Idiots guide to a simple wedding

[Whereisegg]

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

[sooperdooper]

For suits, does your fiancé already have a smart suit he could wear with a new shirt and tie, maybe just get a smart pair of new shoes he could wear again?

[ConfusedPixie]

OP wrt flowers and bits, we're having all of ours knitted/crocheted by me, DPs Mum and whoever else we can rope in. Might be an option if you're particularly crafty?

Thanks for the House of Fraser link :) I've been on the usual online sites browsing and have found a few I like but didn't think of HOF :)

[sooperdooper]

Yeah I was pleasantly surprised by what they had in House of Fraser, if you're anywhere near Manchester they have a good selection in the Deansgate store :)

[NotDavidTennant]

A few things we did to keep costs down:

DW and MIL are crafty so they made the invites
They also decorated the reception venue themselves
Ex-hairdresser friend of DW did hair and make up for free
Friends of family who were thinking about starting a wedding car business did it for free as a trail run
I found a wedding photographer on Gumtree who was just starting out and willing to do the photos for free (we just had to pay for the cost of prints) in return for us letting him use the pictures in his portfolio
Friend's DM who is an amateur baker/cook did the wedding cake and a finger buffet for much less than the cost of a professional one (and was just as good)

There's lots you can do cheaply if you're willling to take a DIY approach and have family and friends who are willing to pitch in.

[robotnikchair]

I'm getting married at the end of July this year and we only decided to do it a month ago (despite being engaged 2 years!). Our plan is to keep it low key and the costs low. So far we've booked the venue, the registrar and the photographer. We designed and made the invitations ourselves (there is so much online to inspire you). With regards to the dress, I wanted something simple and inexpensive. I tried on off the peg but couldn't find anything I liked, plus I was concerned that the alterations would be more problematic with certain dresses. I dutifully tried on the "standard" strapless dress with massive skirt and loads of detail (which I knew I would hate) and then the dress shop let me try on a bridesmaid's dress which is available to order in ivory. So I've ended up with a simple Grecian style dress which I can customise to make more bridal and for a fraction of the price of a standard wedding dress. I'm also very lucky to have a future MIL who used to own a wedding dress shop, makes cakes and is generally very creative and helpful.

[ThatOtherTime]

I've been to two wedding where it was a registry office followed by a long afternoon meal at a restaurant/pub followed by a few drinks and then home for cake cutting. One was my brothers wedding and one was mine and I rank them as the best, most enjoyable weddings I have ever been to.
There were no invites as the weddings were really small and there were no gift lists either. Neither had invites, photographers, cars or place settings. They were both low key but really intimate and happy. I wore a pretty dress but it wasn't a wedding dress and my SIL wore an off the shelf cream dress from monsoon.
Ours was in a private room in a 3* Michelin starred restaurant (we paid for everything) and my brothers was in a nice pub. My food was more pouncy better but apart from that both weddings had the same relaxed feel.

If I were you I wouldn't get drawn into the whole wedding paraphernalia thing unless you want to

[Whereisegg]

We've only bloody booked it

[PerhapsNot]

Brilliant! It sounds fab

[aintnothinbutagstring]

Make sure you give your notice in the registry office, we didn't need birth certificates just passport and proof of residence (also divorce certificate if applicable). They display notice for about 2-3 weeks then you are legally allowed to go ahead.

[Whereisegg]

Phoned today to provisionally book the date, waiting for letter with ref no to come (she said mon/tues) then we book to go in and give notice etc

We have gone with something very different to the pub option for The Do but it will out me.
We are really looking forward to it