If you asked me what the perfect wedding looks like, I’d tell you this: it’s the one you don’t have to plan. Or better yet, it’s the one that you just show up for and yet is miraculously everything you would have asked for if you’d spent fifteen months thinking about it. All of the reward, none of the work, give it to me now. And while technically you can have that wedding for like… a zillion dollars, for the rest of us, it’s a pipe dream
But! If your dream wedding happens to be very small (or you’re considering eloping, because surprise! wedding planning sucks) then my favorite invention of modern weddings is the pop-up tiny wedding. It’s exactly what it sounds like: you and your partner (and maybe a few friends) show up with your game face on and get an all-inclusive five star wedding for not a five star price. It’s weddings made miniature. And that’s exactly the kind of magic that Zingerman’s Cornman Farms in Michigan is offering this fall with The Tiny Wedding at Cornman Farms.
Zingerman’s Cornman Farms is a legit gorgeous wedding venue just fifteen minutes outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with one of the most beautifully appointed farmhouses I’ve ever seen (it was just redesigned this year and is basically my interior design dream come true.) The farm already offers all-inclusive elopement packages for weddings of twenty guests or less starting at $2,950 (which even includes a farm to table meal in the Farmhouse. Seriously!) But this fall they are launching an even smaller, even more affordable event option called The Tiny Wedding. Think of it like the courthouse, but with a better view. The folx at Zingerman’s Cornman Farms say:
The Tiny Wedding is created exclusively for the couple who desires the simplicity and affordability of a courthouse wedding but envisions a beautifully curated experience.
The Tiny Wedding is an all-inclusive elopement for you, your partner, and two friends for just $1,950. Here’s how it works: one week each season, Zingerman’s Cornman Farms is going to partner with a different team of vendors to create a beautiful, thoughtful wedding experience for twelve couples over a period of three days. They’ll provide everything from the venue to the officiant to the photographer to the cake, and all you have to do is show up and get married. I know, right?
The first tiny wedding weekend will take place in Zingerman’s Cornman Farms’ Red Barn (which is just as lovely as the farmhouse) on September 10th, 11th and 12th and your $1,950 will get you:
- Wedding venue rental for 1.5 hours for you, your partner, and two guests
- Officiant
- Wedding Photographer
- Two floral details (boutonniere(s) and/or bouquet(s))
- Sparkling wine toast
- Tiny wedding cake by Zingerman’s Bakehouse
- A wedding witness keepsake
- Farm animal visit
You can also upgrade your package to include:
- Additional Guests (up to 10 total, including you and your partner)
- Gourmet Picnic Basket To-Go
- Videography
Now, looking at Zingerman’s Cornman Farms’ taste level, I’m guessing this event is going to be lit. They’ve hired Detroit wedding designer Modernly Events to transform the Red Barn from floor to ceiling with dried flowers for a full modern autumn harvest vibe (with a special backdrop for your ceremony, and another for your celebration.) Plus you get access to all of Zingerman’s Cornman Farms’ event producers so you don’t have to worry about any logistics. They take care of everything from the ceremony to the cake cutting. You take care of getting married and snuggling cute farm animals.
And then when fall is over, they’re going to do it again this winter (so if you’re asking whether there will be a romantic snow-filled version of this event in your future? Yes, yes there will.)
So if your wedding plans are starting to feel like more of a chore than a joy. Or if Michigan in September sounds like it could be the perfect wedding/honeymoon combination. Or if cuddling animals sounds like your idea of the best kind of cocktail hour, then head over to The Tiny Wedding and snag your spot (remember there are only twelve of them available.) I mean, this lamb isn’t going to pet itself.
