Is everyone doing small weddings this year? Is this a trend or are small weddings and elopements here to stay?

Well, the truth is that people have always had small weddings. Couples have always eloped, and they’ll continue to do so until the end of time. While “micro” or “mini” weddings have been more visible in recent years, florists who’ve built their businesses on weddings tend to concentrate on the “bigger weddings business.”

Even if you don’t work with six-figure floral budgets and over-the-top events, when clients gather 150 of their closest friends and family together to celebrate, it’s “a big event.” For some florists that may mean a $1,500 sale while for others it may mean $10,000 for flowers, but the outcome is the same in the end— two people fell in love, got married, and your floral work played a meaningful role in their celebration.

Now, as we fight our way through what 2020 has handed us, we’re not sure when we can count on these larger events to return. Florists are asking, “How can I make this work when I’m used to larger events every weekend?”

The truthful answer is, I don’t know if you can make it work; you’ll need to run some numbers and do the math to understand how your business needs to adjust. And as hard as it may be to accept the need to scale back (both sales and expectations) this year, I built my business on small weddings and if I did it once, I know I can do it again.

In 18 years, I’ve never offered “wedding packages,” but this year I released my first “small weddings packages” for elopements and smaller events. Because I haven’t offered this before, it’s a trial run, but I’ve learned as a business owner that trying something new is oftentimes essential. Whether it’s a new software program, a new policy or a new minimum spend on events, I am frequently required to try new things.

So what is a small wedding? Small weddings include a couple’s innermost circle as they gather together to celebrate love. With a smaller guestlist, there’s no pressure to impress distant relatives that no one’s seen in 12 years; no one feels like an outsider.

Small weddings may be shorter in duration and smaller in guest count, but that doesn’t mean that couples have to cut corners. Small weddings can be opportunities for couples to create a luxury event for their nearest and dearest—something they’d never be able to do for a 100-person (or larger) event. “Small” doesn’t have to mean measly or skimpy.

Beautiful flowers enhance weddings of any size. Small weddings can be an incredibly special splurge and your floral work can play a part of this meaningful union.
Keep doing beautiful work!

See my wedding work at floralartvt.com.
Find courses for florists at realflowerbusiness.com.