It didn’t take much arm-twisting for us to agree to spend the day at one of Sydney’s most luxurious micro wedding venues, Lilypad Palm Beach for a styled shoot in collaboration with Dan Murphys.
A floating villa located on the serene waters of Pittwater in Palm Beach, NSW, Lilypad is a truly one-of-a-kind Northern Beaches wedding venue for couples wanting to elope or host an intimate celebration.
The motivation behind this styled shoot was to showcase how an intimate celebration can bring all the vibes, and to hero the diversity of beverages you could serve at your shindig.
With some expert help from Sydney photographer Anna Murray, Sydney wedding stylists Two Lovers and a bottle shop’s worth of booze from Dan Murphys (including everything from Aperol spritz’s to an espresso martini tower) we got to work.
The result? An incredible day and a real glimpse into the kinds of romantic celebrations couples can create. Do recommend.
What is a micro-wedding?
A micro-wedding is an intimate celebration, typically with a maximum of 50 guests. Lilypad Palm Beach can host up to 22 guests.
What happens at a micro wedding?
There are no hard and fast rules but generally speaking, a micro-wedding is like any other wedding only on a much smaller scale. A micro-wedding usually follows the same structure (eg. ceremony, canapé hour and reception) but with a more casual and intimate vibe. And yes, you can still have dancing!
How should I dress for a small wedding?
If you’re the person getting married then whatever you damn well want (but if you’re stuck you can find some inspo here). Unless there is a dress code, the same applies for wedding guests (within reason, common sense required).
Our tips to pull off a micro wedding.
1. Get Dan Murphys on board.
We say this because determining what drinks to serve at your wedding and how much is an important thing to get right. Dan Murphys has an entire events team dedicated to this side of wedding planning as well as free wine tasting kits and a drinks calculator).
2. Consider your guest list.
Since you’re limited to the number of people you can invite, choose wisely. And by wisely we mean surrounding yourself with people who are going to bring a bucket load of good vibes, rather than those people you feel obligated to invite.
3. Elevate the experience.
Micro-weddings are a great opportunity to spoil your guests as things that wouldn’t be affordable on a large scale become an option when you’re only catering to a handful of people. It could be something like a seafood bar, a cocktail station or handwritten notes for each guest. Or any of these ideas.
4. Be fussy with your suppliers.
The fun part about a small wedding is that you can basically do it anywhere – so get creative and pick a venue that understands your vision and that will go the extra mile to make it happen. Same thing goes for your vendors. We can recommended any of these venues and vendors.
If there are people who you’d love to be part of your wedding ceremony but can’t be there (either physically or due to limited numbers) consider live streaming your wedding. You can read how to do that here.
CREDITS: Photos Anna Murray Photography // Venue Lilypad Palm Beach // Styling Two Lovers // Coordination Two Lovers and Wedshed // Drinks Dan Murphys.
