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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if you had strangers as witnesses...

63 replies

junglebookisthebest · 04/09/2017 20:05

... to your low key wedding?
How did you 'get' them?
Get there early to accost random people in the street?
Are you allowed to ask people that work in the registry office?
Any tips/stories welcomed as we've just booked our wedding for next summer but are doing it on our own and wondering about the practicalities of it...

OP posts:

MiddleagedManic · 04/09/2017 22:29

We asked a couple of people in Starbucks in the morning but they were busy apparently. Wasn't too brave to accost people in the street - was harder than I thought. Ended up calling someone I had worked with who I knew was in the office that day and would say 'yes'.

My advice is to have a plan, don't leave it to the last minute, unless you can get them from the registry office, which you may be able to do.

Original poster

junglebookisthebest · 04/09/2017 22:55

Thanks all for sharing!
Middleagedmanic - you make a good point about having a plan - I'm a bit of a control freak as well as being quite shy so maybe best to have one! We've had to pay for the fancy enhanced ceremony so our children can attend so I suspect there will be some conversations before the day with the registrar and I now know that I can turn to mumsnet!
P.s. it is a thursday ;-)

OP posts:

Teuchterlass · 04/09/2017 22:59

When I was 16 and Mum worked as a distillery guide, a couple took her tour then, at the end, approached her rather embarrassed and announced they were getting married 3 days later (Boxing Day) in our village. They asked whether there was any chance Mum (plus a friend if she had one free) would witness their wedding.
Mum said yes and offered my services as a second witness and arranged to meet them at the registry office where the couple, their young daughter, Mum and I would attend the wedding. Unknown to them, in the meantime, Mum and I managed to source a cake too use as a wedding cake and Mum arranged a small wedding breakfast with champagne for afters. When we told them what we had done they were overwhelmed. I acted as witness and photographer and we all had a lovely day. 38 years later Mum still gets a Christmas card and letter and they still visit when they are up our way.

Germgirl · 04/09/2017 23:04

We got married in Vegas. The photographer and the chapel receptionist were our witnesses.

Aquamarine1029 · 04/09/2017 23:27

My husband and I had a stranger witness for us, and while we were waiting for our turn at the courthouse, another couple asked my husband to witness for them because one of their daughters wasn't yet 18 and legally couldn't. It was so fun and we had a wonderful little ceremony.

Rainbunny · 05/09/2017 02:22

We got married in San Francisco and even though it was a low key elopement we arranged for a photographer for the a couple of hours. The photographer and his assistant were our witnesses :)

fatfingeredfran · 05/09/2017 02:23

We got married in secret in a busy city centre registry office. I was worried as thought most people would be too busy to do it, I had thought that people would have more time for this at a more suburban/rural location. However I didn't have to worry - the first 2 people we asked were delighted, they were tourists so they were not in a rush to get back to work or anything. They actually cried during our ceremony!! We didn't know them beforehand and they were not from the UK, but that didn't matter as long as they understood enough English to give consent and sign the forms.

Everydayaschoolday · 05/09/2017 02:51

We got married at Gretna (on holiday with my husband-to-be and his 3 kids at Center Parcs, so my wedding day consisted of flume rides and badminton!). We paid for 2 witnesses (a local husband and wife) as part of the package when we booked the Gretna venue 6 months previously. We didn't know them but they were lovely and were included in the (few) wedding photos taken.

HappenedForAReisling · 05/09/2017 04:35

The photographer and videographer were our witnesses (overseas wedding).

The day after we got married we met a lovely couple in the hotel pool and wished we'd met them a couple of days earlier so they could be our witnesses (they were on honeymoon)

Many years later we're still in touch and have visited each other too.

itsmetree · 05/09/2017 06:58

We got married secretly in Copenhagen and had the security guard and an office worker from the town hall as our witnesses

TheSnowFairy · 05/09/2017 07:03

We asked two ladies from the old people's home opposite.

They were lovely!

wineoclockthanks · 05/09/2017 07:58

Oh, oh, Thursday is my day off 😜 Just mentioning it!

youvegottobekidding · 05/09/2017 14:08

We got married in Cairo. A policeman (who wasn't a total stranger but my husband's friend) & a student (who was a stranger) we're our witnesses!

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