Is it possible to get married in secret? Anyone done it?

[stubbyfingers]

Or do we have to bring/lynch witnesses?

I would like to get re-married (to the same person) in secret .....

I was a chief bridesmaid/witness for a couple in St Lucia!!! My dh was the best man/witness. We had met them a few days before in our hotel, they were a lovely couple. Both been married before so ran off to get married in St Lucia.

It was fantastic.

My friend also had a day off from work as it was her birthday and she got married!

Do it and tell us all about it

My cousin went to Italy and got married without telling anyone.

I'm getting married in August. Have told a couple of friends but not telling family.

I did but not entirley in secret, we took 2 witnesses and their partners, that was it though, told family and friends the next day, best thing I ever did.

My sister. I was quite hurt but guess she had her reasons.

I did not want a big wedding etc - the dress, the occasion, the party - everything about it was totally not me. We had a register office wedding in our work clothes and invited our parents and brothers and that was it. My brother is engaged and he is the same - he doesn't want a big do, he just wants to get married with no fuss etc. He has asked me, if I would mind, if he eloped (ie I would not be present, no other family members either). I did not want to upset him, so I said I wouldn't mind, but secretly I would like to go to his wedding and I would like my DCs to go as well. I hope he doesn't go off and do it in secret because I know part of what is fuelling his desire to run away is that my parents are divorced and my dad is pretty toxic and my brother doesn't want my dad ruining his wedding day.

You say the GPs might look after the DCs - why don't you have the DCs and the GPs at the register office with you instead?

We were thinking of doing this (but didn't in the end). We found a lovely hotel where you can get married and the hotel provide staff as witnesses. We were then going to have champagne dinner in the room and stay the night.

me and dh did this - my friend and his friend were witnesses and were the only ones who knew anything..............was a bit odd when registrar put on the wedding music at the end as there were only 4 of us there! oh and dh friend was making kissing faces and pulling suggestive poses the whole way through my vows!!

Wanted to add, we had the same sort of dilemma when we had our DCs christened (they were done together). I didn't want my dad upsetting people on the day and the only way I could think of to not invite him was to have the christening in secret, obv with the godparents! I have no official "rift" with him because I want to keep the peace, but he is mean to everyone so I find him very difficult.

Yup, we married with just 4 friends invited.

My family is a disaster, extremely acrimoniously divorced and probably wouldn't have approved anyway. So we just booked the registry office and did it on the fly. Told MIL one year later, told my family when I became preggers with DD, 3 years later

It was lots of fun, we even had the registrar burst out in giggles half way through. Highly recommended.

I have done this .

I had had a lavish edding booked for July 2001, but my parents decided to split up and get divorced, and never wanted to be in the same room together again, so cancelled my wedding in the February. A few days later me and DH decided that we wanted to get married anyway, went to the registry office and booked the next available date (2 March), which gave us 3 weeks to plan it. Aked my friend if she woul be witness for me. Next day, she asked if she could join in and marry her DH at the same time, which she did . It was a great day, we got married, went to a few pubs to have a drink, had a meal, went and told our parents we had married (my mam slapped me), went out on the night and got drunk and have never regretted one minute of it.

It was great, go for it!

Sorry for the typos

Tillyscoutsmum seriously, would the staff babysit as well?

That sounds great - where was the hotel ?

Tillyscout BTW - beautiful Wedding pics.

And I have never heard of anyone else who has read Sybil, either. Did you also see the film, with Sally Field ?

it was here in the library Then if you click on special breaks and look at cottage retreat for the accommodation. Not sure about baby sitting - we were going to leave dd with grandparents and just say we were having a night away

I loved Sybil... the film was amazing as well

My mum and stepdad did, sort of.

It was New Years Eve and she was 5m pg with my brother, I was 4. She bought me so I could be a bridesmaid (though didn't tell me til the day), and then in the morning they rang round the immediate family to tell them they could come to the registry office if they wanted.

They just didn't want a big enormous fuss, and as stepdad has a big fussy kind of family it was the only way to get what they wanted. Mum's parents were both dead by then and her sister was the only person in on the secret.

My mother says now that she'll be very pissed off if I get married without 'giving her the chance to buy a hat'

'bought me a dress' that should say.

She didn't buy me

I was very (four days away from my section) pregnant and feared I would die (4th section) and so got married with our dcs, my sister, BIL and their dcs. We went for dinner afterwards and I wore a black and white dress from MOnsoon..... it was an evening maxie dress.
I did want a big wedding but never got round to it and decided if I couldn't have it all I wanted something very very small.

Tilly Thanks ! It looks beautiful It is mine and DH's 40th Birthdays this year, and we've been married for 12 years (together 20 - eek!). Ou first wedding was a bit stressful.

I think I may have a cunning plan .......

Oooh go on - do it. It looks gorgeous. I loved my wedding in the end, but a little part of me wishes we'd gone with the original plan

Wow, thank you so much for all your posts; some great ideas and am feeling a little bit excited You're a romantic lot really aren't you?

Thanks for the link Tillyscout, it does look gorgeous and would make for a really special occasion and I suppose there could be other places that would provide witnesses too. I think we need to have another think about how small we want it to be, or who could be witnesses etc. hmmm

You could always put a request on here for someone to show up to be your witnesses

5inthebed like I said in my post i've already had an offer from here for mine, in fact one person in my post said they had loads of offers from m'netters to do it for them also.