When Molly Jackson stood next to her husband-to-be at the altar, there was no aisle, no speeches and no guests.
"It was us to a tee – just perfect for us. I'd do it again!" she laughed.
With her two daughters as witnesses, Ms Jackson said a tiny, stress-free wedding was everything she had hoped for.
"We didn't want to be spending money on things that weren't necessary," she said.
"We'd rather spend the little bit that we had … just on making it for us and not anybody else."
The pair was among five couples who tied the knot in tiny back-to-back ceremonies in Townsville this week.
The "Hitch and Ditch" concept was organised by wedding celebrant Abbey Chivers, who recognised a market for couples wanting to buck tradition and save money.
"Most people spend over $20,000 on one day," she said.
"Here … they still get their photos, they get the ceremony, and then they can go home and celebrate with people however they want to.
"Once they head off with their cake and their gifts from us, we'll clean up and prepare for the next couple."
Australia's multi-billion-dollar wedding industry was brought to its knees during the pandemic due to travel restrictions and guest limits.
Just 15,923 marriages were registered in Queensland in 2020, compared to more than 25,000 in 2022.
Micro-weddings and elopements offered a much-needed alternative to big events during the height of the pandemic, and have remained a popular option for couples looking to avoid stress and a hefty invoice.
"As soon as I heard about this, the weight lifted off my shoulders," bride Lisa Sangiuliano said.
"I'm sure there are a lot of brides out there that feel that stress."
Ms Sangiuliano has been married twice before, and said she savoured the intimacy of a tiny wedding this time around.
"It's not our first time so we thought yeah, if we're going to be married, it should be about us, rather than stressing about guest lists and all that," she said.
Ms Sangiuliano and her partner planned to put the money they had saved on a large wedding into renovating their home.
"We thought, wow, we could pay that in a day," Ms Sangiuliano said.
For Kate Pressey and Josh Raynor, celebrating love and family was the priority – rather than creating a day for guests to enjoy.
"We're pretty low-key people and we wanted the razzle dazzle without the crowds," Ms Pressey said.
"I've never really done well with expectations anyway, so I'm less inclined to worry about what other people expect me to do – this is what was right for us."
The newlyweds were contemplating a honeymoon next year, but said for now, life would go back to "business as usual, just with fancy rings on it".
