What is the difference between a micro wedding and an elopement?

The main difference is who is there. A micro wedding includes a small group of guests, usually your nearest and dearest, and it still feels like a wedding with a celebration afterwards. An elopement is just the couple, sometimes with two witnesses, and no wider guest list. Elopements are often about privacy, simplicity, or avoiding family pressure. They can happen anywhere, from a register office to a remote hilltop, and in Scotland you can marry almost anywhere with a celebrant. In England and Wales, a legal ceremony must take place at a register office, an approved venue, or a registered religious building, so an outdoor elopement needs an approved venue with outdoor space. If you elope abroad, check the local rules and the GOV.UK page for that country, because marriages that are legal there are usually recognised in the UK. Some couples choose to elope first and then hold a small party later, which is a bit like a micro wedding without the legal ceremony. Others plan an elopement with just witnesses and no guests at all. Both options are valid, but think about what matters to you: do you want your mum there, or is it just the two of you? That choice shapes everything else.