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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask about your registry office weddings

50 replies

B3ck89 · 21/03/2019 20:43

Hi so, Few questions after booking our ceremony Grin
It’s took months for us to decide if we are going to save our arses off for a fairly biggish wedding, or go for small so we can still live comfortable.
We have both been married before too, both had fairly big wedding.
I have quite a few family (aunties, uncles, cousins etc) where as my partner don’t .
We have decided on a beautiful registry office (an hour away), and was going to take everyone for a meal after, then drinks in our town in the evening. weddings at 12 which is the latest time they had on a Saturday.

Questions are Smile

Did you arrive together? Or separate like at traditional wedding?

Did you have the room made up? I’ve seen photos of the registry office and some of the photos, it looks like chair covers and bows were hired/bought

What did you do after?

Did you have just the 1 bridesmaid, or more?

Would love to hear of other people’s experience of their day 😁

OP posts:
Chasingsquirrels · 21/03/2019 20:47

Mine was small, parents (3 in total), siblings and spouse (3 in total), children (4) and close friends (5 in total) plus the 2 of us.
We went together, with my 2 kids who live with us, walked into the registry office together. I don't recall how the room was dressed.
I didn't have any bridesmaids etc.

SauvingnonBlanketyBlanc · 21/03/2019 20:53

I went to one a few weeks ago,it was lovely but the room was very basic so to make it more "weddingy" you would need to decorate the chairs etc. You can choose between basic,medium and long services .

Bumbumtaloo · 21/03/2019 20:57

Mine was in a beautiful room and so we didn’t add any decorations. We arrived separately, him with his family and me with my dad. We were spoken to separately before I walked down the aisle. I decided not to have any bridesmaids. Our service was around 20mins and after we went into the gardens and had pictures taken. We then all went back to our house for a bbq, there was 23 including us and our daughter.

Celebelly · 21/03/2019 20:58

Following! How basic is a basic ceremony? We literally want the least frills option there is!

huggybear · 21/03/2019 20:59

Had no bridesmaids, no decorations, all walked together, took 5 mins. Perfect.

Bumbumtaloo · 21/03/2019 21:00

Sorry pressed send to soon. My mum got married in an office within the registry office, just 4 of us and the service literally took 5mins. We then went for breakfast at the pub.

BackseatKnitter · 21/03/2019 21:01

We had 11 guests (family only) and arrived together. We didn’t bring anything with us - the registry office was already set up with neutral-ish flowers and chair covers.

We had planned on spending time on the beach afterwards but it was throwing it down so we went off to get what photos we could and then went for fish and chips in a sit-down restaurant. After that we got changed into normal clothes and went for a drink.

No bridesmaids, not much planning. Neither of us have been married before but we didn’t want a big day and had better things to spend the money on.

The only thing I would have changed in hindsight would be to not invite DH’s brother and SIL as we don’t really get on and invited them out of obligation. Them being with us in such a small group jarred the day and they were their usual ignorant selves . Otherwise I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Original poster
B3ck89 · 21/03/2019 21:03

Thankyou for replies 😁
There is max 20 of us including us 2 and children, immediate family only.
The registry office we have chose is lovely inside and out, I wasn’t sure if we was allowed to decorate chairs etc, I will ask them but definitely trying to keep costs down to a minimum

OP posts:
HeyCarrieAnneWhatsYourGame · 21/03/2019 21:05

We came in together. Was lovely, I wouldn’t have changed that. I was very happy that we walked in to get married hand in hand. No bridesmaid but I had a Best Woman.... who did a reading.

mustdrinkwaternotwine · 21/03/2019 21:08

DH-to-be, 5yo DD, 3yo DS & I stayed in a hotel the night before, got ready together & walked down to the venue where we met our 8 other guests. Beautiful old room & set up with smart chairs. The day before my mum & I had put together my bouquet and flowers for the table & window sills (peonies & roses from Tesco - £15 I total), we took a speaker so we could play music from our phone, champagne glasses & champagne (DS' pushchair came in very handy!) and that was it.

HeyCarrieAnneWhatsYourGame · 21/03/2019 21:09

Sorry hit “post” too soon. Our RO was a really beautiful building and room, so didn’t need decorating. We had around 50 people total. Went back to my parents for champagne and Waitrose sarnies and then took everyone to dinner at a nice gastropub.

SpringLake · 21/03/2019 21:11

Arrived separately, but were together the night before.

