The rise and rise of the micro-wedding by columnist Nora Johnson

The rise and rise of the micro-wedding

BORIS and Carrie may have postponed the party until next year, but doubtless their recent ‘micro-wedding’ was every bit as special as the grand affair Carrie probably imagined before the pandemic hit.

Until recently, far too much attention has been focused on the ‘Big Day’, and possibly outdoing friends and relatives, and not enough on the meaning of the event. Couples so preoccupied with having a lavish wedding that they forget that the marriage itself is the important thing.

But the bigger and more complex the event, the more stress for all concerned and the less likely they’re able to focus on each other. Some marriages may never happen (many young people are completely put off marriage because of the ludicrous wedding industry) without the lure of an extravaganza – and that’s probably for the best!

A friend persuaded her daughter to down-size her wedding since her own big affair was one of the worst, most stressful days of her life. Of course, we now all have a good laugh when anyone mentions this grand affair years ago. But so many things went wrong from a totally drunk waiter who couldn’t stop himself making a pass at all the women guests to one of the caterer’s large refrigerators packing up, so that practically all the Champagne on that blisteringly hot summer’s day was lukewarm…

However, there is something really classy and meaningful about a small wedding. Not to mention lighter on the pocket. If Covid has done away with overblown, showy, narcissistic affairs and stag and hen weekends which cost the bride and groom their house deposit and the guests their annual holiday, then that’s surely a good thing. Small, intimate, beautiful and meaningful is the way ahead.

In brief, I think the whole ‘splash the cash’ thing is looking increasingly naff, so three cheers for couples more focused on actually getting married than showing off.

Or as my dear departed Granny used to put it: the bigger the wedding, the shorter the marriage…

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.  

Nora Johnson’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.