How do I go about getting married? Advice please

[MumtoFreddie2023]

Just had baby recently, would like to get married but I absolutely do not want a wedding. I don’t want anyone there, just me and my boyfriend. Would it be weird to just go to a registry office and sign the paperwork and be done with it? I think it’s £200 altogether.

I had been putting it off due to cost but now I’m just wondering whether we should just bite the bullet and do it. I don’t want a photographer or anything, just want to go, sign the papers and leave. I know this sounds strange but I do want to have the security of marriage but I don’t want a wedding or a fuss.

advice please? I don’t know what to do.

https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/give-notice

Google your local reg. office for their info but lots of facts here. Congratulations on your little one.
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/marry-me-in-kensington-and-chelsea/frequently-asked-questions-about-ceremonies

Not at all; just go and do it.

you will need 2 witnesses, but they can be randomers you pull off the street if you want.

That's what I'm doing next month. DP and I are taking two witnesses to the (booked) registry office to complete the 5 minute ceremony, sign the docs and go for a bite to eat afterwards. We've not told anyone other than the witnesses. I hate being the centre of attention so a wedding is my idea of hell and DP has done a big wedding before and would rather not repeat it. We are looking forward to it and even more so the holiday that follows. 🙂

As above. You will need 2 witnesses but that is it.

Congratulations on the baby, and also on sensible enough to get married in your position - you only have to read stories on here of long-term partners being screwed over to see it is essential to protect your rights.

Contact your local registry office to book, and then book to give notice at least 28 days in advance. And you need two witness! Otherwise sounds a great and very sensible idea

Not weird at all, eminently sensible to get legally hitched asap now that you and your partner have a baby and there is no need to spend a fortune on a big wedding. If I ever get married again I will definitely be having a no fuss registry office wedding, wished I'd done this first time round.

Simple registry office weddings used to be much more common than they are now.

Thanks everyone. I’m thinking of booking it for the day before we go on holiday to Tenerife. I just needed a bit of reassurance. I don’t want to get dressed up either. Just want to sign the paperwork and be done with it if I’m honest.

I did the same and it was lovely because it was just what we wanted to do. Neither of our parents completely forgave though

Bear in mind you’ll have to go along to the town hall twice the first to give notice and then (I think at least 28 days later) to actually marry

it will have gone up but in 2011 it was about £56 IIRC

My friends did this, DH and I were the witnesses. Went for a lovely meal afterwards. It was fab.

@MumtoFreddie2023

Thanks everyone. I’m thinking of booking it for the day before we go on holiday to Tenerife. I just needed a bit of reassurance. I don’t want to get dressed up either. Just want to sign the paperwork and be done with it if I’m honest

You still have to prebook an appointment , take both your birth certificates / proof of address etc. , then on the actual date do the short ceremony .
If I were you I'd phone to check if your date is available and get that first appointment done.

Dh and I did have a small family wedding that was purely ceremonial, but our legal wedding was just the paperwork. We did it on our lunch breaks from work and since it took a bit longer than we hoped, we picked up some fast food on the way back to work. No special clothes, no makeup, no photos. We have really nice memories of that day Because it was very much us.

Not strange at all. Exactly what we did. We booked and got 2 witnesses and told no one. Wouldn’t change a thing.

I've done this recently.

You have to go and give notice first and they ask you some basic questions.

You need two witnesses they can't provide this (or couldn't for me)

We had our son and we still wore nice clothes but just chilled after, no big thing. It still felt special to us ❤️

Thank you. I will look at booking ASAP :)

Some friends did this - they said they could give notice locally but only the registry office in the main town offered the bottom-dollar ceremony. We were witnesses and the ceremony was in the actual office with filing cabinets and so on. Apparently there aren't very many of these ceremonies available so ring to book asap!

Partner and I did this beginning of the year. We did have to wait close to 6 months for the nearest date they had available.

I love little registry office weddings. Even, like you're saying, when there's not an element of getting dressed up or celebrating. I think they're so cute and retro, in the sense that I have gathered that in the past, it wasn't such an expected thing for every couple to have a huge "event" when they got married. It reminds me of 60's films where a couple will just nip to the registry office, get married, then go back to their little flat for tea.

I did it. We never told anyone but the 2 witnesses. I didn't want a wedding, just the marriage. No regrets. We didn't even get a picture - no camera phones and nobody brought a camera.