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Original poster

Idiots guide to a simple wedding

35 replies

Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 11:31

Dp and I have decided to get married this august and we want a simple, cheap, weekday wedding.
I'm not fussed about lots of decorations or huge table displays.

There is a lovely country pub with a beautiful function room we would like to go to afterwards and we will be booking as a family party rather than wedding, and would like to get married as late as possible in the day.

Apart from that we're lost!
Do I need my birth certificate?
What order do I/we need to do things in?

Help me not to panic and let this take over my life Smile

OP posts:
Hassled · 24/03/2014 11:34

Google your local registry office. You'll have to make an appointment with them - it doesn't take long. But check the availability of a Registrar before you start booking anything/sending invites.

CMOTDibbler · 24/03/2014 11:37

Phone pub, see what dates they can do. Then ring registry office and see which they can do at the time you want. Choose date, and confirm with both.
Tell people what you are doing.
Find birth certificates (registry office will tell you what you need to do).
Choose something to wear and rings.
Tell pub what you want to eat.
Get married Grin

You can make the whole thing as simple or as complicated as you like tbh

JuniperTisane · 24/03/2014 11:38

First thing is make an appointment with the registrar, they need to see documents and fill in forms, take some money etc. They will take you through all the legal stuff. Then decide where you want to marry, see the place, book it. Then book the lovely pub when you have the wedding venue reserved.

Don't mention the word Wedding Party to any suppliers of anything as the price will shoot up.

Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 11:39

Ha ha rings hadn't even occurred to me, see; idiot Grin

OP posts:
HeirToTheIronThrone · 24/03/2014 11:47

You do need to make an appointment with the registrar - you have to 'give notice' of the wedding at an official appointment where you'll need your passport or birth certificate to identify you (we used passports). They will take copies, and ask you questions both together and individually. They then post notice of your marriage for two weeks, and then you can get married any time after that.

One thing - this appointment needs to be in the registry office where you live - they may be the same, but for me they were different as we got married one town over.

Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 11:49

Thanks for that Heir, very pleased you said that as we may get married at a registry office closer to the pub.

OP posts:
MyNameIsKenAdams · 24/03/2014 11:52

Think you can get married about 3.30 in the registry office, maybe as late as 4.30.

Ask the pub to do a massive carvery for guests at tea time, and put a disco on later with maybe bacon or sausage baps for 9pm ish to soak up the booze.

Serve your wedding cake (if you want one) for pud.

Buy Monsoon/Coast/Phase Eight dress - if you want bridal.

Ask a friend who has a decent camera to take photos.

Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 11:56

Those shop recommendations are great thankyou!
I want bridal-ish iyswim?
I want a simple long dress, grecian style would be the most similar I can think of.

Thank you all for taking time to help me Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 12:17

I have thought of an actual question...
We have the opportunity to go abroad pretty much straight after the wedding (relatives house so open invite) but what happens with my passport?
Will the one in my maiden name be ok or ...?

OP posts:
AnythingNotEverything · 24/03/2014 12:21

Yup - you book your holiday in your maiden name. You can keep your passport in your old name until you renew (but remember to use your passport name when booking!).

Also, I have an inkling that you have to get married within a year of registering your intent to get married. I don't think I made that up.

Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 12:32

Thankyou Smile

OP posts:
HeirToTheIronThrone · 24/03/2014 12:47

I went on honeymoon in my maiden name. You can change your passport to your married name beforehand, but you have to get signed forms from the registrar and DH - wasn't worth the extra hassle with too much to do already for me! Just make sure all the tickets are booked in the same name as your passport.

Anything is right - you have to get married within a year of giving notice, if you don't you have to do it again and pay the fee again.

Once you've picked a date I would say let people know as soon as you can so they can keep it free. This doesn't have to cost anything - we did it by email! Also we had a wedding website (also free) with all the info anyone needed - hotels, directions etc - so we didn't need to waste time and money doing loads of bits of paper with the invites.

