How do I go about getting married?

[ButterPie]

DP and I want to get married this summer. We are pretty skint, so thinking register office then the local theatre for the party with some form of buffet. Thinking we will hire costumes from the theatre. We have a couple of ideas date wise, do we just ring the register office and theatre to see if they are available then sort out some form of invite? (thinking of putting it on facebook asap so people can save the date then send something out in the post)

How much money are we likely to need as a minimum? Any tips?

[ironlikealion]

Congratulations!

I would check with the theatre first as their availability might be more limited, you probably have a choice of diff register offices you could use.

Here is more info on the legal procedure how to marry

Minimum budget will depend on your theatre plan.

[ButterPie]

The theatre should be free, the ILs are involved in running it and we ran it by them tonight, they have to check but should be ok as apparently amateur dramatics don't happen in the summer

Thanks!

Apart from the costume/theatre hire, what kind of money are we talking? Would £500 cover it? Want to do a half decent buffet of food from Lancashire and Newcastle (where we each come from) but not bothered about much else being too fancy, just want to get people together really.

[lilacclaire]

I think the registry office will be a couple of hundred.
My younger skint brother got married a few months ago and managed a sit down dinner for about 50 of us out the chip shop to save costs (everybody loved it).
People gave things for the wedding instead of 'gifts', someone got them a cake, a friend who's a photographer done the pictures, someone had a jag and stuck a ribbon on it for the wedding car, the band were friends so their payment was a fish supper!
Best man paid for night time buffet which was contents of lots of 'munchy boxes' from indian takeaway and some wraps/sandwiches from local sandwich shop.
It was honestly a great day/night and tbh, I much preferred the food to the formal sit down meals and so did everyone else judging by the clean plates.

[ButterPie]

By the theatre being free, I mean not booked, no idea how much it will cost but can't see it being loads.

[ButterPie]

lilacclaire - really? a couple of hundred? how can they justify that for less than ten people watching us sign a form? Meh!

[lilacclaire]

Yip, give them a call, he payed a £50 deposit so not all up front.
Also her neice wanted to say a poem she had written, the registry office said that they had to see it first and they removed any wording that was in anyway religious.
Very strict!