When Amy and I got engaged, our least favorite—yet most commonly asked—question was:

“So when’s the big day?”

No sooner had the ring been on her finger than people left and right started asking how the wedding planning was going. We’ve only been engaged for 2 days!

Wedding planning is basically a full-time job in and of itself. Now that we’ve been married for almost seven years (!), all I remember from our own wedding planning seasons is a blur of meetings, Pinterest boards, and a lot of stress as we juggled wedding planning with a full-time job.

Given how elaborate weddings seem to be these days, it’s no wonder that small, intimate weddings such as micro weddings or elopements are becoming more and more popular. We get it: we had a small wedding too, but even trying to pull that off felt like a drawn-out ordeal.

So when you’re looking to say “I do” to your love while saying “No way” to all the stress and chaos of wedding planning, micro weddings or elopements may seem like a perfect solution. But what’s the difference? Should you have a micro wedding or an elopement? Which one is right for you?