarily candid, so it’ll be a more relaxing experience than you might think.

Safety in this time is a priority for me. I will respect all current local rules.

If you’re interested in working together, please send me a note in the contact form below, and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading and if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out!