Getting married next year, and really didn't want a fuss. If I had my way, it would be Vegas or Gretna Green, but family pressure meant we compromised on a small wedding with around 15 people.
The ceremony is in a registry office and that's all fine. The problem is with the bit after - we wanted something small, and as it's a weekday, the pubs (we liked), said they only serve food between noon and 2pm which was no good for us. I looked into hotels, but they still wanted extortionate amounts, including a £100 room hire charge for a 2 hour meal, and around £50 per head (drinks not included).
We settled on a tea room we found, which advertised itself as a wedding afternoon tea venue. This works great, as we didn't want the formality of a sit down meal. Deposit has been paid, and cost around £35 a head for everything, which is still pricey but hotels were charging £50, plus room hire, plus a minimum guest requirement of 30. It would be closed for everyone except us.
However, the tea room itself is on a busy high street. I thought this would be fine, as the atmosphere inside kind of takes away from that. However, I've started thinking about how much I'll be judged by some of the guests, who are probably expecting a formal affair in lavish beautiful grounds. In reality, it's a tea shop. I want a small do, but I don't want it to be remembered for all the wrong reasons or to feel embarrassed on the day.
What would you think if you went to a wedding like this - would you cringe? 