Courthouse wedding, reception later?

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

I say go for the courthouse wedding and invite a few close friends out for dinner after. Weddings usually aren't for the bride and groom, but more to show off for everyone else. I will say that my first marriage sounds a lot like the setup (family problems etc) that yours is, and we would probably still be together if we had kept family out of it and just eloped. Instead the wedding turned into a big fiasco and years later his family still hates me because I didn't take his grandmother's advice on my hairstyle.

Look at it this way: get married now because you want to be married. If you want a big party later, you can always hold a wedding to renew your vows. Take the money you'll save and have a really nice vacation, just the two of you!

[BigGirlPanties 957]

@jamilyne 102668 we always told everyone we'd get married on the "twelfth of never" so it seemed fitting...we were engaged for 7 years... I really didn't see the big deal about a wedding anymore... but I will be with him forever... he is my everything

[ziggypbang 272]

We did it! No regrets! It was a beautiful day and we actually got married out on the lawn of the courthouse, under a tree on July 3. We at lunch at Cheesecake Factory, then went to a local botanical gardens and wandered around a took pics. It was lovely. When we got home, we bid for a hotel room on priceline.com - got a great deal on a classy hotel and stayed there for a few nights.

We had a reception in October, and the stress was considerably less that I imagine it would have been with bridesmaids, a minister, flowers, and whatnot. We even skipped the traditional wedding cake (I am not a cake person) but had a variety of cheesecakes for people to choose from at the reception. Mmmm, cheesecake...

[Katcloudshepherd 630]

KrinstinaRnY,

I had a "shotgun" wedding--not because I was pregnant but because we were both in the Army and if we didn't get married we would have been stationed in different states. I was in Korea and Lewis was at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. I had bought the wedding dress at a clearance sale before I went to Korea. We had originally planned to wait until I got back from Korea but the Army was sending me everywhere BUT Fort Sam Houston.

We were married in a strip mall at "The Little Wedding Chapel" in San Antonio, TX in 1992. Lewis and I are still married but "The Little Wedding Chapel" has long since closed. He had to arrange everything. The Little Wedding Chapel made it so easy because it was beautifully decorated and had a recommendation for a photographer. We had a very small wedding and the reception was pot-luck at his cousin's house.

Lewis even sent me an invitation to may own wedding! He joked that "he wanted to make sure I'd show up" I flew in on a Tuesday and we married the following Saturday.

To top it off--he had a herniated disc in his neck fused the month before. The bride had jet lag, (Korea is opposite time of day from South Texas) and the groom was wearing a cervical collar.

Large opulent weddings are over-rated. I'd love to know how many of the marriages from over-the-top weddings taking months of planning and stress lasted.

I'm all for a small, no fuss wedding.

Blessings,

Kathleen

[Susysleever 265]

We had a Carnival Cruise wedding. Pack your passport and a dress. They can do your hair on the ship. We got off at Jamaica, had a limo dive us up to a botanical garden. Brautiful. And we had a Jamaican rum wedding cake

Edited May 23, 2014 by Susysleever

[I will what I want 271]

As someone who spent way too much money

[I will what I want 271]

As someone who spent way too much money and time on a wedding for all the wrong reasons...do what you feel is best for you and your love. I've wished many times we had all the money back on our wedding that we did for other people! Spend it on an amazing honeymoon instead! (We also didn't have supportive family. His didn't even bother to show up....and he is a great man...the rest of them, not so much)

Your life is your own. Live it on your terms. Many congrats on getting married!

[Susysleever 265]

Beach wedding. Jamaica and Cancun are cheap

[millergirl314 168]

My husband and I had a planned wedding in Las Vegas. It was great! We bought this package deal that included cake and champagne and hair and makeup done for me, it simple yet elegant in a pretty chappel inside a resort. And then we went in our honeymoon too!

[KristinaRnY 455]

You know I have seen pics of some of those package deal Vegas weddings and they are beautiful! They have come a long way.

[kimk1999 450]

First wedding was too big and too extravagant. We lasted 10 years but that was about 5-7 too many, well probably 10 too many. Also, by the time my wedding came it didn't feel like my wedding as I had done too much to please other people.

Been engaged now for about 2 years. Told this one that we will not have a big wedding at all. Tried suggesting going to courthouse but he at least wants us to make the 12 hr drive to see my grandfather who is a minister. It would still be super small.

Do what makes you happy.

[Susysleever 265]

I married my bff and her husband wearing an elvis costume. I got elvis vows and everything. You can have anybody marry you. Monestary.org. Ordained!

[Sparklingbeauty53 202]

It will be romantic if you make it romantic. Perhaps by a tree or favorite park or coffee shop? The courhouse wouldn't be my choice but it could be yours. Just put some planning into it and it will be perfect and just the way you want it. Congratulations. Oh mine was perfect-a huge affair and planned for a year but that was what I wanted. It is your day to do as you want!

[Luvin_Life125 558]

We got married at the courthouse 15 years ago and I have never regretted the decision. We gave everyone 2 weeks notice and about 20 members of our family showed up. We went to a local restaurant for dinner afterwards and had wedding cake for dessert. I still wore the white dress (just a simple dress), he wore a suit, I still had a bouquet. It was perfect for us because I am a very introverted person and do not like being the center of attention at all! We took the money we saved by having a small wedding and had a beautiful 2 week honeymoon in Cozumel, MX at an all inclusive resort. We had so much fun and it was perfect for us. My mom and his mom both had major melt downs because we didn't do a big family wedding and formal reception but they didn't realize how uncomfortable I would have been. We stuck to our guns and have never regretted our decision. You have to do what makes you happy ad fits your needs and nobody else's. we were 21/22 when we got married so it was really hard to stick to our position and go against our parents, but it worked out in the end. We have now been happily married for over 15 years and have 2 wonderful sons.

[1Day1Life4Now 882]

I've been married for 35 years and I had the big wedding that i really couldn't afford. It started out small and my husband and his family just made it grow and grow...the pics are lovely. If I had to do it all over I would do a destination wedding somewhere nice. I'd pack my wedding dress and get married in a small little romantic chapel somewhere on a small island. All you need is a bride and a groom and a minister. Any wedding can be as romantic as you want it to be...just make it so. Big weddings are not just difficult on the bride and groom, they are difficult and expensive for the bridal party, the families and the guests. Make it small and make it count. Just marry the right person, that's all that matters.