Magical Micro-Wedding!

Our southern Arizona ranch is the perfect location for small weddings!

Luis and Lizette invited 18 guests to their Magical Micro-Wedding at Agua Linda Farm

Most weddings on our farm are 100-150 guests, but Micro Weddings are becoming a popular alternative.

Is a Micro-Wedding For You?

Micro-Weddings , by definition, are small weddings. They have all the elements of a traditional wedding - ceremony, reception, dancing, but with a smaller group of no more than 50.

Bigger Isn't Always Better

Years ago, before we were in the wedding business, I attended a large wedding of over 200 guests. A quick trip to the bathroom or to the bar refresh my drink turned into a half an hour excursion as it was near impossible to navigate through the reception without being stopped constantly to visit - I can't imagine how overwhelming it must have been for the couple getting married!

Weddings are wonderful, exciting events, but as the big day approaches, there are always last minute details, hiccups and activities to attend. It seems pretty obvious that with a large wedding, you can multiply those stressers by your headcount. More people = more demands. More people also means less time with those who mean the most to you - your best friend made the journey to be with you for your big day, but you may have very little time to spend together. A small wedding should mean more time with your nearest and dearest, right? Not necessarily...

Guests flew in from around the world for this beautiful Micro-Wedding. The bride wanted a stress-free day and chose soft colors and a vintage feel.

The reality is that many venues and caterers have minimum head counts and will not book your 30 head wedding. Now what? Now you are looking at alternative venues - your parent's backyard, perhaps, or a lovely spot at a state park. Problem: this could mean a lot more work for you. Now, instead on relying on a venue to make sure the walkway is swept, lights are strung and furniture is set up, and counting on a professional caterer to prepare and serve a delicious meal, you are doing it yourself - or leaning on your family to help. Perhaps Mom and Dad's place and a pot-luck suits you, but for many couples, dreaming of a small wedding doesn't include doing dishes...

Cost

The average cost for a wedding in 2022 varied state by state. In Arizona, according to a recent article in The Knot, the average cost for a wedding ceremony and reception was $23,000 with an average headcount of 117. A Micro-Wedding allows couples to stay within a lower budget without sacrificing on quality - maybe even splurging on certain elements that they otherwise could not afford.

Micro Weddings at Agua Linda Farm

As venue owners, Stewart and I appreciate the intimacy of a small event but also know how much work it is - especially if you aren't skimping on quality. So, on a chilly January day in 2020, we sat down in front of a cozy fire with a cup of coffee and a notepad and designed a new wedding package to offer our clients. For this package, we would take care of decorations, furniture placement, bar service, fine china, linens, music, lights and partner with an excellent caterer to provide butler passed appetizers, a plated dinner and fresh baked desserts! This package would allow our couples to arrive on their wedding day with everything pretty much taken care of and enjoy their friends and family on our beautiful, private ranch!

We launched our Magical Micro-Wedding Package in early 2020!

Photo credit, The Loew Light

The Ingredients

Venue: Our stunning ranch has plenty of space for large gatherings but also lends itself well to Micro-Weddings. A daytime event under a canopy of trees, or an evening affair with café lights and dancing with Spanish colonial bar serving cocktails are among the choices. Our elegant bridal dressing room with complimentary champagne or sparking cider for the ladies as they get ready is included and the gentleman will enjoy pre-ceremony time in a western cantina just for them with adjacent changing room.

Style: My team and I take care creating the style that our couples dream of in our beautiful space using my collection of fine china, antiques, floral containers furniture and linens. Be it vintage, boho, western, rustic or a garden tea party - I start with inspirational pictures from clients and go from there. (For me, this is the fun part!!)

Music: My husband, Stewart works with couples to create playlists that reflect their tastes to play with his incredible sound system, (the fun part for Stewart!)

Bar: Our in-house bartenders mix up fantastic drinks for our clients and their guests using only real glassware, of course!

What About Food?: At Agua Linda, we allow clients to pick the caterer of their choice, but for this package, only the best would do! We needed a caterer that consistently provides excellent food, has a professional and friendly staff AND is willing to work for groups as small as 20 - I knew who I wanted - it had to be Café a la C'Art, C'Art Blanche Catering!

I reached out to Mark Jorbin, the owner and, honestly, I think he was just as excited as I was!

It was pure coincidence that only a couple of months after we launched our Magical Micro-Wedding Package that Covid took over the world as we knew it. It was a difficult time for all and for those of us in the event industry, there were postponements, cancellations, refunds, 2nd postponements... Then, as things started loosening up a little, we found that our Micro Wedding Package was the perfect solution for many couples who did not want to wait any longer for their wedding. Now, it seems, the trend of wanting small gatherings with quality, not quantity the priority, continues. Most of our weddings at Agua Linda Farm are larger - 100-200 guests but Micro Weddings continue to grow in popularity and we couldn't be more pleased!

These photos show a few selections that or Catering Partner, Cafe A La'Cart offer!

Micro-Weddings at Agua Linda Farm are "boutique" events. They are small - 20-50 guests, blending the intimacy of a small gathering with the extravagance of a GRAND AFFAIR!

Our website has more information on our Magical Micro Wedding Package and all that it includes. Check it out! https://www.agualindafarm.com/weddings

For this table, I used Wedgwood china, silver plated flatware, crystal champagne coupes, vintage silver candlesticks, lace trimmed linen napkins and baby pomegranates from the farm.