Micro weddings grew during COVID. With inflation, are they here to stay?

ceremony in their backyard in -35 C weather.That’s how Kay and Curtis Ballance celebrated their “perfect” wedding day.The couple got married at their home in Grand Prairie, Alta., in February this year just seven weeks after giving birth to their first daughter.Kay Ballance said their preference was to have no guests at all and to just tie the knot at the courthouse, but in Alberta, you are required by law to have a marriage ceremony – which is what they ended up doing.“The size of our wedding, it actually turned out to be perfect,” said Curtis Ballance.“The very important people in our lives were there and yeah, just the smaller the better.

And it was affordable.”Curtis’s dad, who is a chef, made his special cheeseburger pizzas, wings and lasagna, so they didn’t have to spend on catering.For decorations they rented a $25 wedding arch and Kay bought flowers from the dollar store to make her own floral arrangements.The total cost of their wedding was around $1,000, the Ballances said – which helped them save for bills, house furnishing and baby toys.The trend of micro weddings picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic amid limits on large gatherings, forcing couples to go for smaller ceremonies.But even without the public health restrictions in place, the shift towards less extravagant weddings with a lower price tag amid inflationary pressures has struck a chord with many couples in Canada.In reaction to the COVID-19 lockdown rules in 2020, Kennedy Event Planning, an Ottawa-based wedding planning agency, launched Petite Weddings, specializing in micro weddings.Owner Shannon Kennedy said the pandemic has highlighted the charm of smaller weddings.“I think, through COVID … people are understanding that micro weddings and small.