Original poster
Whereisegg · 24/03/2014 12:50

The wedding website idea is great!
We don't have a lot of money and the thought of spending a chunk on invites makes me Sad

OP posts:
MyNameIsKenAdams · 24/03/2014 13:33

Just try somewhere like vistaprint for invites, or make your own.

a friend bought some nice paper and ribbon, printed her own, scrolled, and wrapped ribbon around.

noblegiraffe · 24/03/2014 13:43

I bought invited and a calligraphy pen and did them myself, even though my handwriting is crap they looked fine.

If you aren't fussed about fresh flowers you can buy lovely and cheap artificial flower arrangements from eBay, button-holes, bouquets etc. In fact the wedding shops on eBay are brilliant if you are doing stuff yourself.
You can buy wedding cakes from M&S and decorate yourself (see eBay) or I just bought a massive M&S chocolate cake which was much nicer!

I got my wedding dress from Monsoon, they do bridal for cheap. You could always pay a dressmaker to adjust.

everygalaxy · 26/03/2014 13:19

I saw on rock n roll bride blog that h&m are launching a wedding range and I think one was a long Grecian style dress for about £60. That blog also has a really great planning guide and shows lots of pubs as venues. Or coast have some lovely bridal ish dresses at the moment.

We were going to have an M&S cake they look lovely but then we won a cake competition hurrah!

We are having paper flowers made by a local artist so I am buying 1p second hand books online and she is turning the pages into roses for a fraction of the price of fresh flowers - there are online tutorials if you are crafty.

You can download free wedding invite templates and there are some really stunning ones on wedding chicks (we have downloaded thank you signs as props for our photos) - then you would just need to print them out.

Swannykazoo · 26/03/2014 13:26

Regulations might be a wee bit different in Scotland - we had to go to registry office local to our venue rather than where we live (though obv if your venue is local its all grand)
Also had a humanist ceremony which rocks but only legal north of the border

ConfusedPixie · 30/03/2014 12:17

Marking my place to watch :)

I'm really struggling to find a dress, I've got no clue what would suit me or what I'd like and don't want to spend too much, so not doing well. Not that I've really looked in actual shops yet.

I was hoping to wait until my hours at work drop later in the year but it seems that places get booked up well before then Sad

Nojustalurker · 30/03/2014 12:24

If you are having a week day wedding you may need to give your guests plenty of notice so they are able to get the day off work.

capsium · 30/03/2014 12:32

I got invites from WHSmiths. Filled in venue, date, time and person's names myself. Same price as box of cards.

Made my own cake, Mrs Beaton's , as I recall. Dad drove me.

capsium · 30/03/2014 12:34

Confused have a browse through Amazon, and look up ball gowns, prom dresses too. There are lots and they are not expensive. Might give you some ideas anyway.

sooperdooper · 30/03/2014 12:40

I got my wedding dress from House of Fraser, they have some lovely ones :) Avoid 'wedding shoes' they're mostly horrible and frumpy, find some nice sandals you'll wear again, I got some sliver ones from Next

www.houseoffraser.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-hof-Site/default/Page-Show?cid=WeddingDresses

We didn't have a wedding cake, so often it all gets wasted because nobody eats it, unless you serve it as desert. Nobody even noticed we didn't 'cut the cake' and it's never been mentioned since!

Flowers are so expensive, we just had candles on the tables as decorations and I made all our wedding invites, table plan (you might not want to bother with a table plan though by the sounds of your day)

Don't bother with favours, they always get left thrown around at the end of the night, and wedding cars are so expensive too, I just got a smart taxi - do you know anyone with a smart car who could drive you? I nearly had my mate drive me in his classic VW van but we got married abroad in the end so it didn't work out

capsium · 30/03/2014 12:43

I didn't bother with wedding favours either. The venue served petit fours with coffee anyway.

sooperdooper · 30/03/2014 12:43

I'll try again with the link!!

www.houseoffraser.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-hof-Site/default/Page-Show?cid=WeddingDresses

capsium · 30/03/2014 12:44

Had no flowers on table either. Still looked good. Lots of wine glasses etc on tables as I recall anyway. Grin