Getting married...with no guests

Alyssa.C

My partner and I want to plan a Las Vegas wedding, found a package for $150 with a 5 guest limit ($25 for each extra guest)

But we dont want any guests

How do we explain this to our parents / grandparents / other relatives / friends??

The reason being, we want to arrange car hire from Los Angeles, and spend a few days there,
then over to Las Vegas for the wedding ceremony, then a fortnight in Disneyworld orlando

Then hire a hall for back home to have a small party to celebrate our marriage.

So we can afford a holiday together and get married in one

We have told them about the Disneyworld trip which they are happy with, but havent exposed the rest of our ideas!

I dont want to upset anyone, but my partner and I feel, its our wedding and we want to enjoy it on our own...without being selfish...i guess it is kind of selfish but its what we want.

Help please!
Aly

LJM

its your wedding you do it as you wish, you will still be having a ceremony back home later so enjoy it and just tell them i bet it wont be as bad as you think

meritaten

hun - you are at least inviting your parents and son! everyone else will just have to wait until you get back to celebrate!
If you havent told anyone yet you are getting married - then DONT! tell them you are all going on holiday to Disneyworld but when you get back to save a date as you are having a party.
Then announce you are married at the party - have someone wheel in a wedding cake and.........enjoy your reception!

lostinrates

We got married without friend/family.

We told people the truth....it was, mainly, a formality, albeit a romantic one. We had lived together for two years and nothing changed: we loved each other, were committed to each other. We told friends/family we loved them, and hoped to celebrate it with them all when we next saw them.

rachbc

I wouln't tell them til its a done deed - I quite like the idea of a secret wedding. However, personally I couldn't have got married without my kids there...

meritaten

the OP has said she wants to invite parents, grandparents and her son to the wedding - couldnt they be sworn to secrecy? but I wouldnt expect them to pay their own way! reception for everyone else when they get back? that sounds like fun!

katie1234

I'm doing the same thing! Well not the orlando bit. We just booked it and when everyone enquired about how they would go we just said it's just the two of us going. I'm the only daughter and my partners an only child. Naturally there are people that want to be there but at the end of the day it's our wedding. So many people that had the big affair have come up to me now and said your doing the right thing and I wish I had done that!

belfastgirl23

I didn't think the OP wanted immediate family at the wedding, but wanted to get married on their own, then travel on to Orlando where family would be waiting.

I guess a lot depends on your family OP. I have to say for me it would seem a bit rich to travel all the way out there and not go to the ceremony but if your family really wants to go to Orlando anyway or goes there regularly then it might seem a bit less of a problem to them.

I'm just a bit confused I guess - I totally understand wanting to get married on your own but not inviting all your rellies out afterwards but it takes all sorts...

As a PS can everyone definitely afford it? That's the main issue that causes ill feeling IMHO - people who feel obliged to go but can't afford it, people who want the money for something else, inlaws who don't really want to spend the holiday money on going off with their DH or DWs family etc ...

DKLS

A friend of mine went off to Vegas for a "holiday" on their return they emailed all friends and family a powerpoint, which showed various pics of them in and around vegas, grand canyon, and the very last slide, said PS we got married!!! and showed a pic of them in little chapel.

Didnt go down well apparently but that was the idea as it would be world war III if they had a traditional wedding.

pupsicola

Its your wedding, do it your way and dont feel guilty about it. My family planned and took over my big day. To the extent that none of it was how I would have liked it to be. Dont end up having the same regrets.

BitterAndTwisted

The only thing glaringly wrong with the whole plan is the drive from Vegas to Orlando: that's about 2,500 miles!

Friends of mine planned a trip from New Mexico to California and got married on their own on the way. Solved lots of complicated family stuff and the photos were fun.

OP: it's your wedding so you do exactly what you want.