Emergency wedding!

[flowerpowergirl]

I find myself in the surprising position of having to arrange a wedding for myself and partner at v short notice and need some ideas pls! V briefly we move abroad due to company relocation but need to be married for me to get the visas etc. We never bothered getting married but are as good as - been together 10 years, 2 DC etc. We are keeping it v small, just v close family and the children but want something memorable and different/quirky. Must be in UK. Am thinking ceremony somewhere unusual (Cornwall? Lakes? beach?) and meal somewhere nice afterwards. All ideas much appreciated.
Oh, and what to wear? I don't want the big white dress but what else is appropriate?
Thanks.

[LadyMedea]

Really depends on your budget....

If you are working on a small budget you can look out for nice registry offices. I used to work in the Harrogate office which is in a gorgeous double fronted Georgian house. The wedding rooms are really pretty. Also lots of good places for nice receptions near by.

At this time of year most venues will be able to accommodate you on a weekday. Just go online for one of the websites that list them all and pick a few to call up.

On the dress there are lots of lovely ready to wear options available. Cream or ivory is still nice if you fancy it. You could go for a fifties tea dress or a shift depending on your figure.

[Coffee1Sugar]

Could you clarify which country insists your married to move to? That's a huge ask of your/the company relocating you.

[Walkacrossthesand]

Pick a location that is special to you - e.g. someone I know got married in the Scilly Isles, no idea of details!- and sort out the technical side (licensed venue etc) around that. Once you've picked a location there's bound to be a nearby MNer to recommend a good place for a meal! If its the Lakes you're after, PM me - I have a friend who lives there who could recommend somewhere for wedding breakfast. Outfit - a pretty dress is all you need, and a guest who's good with a camera! Hope you have a lovely day.

[gallicgirl]

Try The Cove hotel at Lamorna in Cornwall.

If you're not that bothered then just see what dates are available at your local registrars office. You can get married anywhere but have to make declarations at your local office 2 weeks in advance of the actual wedding.

[gallicgirl]

Or Seiners hotel at Perranporth in Cornwall, its pretty much on the beach.

[DontSHOUTTTTTT]

Yay! That is exactly what happened to us and it was the best wedding ever. We had one week to arrange it. (USA work visa Requirement) We just had our immediate family members.
We booked a private room in a beautiful posh riverside restaurant which was available as we got married on a Wednesday morning and had the long meal in the afternoon. It was so relaxing and happy.
We went to harrods to buy rings but didnt realise they didn't keep all the sizes in stock. Luckily we found two lovely rings in our sizes which were 'display' models.
I was 5mths pregnant so bought a pretty Monsoon non wedding dress.

We paid for everything. We didn't have cars/invites/a wedding cake/photos etcetc etc but we did have a great time.

If you go somewhere midweek you could book a couple of nights in a hotel with your families. I would guess hotels would have availability at this time of year. I would phone around some hotels and see what's available. Try and keep it simple

Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic time.

(My only tiny weeny regret is that I couldn't drink )

[flowerpowergirl]

thanks for the ideas .Coffee - we are going to China and to be honest the company haven't mentioned anything about getting married. We are told there are ways around it by our relocation agent but we feel we want the security of being married in case something goes wrong - just makes it easier for us to come and go separately if we need to. I'm actually surprised how excited I feel given I've been a staunch cohabitee for 10 years!

[ScarletWomanoftheVillage]

Tunnels beaches, Ilfracombe.

Congratulation!

[Absolutelylost]

We got married at Crear in Argyll. It was gorgeous!

www.crearweddings.co.uk/

[overmydeadbody]

Sounds exciting! I think small weddings that haven't been overplanned for months and months are the best!

Perhaps you could ask for this to be moved to Weddings to get more ideas? Or even chat?

[Coffee1Sugar]

Well I wish you loads of luck

[legoqueen]

The priest's house nr Bolton abbey. Stunning location, lovely food.

[venusandmars]

Scotland is a great place to get married - you can have your ceremony anywhere, inside or outside, and there are more options for your ceremony too. In Scotland as well as being married by a registrar or in a church, you can also have a legal humanist or interfaith wedding, both of which can be completely personal and unique. There is no residency requirement to be married in Scotland, and you can complete all the arrangements within 3 weeks.

This place about 20 miles from Edinburgh has 4 double rooms, and a fabulous location right on the beach.

[JsOtherHalf]

A friend of ours got married in Portmeirion village, it was gorgeous.

www.portmeirion-village.com/

[DontmindifIdo]

Burgh Island - have a 30's deco theme. It gets cut off at high tide and becomes an Island.

Agatha Christie stayed there.

[HMG83]

Congratulations!!!!

Portmeirion - North Wales. Absolutely stunning, unusual and relatively cheap too......that's where my wedding was booked when I nearly got married 3 years ago.

[DragonMamma]

Carbis Bay, St Ives is fabulous

[flowerpowergirl]

Hi all, thanks so much for all your great ideas. I feel like I need several weddings! I am def going to look into some of these. I like the Burgh Island idea and 1930s theme. I am going to re-post in weddings too. Thanks everyone.

[absentmindeddooooodles]

I live in Cornwall and planning my wedding at the mi. have been to see loads of beautiful venues local to the Truro and Falmouth areas. Depends what kind of thing you are looking for? Alverton manor in Truro is gorgeous and you can have the ceremony reception and stay there too. Trevaskis farm is a lovely place to have a reception too. St Ives also has some great places but gets slightly pricier? I'm not ona huge budget myself but we have managed to get a ceremony at a castle and a while weekend stay for 15, plus a big buffet meal and reception for 200 along with exclusive weekend long hire of a farm with converted barns an tipis for under £3500. That's including everything like the dress and kilts for 6 groomsmen and 5 bridesmaid dresses and rings etc. plus it won't matter if its raining as its all inside or undercover. Some great deals to be had down here! Really hope you find somewhere special for the both of you and have a wonderful day x

[LadyMedea]

if you can afford burgh island go for it... i went there for my 30th birthday and it was just so special. Low key old fashioned luxury. You may need a second mortgage though.

[flowerpowergirl]

I have always wanted to stay at Burgh Island. We have visited often but never into the hotel! I have just looked at their website and it looks amazing but yes, v expensive!

[PotteringAlong]

Can you get married at the Eden project?

On the london eye?

My DH went to a wedding last year at the Tower of London