My partner and I have been together for 7 years (living together for 5) and we’ve been thinking about getting married. We both have a bit of a difficult family situation so we’re thinking about a wedding with just the two of us, and maybe hold a dinner or so at a later time for the few people we want to celebrate it with.
I’ve been wondering if there are other people here who did something similar? Did you wear a wedding dress? And should we hire a photographer for wedding pictures or is that not really worth it because it will be a very short ceremony considering that it will only be the two of us?
Thank you for reading!
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This is called an elopement. People do it all the time.
I’ve had several friends do courthouse weddings then let us know. We were all happy for them and they were happy not to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single party. Some people did cute outfits (like, cocktail level instead of full wedding dress) if they were doing a little photo shoot but at least one couple did it straight from work in normal clothes. You could also do the photos a different day if you want
Yes. Spend for a photographer. Check out redsheepphotocinema for ideas.
I did it and it was the smartest thing we have ever done. The money we saved went toward a house and the equity involved set up a chain of events that resulted in an early retirement.
We used a Justice of the Peace. I wore an informal dress, he wore jeans. The JP took some photos for us.
We sent relatives and friends photos of two hands entwined and wearing wedding rings.
I highly recommend it.
Yup. Courthouse + two friends for witnesses.
We had 27 guests in total, went for a big lunch had our ceremony there, did wear a nice dress but not white. Made our own pictures. And 12 months later when we finally had papers organised we went to the municipality and got it signed 🤣.
I’ve posted this before but my husband and I got married by ourselves in our kayaks in the middle of a lake up near Aspen. Colorado does not require officiants or witnesses to a wedding and we’re both just quiet people who wanted the day to be about us. The only people who knew were our bosses because we called in that day to go.
ETA: We later had a backyard BBQ party that close friends and family came to celebrate with us. Total spent was about $1k on catered BBQ, specialty cupcakes and booze.
Do it! And yes, hire a photographer and wear a dress that makes you feel bridal. Just because you don’t invite people doesn’t mean it’s not your wedding and you shouldn’t celebrate and make it special.
YES! And I would totally do it again. We went to an island in the Caribbean and got married. Didn’t take a single soul with us. Basically a honeymoon and wedding in one. Got married overlooking the ocean. 100% stress free. I did get a dress, because I always wanted that, and my husband wore a tuxedo.
The hotel had a bunch of packages to choose from. They provided a photographer and officiant and took care of all the paperwork. They also provided a bouquet for me and boutonniere for my husband, private dinner, a small cake, and even breakfast in bed the next morning. Got married overlooking the ocean. 100% stress free. Been married 21 years.
Yes I got married with two witnesses and that’s it. I did not wear a wedding dress, our witnesses took photos for us, it cost us $250 plus the license fee. I’ve never had any regrets about doing it that way.
We eloped while on vacation with friends. It was quick and easy. It was exactly what we wanted.
I had a very small wedding, just some friends and a bit of family. We didn’t tell everyone about it, so it was a surprise to the friends and family when they received our marriage notice in the mail. We actually lost some friends, who were offended that they weren’t invited, it also worsened a huge rift on my husband’s side (there was already a rift anyway, which is why we didn’t invite many people, to avoid confrontation and negativity on our wedding day). So, the way I feel is your damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If you choose to exclude people for the sake of making your day as peaceful as possible, you will likely offend someone. If you choose to invite problematic family or friends out of a sense of duty, it could ruin your day or cause hurt to other guests who might be beefing with each other. So, we decided to prioritize peace and good vibes on our day, as we didn’t want to have to run interference or manage family issues at our own wedding.
It’s called eloping and yes, we did it. No wedding dress. No photographer. Just us and some friends as witnesses (required) on the beach.
Yeah, we eloped abroad, just the two of us. We exchanged our vows in a state park. It was amazing and intimate. A special cherished memory only the two of us share.
To answer your questions, I wanted a wedding dress, so I got one. We wanted pictures, so we hired a photographer. He was also one of our witnesses. He was with us for about 1-2 hours IIRC. Not a long package, since it was just the two of us like you said.