As inflation continues, Twin Cities couples say “I do” to micro-weddings

As inflation drives up prices across the board, couples across the country are cutting wedding expenses and scaling back.

In the Twin Cities, micro-wedding planners are seeing it first-hand.

When Jason Brown-Hoesing dreamed of his wedding, he imagined hundreds of people on both sides of the aisle.

But getting married at the height of the pandemic turned his plans upside down.

“If you really had to pick 30 people to be in that room with you and to be in that space with you on your special day, who are you going to pick?” Brown-Hoesing said.

He was stuck with making that decision, but he says the outcome was worth it.

“It all felt like the right time. It all felt natural. It felt good,” he said. “I felt like we really got a lot more time and it was nice to be able to celebrate those moments.”

Brown-Hoesing and his husband tied the knot in August 2020 micro-wedding style.

Minne Weddings, a Minneapolis-based micro-wedding company, made it happen.

Brown-Hoesing said the price tag made it a no-brainer.

“When you look at $7,000 versus $70,000 you know, that becomes something,” he said.

Wedding planners in the Twin Cities say micro-weddings are bringing in big business.

“It grew in popularity and a lot of people really love it,” Leslie Johnson, Positively Charmed Custom Wedding Ceremonies owner, said.

Johnson plans micro-weddings for couples at venues across the Twin Cities.

She explained rising prices across the board have more clients leaning toward saying “I do” on a smaller scale.

“They have the small one in order to buy a home or have insurance or just celebrate their love. Then they postpone that larger wedding until they feel more secure financially,” she said.

Micro-weddings streamline the day without sacrificing any of the big moments.

“There’s all these sort of defining moments within a wedding day that they get to celebrate, but within three hour’s time, professional photography, music and all their guests are there,” Johnson said.

Brown-Hoesing said if he could choose a micro-wedding all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing.

“It was a good day,” he said. “It really is about just bringing together some of the most important people with you that day.”