How Micro Weddings Are Transforming the Indian Wedding Landscape

Indian weddings have always been a grand affair with all the glamour, splendour and endless guest lists but the recent years have seen a very significant shift in the modern-day wedding scenario. With a step into a quieter yet luxurious wedding trend, couples have now begun making the celebration of their big day more personal and intimate.

This trend of a quiet, luxurious wedding, also known as a micro wedding, is defined by smaller guest counts but elevated celebrations and is shaping experiences for not just the couple but everyone who attends the wedding. These weddings are also reshaping how modern couples today approach their big day. 

To understand this shift, Manifest spoke to two industry voices, Manvir Singh, Shanqh Luxury Events and Sachin Singhal, founder and CEO, Bandbaajaa.com. The two wedding planners shared their insights on how couples are rethinking traditions in favour of personalisation and why intimacy is becoming the new luxury in Indian weddings.

When Did Micro Weddings Gain Traction?

Manvir and Sachin highlighted that couples in India began exploring micro weddings during the COVID-19 era in the years 2020-2022. “Although it was a forced one earlier, post-COVID people adapted this change,” Sachin said. Manvir added, “The trend gained steady momentum well before the pandemic, especially among those seeking more personal and meaningful celebrations over grand, traditional gatherings, especially taking cues from Western weddings.” Both planners shared that they believed that the pandemic, in fact, accelerated the trend of micro weddings by normalising gatherings due to health and travel restrictions. “Before the pandemic, weddings were fairly large,” Sachin stated.

Micro weddings became a popular trend very soon after its emergence and Manvir said that the initial demand for this was sparked by a blend of lifestyle changes, the desire for intimacy and a shift toward personalisation. “Modern couples started craving experiences that reflected their personalities and allowed genuine connections with guests, rather than hosting out of obligation or societal pressure. Moreover, it was restricted during the Covid time and that gained more traction.”

Sachin seconded this, “Couples and families started to realise that a more intimate wedding means more fun. The close-knit families attending the wedding happen to be more carefree and informal.”

Are Micro Weddings Only About Smaller Guest Lists?

When asked what defines a micro wedding today, beyond just a smaller guest list, Manvir highlighted that micro weddings are not just about a guest list, but about bespoke designs, curated experiences, meaningful rituals and elevated details. “Think handwritten notes, designer decor, gourmet menus, and venues with character. Every element is intentionally chosen to reflect the couple’s story.”

While Sachin highlighted that a micro wedding has more attention to detail. “It involves personalised preferences of the couple in terms of décor, food, activities, and even gifts. Every small thing has relevance and is there for a reason in the wedding.”

While talking about the expenditure for micro weddings, the two pondered over whether couples are investing more in experiences, decor or personalisation since they are spending less on guest volume. Manvir agreed, saying, “The priority is quality over quantity at every step,” while Sachin stated that the spending has significantly gone up owing to the same. “To add a cherry on top, the layer of personalisation and individualisation plays a major role in the spending,” he added.

How Different Are Micro Weddings From Traditional Large-Scale Weddings?

Looking into the scale and aesthetics of micro weddings, Sachin and Manvir shared that these weddings differ from traditional large weddings. “Enriching experiences like very personalised menus for food—for example, if someone met over kulfi, the couple is calling the same vendor to the wedding to reconstruct the memories. They are looking to keep the aesthetics as per their choice rather than taking everyone’s opinion,” stated Sachin, while Manvir said, “Micro weddings are more focused on intimacy and aesthetics. The scale allows for flexibility with richness of experience and detail. Traditional weddings, meanwhile, emphasise opulence and scale and a guest list where couples do not even know most.”

While Micro-weddings are smaller than traditional weddings, they come with their own set of challenges. According to Sachin, it requires more time than a run-of-the-mill wedding since everything is customised to suit the taste of the couple. “The production cost also goes up since most of the things used in such weddings are custom-made.” Manvir seconded it, saying, “Designing an intimate wedding requires balancing family expectations with the couple’s wishes, carefully managing a tighter guest list, and ensuring no detail is overlooked since every element stands out more. The emotional stakes are high, and each guest’s experience is magnified.”

Are Micro Weddings Here to Stay?

When asked if they saw micro weddings as a passing trend or whether they are here to stay as part of the wedding industry’s future, Sachin stated that micro weddings are here to stay. “As the size of your social circle is shrinking, people are more attracted to having meaningful connections with fewer people rather than the masses. Weddings will become intimate in the future.”

Manvir added that these weddings are now a core option in India’s wedding landscape. “Many couples have learned the joy of meaningful connections over pageantry and will continue to choose intimate celebrations in the future.”

When it comes to creative freedom for wedding planners while organising a micro wedding, both Sachin and Manvir agreed that it allows for more of a free hand. “With smaller numbers, planners can exercise greater creative freedom with innovative concepts, custom experiences, and transformative venue styling that would be difficult in a larger context,” Manvir added.

One notable thing that was observed amidst the rising micro wedding trend was that couples are now blending their micro weddings with larger celebrations, like an extended reception. Manvir highlighted that the latest trend is to blend intimate “micro ceremonies” with subsequent larger celebrations. Meanwhile, Sachin explained, “Various models are running—intimate wedding only, intimate wedding plus reception, pre-functions for masses plus intimate wedding, and so on. Depending on the social circle, we advise solutions according to the client.”

Word Of Advice

When asked about what advice they would give to couples who are considering a micro wedding but are hesitant about breaking traditions, Sachin concluded, saying, “It’s your day, go for the kill. Forget about people who will forget you once they return home after your wedding. Make it the way you see things happening, rather than what someone else will be thinking.” Manvir suggested that couples who are hesitant to break tradition should rather focus on what matters to them. “Micro weddings create room for real memories, deep connection, and purposeful celebration, proving that intimacy can be far more impactful than scale. Families often look back and appreciate the authenticity and relaxed joy of these smaller festivities,” he said while concluding.