LAST WINTER, the team at Zingerman’s Cornman Farms started to notice an influx of requests for options for couples who loved their rural, unique venue, but didn’t have the budget or quantity of guests to throw a big wedding.
“At the time, we did not have the right product to offer them,” says Jamie Gray, the marketing and public relations manager for Cornman Farms. “(Our) package with five hours on property and a full farm-to-table meal wasn’t going to work.”
So, the Zingerman’s team brainstormed and finally cooked up an idea for The Tiny Wedding. Setting aside three days per season, offering four weddings per day, they knew they could secure vendors and create a beautiful event for local couples looking for an intimate affair.
For just under $2,000, the wedding includes the couple and two guests, meant as witnesses. The package can be purchased and planned entirely online, including follow-up with an event producer from Cornman Farms. When you choose your date and time, you’ll also be able to select your florals and cake flavor, as well as register up to 10 guests at $45 per head.
Since the venue hosts four Tiny Weddings per day, time is budgeted carefully. Brides and grooms have 30 minutes to get ready. The ceremony is about 15 minutes long, and the officiant is also provided. After couples say, “I do,” there’s a short celebration with champagne and a single-tier cake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. Afterward, married pairs have 30 minutes to take wedding photos with the venue’s go-to photographer, who will take couples around to the best spots on the property.
In 2019, Cornman Farms held 12 Tiny Weddings during three days in September, and the venue will host 12 more January 30 through February 1, 2020. The winter design is inspired by the Danish concept of “hygge.” Gray says the idea involves the feeling of “coziness and well-being through the simple things” — like reading a book inside on a rainy day, or sitting by a fire and sipping hot chocolate during a snowfall.
Winter’s Tiny Weddings will be held in the farmhouse, which will be decorated in cream, white, and blush tones to reflect the softness of hygge, with some gray and green accents. The intent is to keep couples feeling like their big day is elegant and thoughtful, but effortless. “You get a beautiful setting, beautiful design and photos to remember it by, but you really just have to arrive with your marriage license,” Gray says. For local couples who might have otherwise eloped, it’s a cut above the courthouse.
To learn more, visit thetinywedding.com.