No, but I had a posy of flowers which looked nice on the table, and we had refreshments for guests.

Just a private space at a restaurant

Just the two witnesses, which were our best man and bridesmaid.

I would just say that, especially if you have a pretty building, get an official photographer for an hour or two to capture the ceremony and group. I wasn't keen on lots of pictures, but those were nice to remember the day.

Meretricious · 21/03/2019 21:11

We traveled together (with most of the guests) then he went in first and I followed with my brother giving me away...not really. But he walked in with me.

4 young teenage bridesmaids. White non meringue dress. Bouquet.

The room was already with flowers. We could have had a reading but didn’t.

DontCallMeShitley · 21/03/2019 21:12

We spent the night before as usual, together, only difference being that our photographer stayed over.

Went together in the morning, on foot. The room wasn't decorated especially, just how it would normally be. We had about a dozen guests, maybe 15, I can't remember. All wandered out in a crocodile afterwards to a small park for photos.

DontCallMeShitley · 21/03/2019 21:12

BTW we were on a very small budget.

AlunWynsKnee · 21/03/2019 21:12

The room was nice and simple and fitted the feel of our wedding so no extra decorating. We arrived together, had some pictures and a chat with everyone first. We had 2 short poems during the service and then off to a restaurant for a good meal.
Sounds a bit basic but it wasn't really. It was a really good day :)
Hope you feel equally happy with your day.

Original poster
B3ck89 · 21/03/2019 21:14

Just thought of another 2 things I didn’t think of.

Do I have flowers for myself?
Did anyone have any music?

Sorry for such silly questions

OP posts:
Thelieswetelltoourselves · 21/03/2019 21:14

Celebelly most basic is in registrar's actual office with two witnesses. No ceremony or guests. £50 plus £70 wedding licence fees

ItWentDownMyHeartHole · 21/03/2019 21:17

Just us and our witnesses in the room. We arrived separately. The whole place had just been redecorated so looked lovely, although the CD player was very obviously chained to the wall (people walk off with them otherwise apparently). You need to choose some music if you want it. The ceremony as such took 5 minutes.
Lunch for family after and then a party for friends in a bar in the evening. Was lovely.
Have a great day Smile

Bumbumtaloo · 21/03/2019 21:19

I had flowers, and the men had button holes. We had 4 songs, one when I walked in, two whilst we signed the register and one when we walked out. We did our own CD and I dropped it off the day before, a) so they could check it would work in their CD player and b) so they could check there were no religious songs in our choices.

When we booked we were given a wedding pack which outlined everything to us and we then picked what vows we wanted to say to each other and what kind of service we wanted. We chose to say traditional vows to each other.

Honeyroar · 21/03/2019 21:19

We had a similar wedding with about 30 people. The room was in s beautiful old hall with oak panel walls and pillars so really didn’t need decorations. It even had lovely flowers. There was a grand sweeping staircase that was wonderful for pictures afterwards too.

Re the actual ceremony, there were three different versions of the actual legal vows you have to say, some were very short, others a bit longer. You can add readings and your own vows if you want, but they can’t be religious. If you chose the short version and didn’t add anything you could be done in literally a couple of minutes. Even if you pick the longer version and jazz it up with readings it’s a noticeably short ceremony compared to a church wedding.

LellyMcKelly · 21/03/2019 21:21

I had 70 plus 4 bridesmaids, but our registry office was a very grand city hall where lots of ‘fancy’ weddings took place, and the room was already dressed and had huge stained glass windows.

SpeckledyHen · 21/03/2019 21:23

11 of us in total which included one toddler
Arrived together
Register Office was lovely and no need to decorate - flowers were provided
No bridesmaids etc
I wore a green dress and had a small bouquet of flowers
No music
No photographer

Lunch in a posh hotel in a private room
Stayed the night there

ChangedToday · 21/03/2019 21:25

About 10 years ago. Pretty room in boring building, we didn't do any extra set-up but supplied some music, they had arranged some flowers and a cushion for the rings. ~16 guests. No 'bridesmaid' just 2 witnesses (my sister and her long-term boyfriend). Arrived together, we had to enter via the 'office' where some formalities needed to be completed first. Then joined the guests who had already assembled in the main room. Afterwards milled around outside (scenic outside, weather gorgeous) for informal photos. Then walked to local restaurant where we had a nice meal with everyone.

Nobodyelsewillbethere · 21/03/2019 21:25

These weddings, to me, sound amazing. Simple and about the marriage. Not the event.

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