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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

Is it possible to organise a wedding by mid September???

47 replies

minko · 04/07/2009 22:40

DP and I have been together 10 years in September and he is also 40 the same week. Am thinking of finally organising a smallish wedding on his birthday, and combine the parties. (Not really for financial reasons but just because if we're going to get all our friends together we might as well get married too!)

I'm thinking register office do, then meal with the in-laws and close friends, then big party with DJ for the evening.

Do-able???

OP posts:
frAKKINPannikin · 04/07/2009 22:41

Definitely.

Shortest time I've ever known someone put a wedding together (and a church one at that) is 6 weeks. You have nearly double that.

Original poster
minko · 04/07/2009 22:43

How do you go about finding where suitable venues are near you???

OP posts:
Tommy · 04/07/2009 22:43

friend of mine did it in 3 weeks - easily doable (unless you want 15 bridesmaids all in matching hand made dresses and all the other nonsense that seems to go with weddings these days... [hm])

frAKKINPannikin · 04/07/2009 22:46

Well, do you want places which are licensed for the ceremony or just for the do afterwards?

www.weddingvenues.com is a good place to start.

Otherwise any large hotels, hire a church hall and get in caterers, leisure centres....

twinklytoes · 04/07/2009 22:50

I did mine in 3mths but did most of the booking on one day.

your local yellow pages should have a full on wedding section to get you started. will be loads of venues listed. check out the wedding websites (confetti, weddingservices4u etc)- they tend to have a local section like mnet where venues are reviewed

your first port of call is to get a date that both the venue and registry office can do. our registry office also produces a guide for getting married in the county which was useful as a starting point.

Original poster
minko · 04/07/2009 22:51

Oo, thanks for that website, really helpful. I just want to have an evening party with canapes and a disco so not sure what sort of venue would be suitable...

OP posts:
ABetaDad · 04/07/2009 22:56

YES of course you can. A credit card, a phone and it will take 48 hours. Job done.

Original poster
minko · 04/07/2009 23:01

Thanks for the votes of confidence! Having not got round to it for all these years (he proposed about 6 years ago...) I have built it up into an impossible task. Never been keen on being a bride and all that 'being a princess for the day' rubbish either.

I'm going to book the registry office on Monday and take it from there...

OP posts:
AnitaBlake · 05/07/2009 00:39

Wow, you have over two months, a friend of mine did it in two weeks, its simple think Debenhams and you are sorted!

Original poster
minko · 07/07/2009 18:00

OK, the plan is to book the registry office on the birthday (the only time they have is 10am), then have some photos, then go for a meal with the olds. Then have a party later with buffet and disco. But can I find a venue... it's impossible!!

Any ideas. I'm in Surrey btw, but prepared to travel...

OP posts:
piscesmoon · 07/07/2009 18:14

I have been married twice, in church. The first time the planning was 3 months and the second it was 8 weeks. I can't think why people want to waste so much time on it!

MrsBoo · 07/07/2009 18:35

I agreee, you just need to get the formal stuff sorted - the rest is just booking a normal party isn't it?
I think I did mine in 6-8 weeks.

What day of the week is it? Do you have room at home for a party after the meal? Or do any of your relies? This would be my favourite option, but then I don't like restuarant or hotel type parties

Do not under any circumstances let on to venues or anything that its for a wedding until you get the quotation - just pretend its for your birthday party.

Original poster
minko · 07/07/2009 22:18

I'd like to do it in a nice venue. We're saving money on everything else so want to have a nice party venue. Preferably in a hotel, but it's proving v. difficult. I'm aware of the 'wedding mark-up' and have been saying it's for DP's 40th - which it is kind-of!

OP posts:
giantkatestacks · 07/07/2009 22:21

Whereabouts in Surrey? My inlaws had a nice reception in a hotel in Dorking...they were going to go to an even nicer place as well thereabouts...

Original poster
minko · 07/07/2009 22:24

Was it the Burford Bridge Hotel??

OP posts:
giantkatestacks · 07/07/2009 22:28

I think it was going to be Bookham Grange but ended up being the White Horse...

Original poster
minko · 07/07/2009 22:29

I'll check them out... Thanks!

OP posts:
ShePeeTeePee · 07/07/2009 22:34

Ours all dropped into place once we decided to hold it on a Monday. Suddenly venues were thankful for the business.

BikeRunSki · 07/07/2009 22:39

Yes. MIL organised BIL's in 4 weeks. You just have to not be too fussy. ie - take the photographer/baker/florist/venue etc that is free on that day, rather than fussing about who makes the the prettiest sugar roses. Have you tried art galleries? National Trust houses? museums? park cafes? gastropubs? All can be nice settings. Went to an amazing wedding once in a big private school.

snigger · 07/07/2009 22:40

Depends how ambitious you are, what your expectations are.

We were engaged for 5 months but organised everything in 4 weeks before the wedding. That's only because we wanted to go small and uncomplicated, and had dinner for 50 friends and family and no big 'do'.

Big tip - draft people in to do any extras like invites, save yourself some stress.

giantkatestacks · 07/07/2009 22:41

Schools a good idea bikerunski but OP is getting married midseptember - she'd need to be school hols for them...

Jux · 07/07/2009 22:42

DH and I were married 6 weeks after we met, so yes, you have plenty of time.

PrettyCandles · 07/07/2009 22:47

We were 6w from decision to wedding day. It was a little hectic and sometimes stressful, but worked out absolutely gorgeous. The hardest thing was getting my shoes - I wanted the ones on the shelf, but no they had to be sent away to be dyed to match my outfit. But the colour was perfect already! Sorry, madam, delivery on all bridal shoes is XYZweeks. Eventually found some, which were also perfect as so many others had been, and which I coudl take away, but it was a close thing.

Ours was a civil ceremony in a beautiful venue, a small party there - champagne and wedding cake - followed by a sit-down dinner in a lovely restaurant. We wrote our own vows (not time-saving, but makes the ceremony really special) and I made our cake.

Definitely do-able.

PavlovtheForgetfulCat · 07/07/2009 22:48

Yes. Due to close family member being diagnosed with terminal illness, giving birth to my dd and being a ne mother, in the 18 months prior to my wedding, then family member passing away and all the fallout from that, i didn't do a thing for my wedding until June prior to my mid sept wedding, and even then did not get momentum until july/august.

We had a fabulous wedding. The hardest thing was getting a date not already booked, either the registrar or the venue. So, we got married on a friday afternoon, thinking it would be easier for people to get friday afternoons off work and they would be able to celebrate into the weekend with us! We got married in a cave in cornwall, and hired our honeymoon cottage for a week before the wedding and a week after and got permission to have our reception there. An outside affair (took a chance with the weather with a backup marquee, weather held out for us!), and we kept it simple. Right down to picking my own flowers the afternoon before from the farmers amazing garden and getting MIL to arrange them in ferns for me, they looked beautiful.

happywomble · 08/07/2009 07:19

If you are in Surrey google "Coverwood". It is in the Surrey Hills near Ewhurst/Peaslake You can have a marquee by a lake. Owners are lovely people.