I bet you’re asking, ‘Thomas, what’s a “Micro Wedding?” Well, it’s often on the small side (as the name suggests), where wedding guests can be limited to up to 20 people. With a smaller guest list, these make for an intimate wedding celebration and can often be a lot shorter. They can be a lot cheaper too, but by no means less personal or special. If you’re planning a Micro Wedding you don’t obviously need a specific Micro Wedding Photographer. When you’re planning your wedding day, photographers should be able to offer a suitable package to cover your needs for the shorter day.
One of my last micro-weddings was Carly and Tom who chose to split their big day into two parts. Their idea of a perfect wedding venue was a non-traditional one at the unique events space and food venue, Grub in Manchester. However, this eclectic place is not licensed, so the couple couldn’t get legally married there. Instead, they chose to tie the knot with a Micro Wedding at Stockport Town Hall to sort out the legal part, and they did this a few months before they held a second wedding ceremony and wedding party at Grub. I’ll rave about this more later…
A Familiar Face and Place
Stockport Town Hall is an iconic wedding venue and the one I have been to the most in my wedding photography career. The Town Hall’s Events and Registry teams know me very well!
Carly and Tom actually met me at a Wedding Fayre at the Town Hall and we were able to chat about their plans. It also meant that they could look through some examples of my previous wedding photos and my documentary style wedding photography which is what ultimately made their decision to book me.
Carly and Tom then chose to book the Sir A. Brumwell Thomas room – it’s my favourite! The room, named after the Town Hall’s architect, is the biggest room in the registry office, with original features including a huge chandelier hanging from the barrel roof. It’s a great and impactful space to share an intimate ceremony with a small number of close wedding guests, which is exactly what the couple wanted.
Take a look at my other weddings at Stockport Town Hall here.
Keeping it Local
After the ceremony, the couple and their family planned a meal in a local pub. The weather was fantastic that day, so before they had to go, we made time for a couple shoot outside the iconic building that is the Town Hall and along the A6 where cars and 192 buses passed by.
We also made a quick stop at Alexandra Park in Edgeley for a few portrait photos. The park is a great backdrop for wedding photography, full of greenery and a couple of lakes, plus it’s only a short drive away from the Town Hall. It’s perfect for a stroll and relaxed wedding photographs. Carly and Tom embraced this time together as husband and wife, and looked like a very happy couple after their Micro Wedding Day.
Part Deux…
Carly and Tom’s celebrations didn’t stop there! As mentioned, a few months later, they organised a laid-back, think-outside-the-box, quirky wedding venue at Grub in Manchester City.
Take a look at the second part here
