Seated | The Summer 2021 Issue
86
Features
The coronavirus pandemic stopped a lot of activities in 2020 — dining out, large gatherings, vacations — but it did not have control over love. Some couples who had planned weddings in 2020 postponed them to later dates, hoping that by the new date, their people on their long guest lists would be able to celebrate face to face. Others took advantage of an emerging trend: microweddings. What exactly is a microwedding? It’s basically a scaled-down version of a traditional wedding ceremony and reception. The number of guests varies depending on the capacity restrictions set by the state government and the venue itself. And the packages have been modified for the smaller guest list and could include things such as a small charcuterie plate and cocktails, or livestreaming for the guests who can’t attend in person. Having a microwedding allows couples to have their special day despite the pandemic and restrictions. Couples have also discovered that the smaller celebration gives them more quality time with their guests, provides more for their budget, and enables them to book their top choice for vendors for less money than a traditional wedding. We spoke to two Tripleseat customers about their experiences with microweddings: John Schulz, Reservations Manager at The Santa Ynez Inn in Solvang, Calif., and Allison Gallese, Director of Marketing, Sales & Special Events at Osteria Via Stato restaurant in Chicago. Here’s what they had to say about this new event trend.
1.
When did you start offering microweddings? Schulz: We have always offered weddings up to 100 guests with most of our weddings falling around 75-80 guests. We have no minimum guest size, just a minimum on our site fee. Gallese: We have always hosted smaller weddings at Osteria Via Stato, where guest counts range from 30 to 235, but we truly started repackaging and promoting microweddings in April and May of last year due to the pandemic.
2.
What is the capacity for your microweddings? Schulz: Our venue limit for a traditional reception is 100 guests, but the property can do some events up to 140-150 people if a more casual reception is booked. Gallese: We designate microweddings at 50 guests or less.
3.
What is included in your microwedding packages and how are the packages different from traditional weddings at your venue? Schulz: We do not have any set packages for the hotel. Every wedding that books with us usually does a very similar setup, with ceremony time, cocktail hour, dinner reception followed by dancing and party time, with maybe a cake cutting thrown in the mix. The only thing that changes is our site fee is based on the number of guests with a minimum of $2,000, up to roughly $6,000. Our site fee includes the rental of the space, tables, ceremony chairs, dinner chairs, white linens, glassware, flatware, set up, tear down, and staffing for the event. All other details are done by outside vendors such as the baker, florist, photographer, videographer, DJ, band, and wedding planner. Gallese: We wanted to make these wedding packages as turnkey as possible. When speaking to potential couples, we quickly learned that many of them were now planning a second or third wedding date or pivoting from a large to a small wedding to keep the original date and stay within the Chicago COVID-19 restrictions. Many were sad, disappointed, and just downright exhausted by all of the changing guidelines and capacities, and definitely did not want to start full-on planning for a second time. Our microweddings packages include everything needed for a special day — stationery-like place cards, printed menus and table numbers, a choice of linens, a small wedding cake for cutting purposes and photos, an onsite coordinator, as well as lunch for up to 10 guests delivered to the hotel the day. We also partnered with a florist, CUT Floral, and photographer Eberly Film Lab to include packages that would accommodate a smaller time block or smaller budget, without a minimum required. Once our potential couples discovered how simple it could be to host with us, booking them became very easy.