Minnesota couples go small with "micro weddings"

By the numbers: The average guest count nationwide was 131 in 2024, down from 184 in 2006, according to data shared with Axios by The Wedding Report.

• And smaller celebrations, those with 50 guests or fewer, made up 18% of nuptials last year, compared to 10% in 2013, per the research company.

Between the lines: While certain people "just like low-key events," many go smaller to spend less, Shane McMurray, CEO of The Wedding Report, told Axios.

• Cutting the guest list is the best way to save, with prices for meals, venues, invitations and more usually based on headcount.

What we're hearing: "Today's couples are more intentional about how they spend their time, money, and energy," Amy Fuerstenberg, owner and creative director of Minne Weddings, a Twin Cities-based planner for micro nuptials.

• "They want weddings that are affordable, beautiful, and most importantly, manageable," said Fuerstenberg, who's seen an uptick in requests since taking over the business in 2024.

Case in point: Axios reader Carina L. told her fiancée she didn't want a big wedding within five minutes of his September 2024 proposal in Portugal.

• "It just seems silly to spend so much money on something, and we don't want to be stressed out on what's supposed to be one of the best days of our lives," the St. Paul resident wrote in an email to Axios.

After ruling out elopement — they worried their parents would be upset to miss the occasion — they settled on an A-frame cabin owned by her family about 20-minutes from Voyageurs National Park.

• They plan to have about 40 guests for their outside ceremony, with photographs and food provided by family and friends and DIY decorations.

"I feel so much better knowing that the biggest things are not only out of the way, but they're virtually free," she wrote of their plans for a September 2026 celebration.

The bottom line: There's no need to invite the roommate you haven't talked to since graduation to make it a special day.

Zoom in: A small wedding to remember

We were touched and honored to read all the heart-warming stories readers sent us about their own intimate celebrations. Here's one that stood out:

David Hackworthy and his wife Ashleigh got married in 2022 at his grandmother's small wood cabin on the Chippewa River — the first place they visited together as a couple in the Midwest.

What they did: His then-fiancée's family flew in for a weekend of festivities across Minnesota and Wisconsin that included a golf outing (with a hole-in-one!), a pontoon boat ride, a float down the river with a "cooler of bloody Mary's and Leinie's and a bbq dinner at a local spot."

• "We then got married beneath a big pine tree (it was raining) with my brother-in law-officiating, my grandma reading her favorite Bible passage, my father-in-law acting as cantor, and each of our married siblings providing advice," he recalled in an email.

The rest of the night was spent dancing, drinking and eating s'mores under the stars.

The bottom line: Hackworthy said they talked for a few months about having a bigger party with friends, but ultimately decided it "wasn't worth it."

• "Our small wedding, besides saving money and stress in planning, was truly just for us," he said.