Elopement vs. Micro-Wedding: What’s the Difference, and Which One Feels Like You?

by Stag & Bird Photo – Kansas City Wedding & Elopement Storytellers for the Weird, Wild, and Unapologetically in Love

Microwedding on family property in Raymore, MO.

You’re newly engaged. The confetti is still on the counter, your coffee is cold, and every Kansas City wedding inspiration board has now multiplied into twenty. You start searching for venues, vendors, and pricing, and something becomes clear: a traditional large wedding might not feel like the kind of celebration you want. The idea of something more intimate, personal, or adventurous suddenly feels right.

And that’s when couples begin looking up elopements in Kansas City, micro-weddings in Missouri, and phrases like “Can you elope with guests?” or “Is 20 people an elopement?”. We see it constantly in Facebook groups: “We’re eloping with 20 guests!” or “Our 40-person elopement is booked!”

The excitement is valid — intimate weddings are on the rise — but understanding the difference helps you choose the experience that matches your vision, guest count, and budget.

What Is an Elopement?

Traditional Elopement with downtown Kansas City skyline views.

An elopement is small, intentional, and centered around the couple first. Think connection over production. A wedding day built for presence rather than performance. You aren’t hosting a crowd — you’re having an experience. This may involve creative portrait locations, exploring the city, or exchanging vows somewhere meaningful in Missouri or Kansas or beyond.

Elopements often look like:

• Private vows at Loose Park, the West Bottoms, or at a courthouse in Kansas City

• Champagne and tacos after signing your marriage license in Jackson County

• Golden-hour portraits at Shawnee Mission Park or the Crossroads District

• Just the two of you, or a small circle of 2–10 guests

Guest Count: usually 0–10

Vibe: personal, flexible, meaningful

Structure: minimal and fluid

Elopements are ideal for couples wanting privacy, adventure, and time to soak in the moment without rushing through a big wedding timeline.

What Is a Micro-Wedding?

A micro-wedding keeps the heart and intimacy of an elopement, but with a slightly larger guest list and more traditional celebration elements. Picture a Kansas City ceremony followed by dinner at a modern restaurant downtown — or a backyard celebration with 30 guests and string lights. It’s still small, still intentional, just shared with the people who matter most.

You may include:

• Ceremony + dinner or reception

• Toasts, first dances, cake, hugs from every guest

• A relaxed timeline with breathing room

• Venues like small gardens, loft spaces, breweries, or private Airbnb estates

Guest Count: 11–40 (20 guests = micro-wedding, not elopement)

Vibe: cozy, celebratory, shared

Structure: guided but not rigid

You get celebration without the scale, cost, or stress of a 200-person event.

The Overland Park Arboretum Monet Garden is an excellent location to elope in Kansas City.

Quick Breakdown

Feature	Elopement	Micro-Wedding
Guests	0–10	11–40
Focus	Experience + connection	Celebration + community
Feel	Personal, exploratory	Intimate, shared
Best for	Couples wanting private vows & adventure	Couples wanting close family present

How to Choose Between an Elopement and Micro-Wedding

If you want a day focused on the two of you — walking downtown for portraits, exchanging vows at sunrise in a Missouri treescape like Swope Park or the Mark Twain National Forest, exploring Kansas City murals, renting a quirky Airbnb and making it your own — an elopement is likely your fit.

If you picture hugging every guest, dinner under string lights, cake and toasts, or a cozy venue with 25 people, a micro-wedding may feel more like home.

Some couples blend both: private vows first, celebration later. Intimate weddings are flexible — that’s the beauty.

Planning Your Intimate Wedding or Elopement in Kansas City

Stag & Bird is available for:

• Traditional Elopement Photography in Kansas City, Missouri & Kansas

• The Curated Elopement Experience™ — planning support + photography for couples wanting guidance

• Micro-Wedding Photography in Kansas City (we don't plan micro-weddings, but we can recommend trusted KC planners)

Stag & Bird's The Curated Elopement Experience™ is Kansas City's first and only fully inclusive, turn-key elopement photography and planning service.

If you're drawn to an elopement and want something immersive — not rushed — The Curated Elopement Experience™ offers location ideas, styling guidance, timeline flow, vendor suggestions, permits if needed, and planning assistance so your Kansas City or Midwest elopement feels authentic instead of stressful.

Prefer to plan your elopement yourselves? We photograph traditional elopements as well.

For Kansas City micro-weddings, we document the celebration with cinematic color and story-driven coverage. We can connect you with planners who specialize in intimate weddings across KC, Missouri & Kansas.

Whether it’s just you two or thirty of your favorite people, expect rich color, emotional storytelling, and photography that feels lived-in — not staged.

Explore Kansas City elopement + micro-wedding photography:👉 www.stagandbirdphotography.com/wed

Reach out with your vision.Tell us if you’re picturing private vows downtown, a park elopement at golden hour, or a micro-wedding dinner with your chosen family. We'll help bring it to life.