Can't decide how much to spend on wedding

TonyMMM

Mojisola wrote: »

Have you told Doncaster?
http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/births-marriages-deaths-nationality/contact-us-registry-office

GRO ( The General Register Office) won't be impressed with that ....

MandM90

Spoke to the in laws last night and they're totally supportive if we want to have just a meal, but if we were to have a little reception they've offered to foot the bill. MIL to be says she thinks it would be nice if we gave people the opportunity to celebrate with us, even if just for the evening.

We all frequent a little pub in Marlow a lot and the owners would be willing to shut it any evening we choose, even a weekend. I've seen some lovely photos online of people who decorated little old fashioned pubs with bunting and jars of baby's breath. It would just be a matter of deciding how to feed people. OH doesn't want to offend his friends but hates the idea of being centre of attention...lots to think about!

duchy

TonyMMM wrote: »

GRO ( The General Register Office) won't be impressed with that ....

Probably done for the very sensible reason that anyone looking for them on the net would put registry not register as that's the common term for it. Whether it's accurate is less important in that context.

Not much point in having an online presence if your service users can't find you !

prosaver

You can hire a hotel room and have meals served.

Or you could hire a room in a pub and bring your own buffet food.
I done that for my son christening went well .

paddyrg

Don't underestimate some of the different, fun venues licenced for weddings. In Bath there's a gorgeous small old cinema which has weddings often during the season and the guests go wild for it!

JessicaLucyanne

Have you thought of the guild hall in Windsor? A bit further out but lovely venue for a registry office. Could you hire a marquee an just have your reception in the in laws garden?

balletshoes

MandM90 wrote: »

Possibly a silly question, but can you marry at any registry office or only a local one? I'd love a pretty one, and we can marry any day as it'll only be very close family attending.

We are only 25, with a £217k mortgage, dreams of travel and renovations and other things. I think I've decided that thousands of pounds for a wedding just isn't where our priorities lie right now.

OHs uncle has offered us a safari trip for our present (he runs a hotel out in Africa) and in laws to be will pay for flights.

Mum's offered to pay the £1k for the bespoke diamond wedding ring to match my engagement ring. We used the family jewellers OHs whole family have used for years, so they've offered to throw his palladium ring in for free.

I think I'll wear my 4 year old white sundress to the ceremony. OH wants to wear a white shirt and chinos.

I suppose all we have to arrange is the marriage, grub and booze. I'm feeling all disproportionately excited at the idea of a low-key affair now.

that sounds perfect OP .

ALIBOBSY

TBH that low key affair sounds very simular to what we did.

The reality is people often spend too much time worrying about a wedding day and not enough time into making a marriage.

We just had our closest family and went to our local registry office where a lovely lady registra did our ceremony. I bought a crushed velvet dress with matching jacket, shoes and hat. As it was december and there was only a few of us we went to a lovely local pub and had a 3 course crimbo dinner (even had crackers and party hats lol). Then back to my parents where a few more people came and we had a homemade buffet and a few drinks with a cake made by my mum and decorated by her friend.

It was lovely and very personal and still has alot of meaning for us both even now almost 20 yrs later, there was no stress, no debt afterwards and no arguments. It cost around £500 all in tbh and I still have and sometimes wear the dress.

It also meant my parents were able to help us with a house deposit a couple of years later meaning we jumped on the housing ladder in 1999 before prices went bonkers.

The only thing I MIGHT have done differently is to have had a party afterwards with a disco rather than a really small do at mums, but we plan on having a do for our 25th, so plenty of time to save up

Ali x

paddyrg

RRRivas, not sure everyone flying from the UK (where this forum and all members is based) to Florida (which you're promoting) is really great money-saving, let alone under £3k!

Gloomendoom

MandM90 wrote: »

I did at one point look into registering somewhere but it needs to be a place which is publicly accessible which would make a private home up a one track road a bit of a no-no.

My wife's uncle registered his house as a wedding venue and that is a private home at the end of a one track road. He originally did it because some friends of his wanted to get married at his house, but he now does several weddings a year.

We used it as the venue for our wedding reception although we got married at the local church.