Tell me about your lovely low key wedding

[Lambside]

Or one you've attended. The registrar, all back to ours or restaurant, or local church hall ones.
What did you/the bride and groom wear?
What time was ceremony and meal? Was there a hiatus in between and if so how was it filled?

Eloped. Vegas. No one knew: ceremony cost $250. Was amazing. 10 day holiday together. Best decision we ever made.

Country church wedding in a village near to where I grew up. 2pm ceremony. Then hired the village hall 200m walk away. Served a cream tea. Some guests decamped to the village pub, the rest of us spilled onto the village green where the kids played in the park. Then served a buffet for dinner with a Ceilidh in the evening.

My dress was a monsoon number found on eBay. My husband wore a suit he already owned. No bridesmaids. I did the flowers and all the decorations.

It was simple, laid back and relatively inexpensive, with guests donating cakes and the wine in lieu of gifts. Total bill was less than £2k. Which turned out to be a blessing as we bought a house 3 months later in an expensive area, and needed as much deposit as we could muster.

It wouldn't be to everyone's taste, but for us it was perfect.

Local church at 4pm. Paid for everyone to have a drink at the pub on the village green whilst we did the photo bit (20 mins) then onto the local sports club for a hog roast, cider, Pimms and a disco. No formal meals, no table plans, no speech, no favours. About the only traditional reception things we did were the first dance and the cake cutting. Everyone was invited to the whole event. Everyone had a brilliant time and it was very low stress.

Got married in church at 11am, about 40 guests. Flowers done by bride who was marrying there same afternoon so we split cost - she chose them as I had no preference! I didn't have a colour scheme or bridesmaids. Had nice long lunch at local restaurant (booked out just for us). No evening do.

Registry office, two friends as witnesses, wore nothing special, the four of us went out for a nice meal afterwards. Told family whenever the subject next came up afterwards. We don't really think much of marriage as an institution (think our relationship is our business), but it was practical at the time! Had been together a couple of decades beforehand and another since. Wouldn't change a thing. The one annoying part was that I was having psychotherapy at the time and my therapist would not believe me that it hadn't been deeply significant - I wished I hadn't mentioned it!

Registry office, with about 20 friends. Then back to my mums house for a buffet. Only real ‘wedding’ bits we had was my dress, a photographer and a car to take me and Ddad to Registry Office.
Very relaxed and no stress, total opposite to my DSis wedding which involved a full Catholic Mass

nomoretears56 I am loving the predictive text!
These all sound wonderful and are giving me lots of inspiration.

We did a tiny hotel wedding, only 14 of us, small room which we then had dinner in, which was lovely. Husband wore a tweed suit and me a deep red dress. Parents and friends.
2 days later we hired a local community centre and had about 80 people - family and more friends. We did buffet food, although a few of my mums friends helped in the kitchen, one served drinks (all free and people don't drink as much as you think) then we asked a few guests to bring some desserts.
We did have a proper cake and we did have enough chairs and table space for people to sit. No speeches (apart from my dad thanking everyone for coming - literally that was it!) we had no bridesmaids or best people. We did ikea vases on the tables with flowers and smaller vases with sweets in which then people could take as the favours.
We did do a few traditional things (cake, seating plan etc) as people were at a wedding, but they rest was born out of cost, who we spent our time with, not liking being the centre of attention and some sad family times a few years prior. All good. Well, we liked our wedding 😂

Aaaaaahhhh yay!!! Married at 12 weeks pregnant with a surprise baby! So no savings... local church, down to a restaurant by the sea which did a spectacular wedding package for 2k. Mum did the flowers, I made the cake. Picked up a dress from an 'off the hanger' place and had the alterations done elsewhere. Made the invites, place cards and got the bridesmaids dress from China for £20 and it was stunning. She looked better than me!!

Did my own make up, made the favours and got the guests to take pictures for us. The whole thing cost a few grand (I think about 4?) and we had the absolute best day ever!!

There was only four of us at ours but my favourite part was that I said ‘wear what you want to wear’

I wore a white dress from eBay, with black tights and boots, as I wouldn’t have been me in anything else.

My dad wore jogging bottoms, my friend wore a full kilt outfit and my DH wore Jedi robes.

Everyone was perfectly them.

Friend's wedding. Reg office with immediate family only. The day after, big get together, rounders in a secluded park next to a village hall, with a playground for the little ones. Then a bring and share meal in the hall. Instead of presents, everyone was asked to buy something to wear from a charity shop - everyone looked fantastic, I wore an orange linen dress that I still love. Then the groom's play list that a friend sorted out amplification for.

Town hall, 40-odd guests. Borrowed a car. Photographer did the ceremony, about 15 mins of group photos, then the guests went off to the venue - a pub with free bar - while me and DH had about another half hour of photos. Walked down to reception - very brief welcome and thank you speech, then party! Drinks, 'walking buffet' - 6 courses of food you could eat standing or sitting, brought round by waiters, good DJ, live band for maybe half an hour, then DJ again. No cake or first dance. I got my dress from Etsy, fairly simple jobby, €500. DH wore a nice suit he already owned. Flowers were bouquet, 10 buttonholes, 3 small table arrangements. Biggest outlay was bar bill!

A great time was had by all, so they said. Our main intention was to make sure everyone was fed, watered and entertained. Spent €5k total.

We had a semi low key wedding.
Registry office with 30 or so guests starting at 3pm.
Very brief photos in the municipal garden bit after. The photographer was my friend who's usually a war correspondant so he rattled through the shots very quickly being used to working under fire!
Then buffet and some speeches in the backroom of a pub. (for the same 30 people)
Then everyone i'd ever met drinking at the pub from 8.30 till they chucked us out at around 2.

5pm ceremony in a local barn venue with 60 people. Canapes and drinks then hog roast. Dancing and wine til early hours. I loved every minute of It!!

Registry office, just family and close friends (about 30 people). Photos taken by guests and films developed and copies sent later on. DH wore an M&S suit, I wore a white meringue I picked up for £150, bridesmaid was my little sister whose dress came from BHS.

Hair done at local salon, I did my makeup and my sister's, dad drove me and sis there in a hire car (his car had broken down the day before), and then took me and DH to the reception. Reception was at a social club, no top table, just a buffet and bar and disco. About 50 people at the party.

Afterwards went to the churchyard to put my bouquet on one granddad's grave, and my sister's bouquet on our other granddad's grave. Then went to visit MIL in hospital.

It was really relaxed and informal, and cost less than £1000. Possibly less than £600, because the wedding cake was a gift from my work and I got the catering done at mates rates by the chefs where I used to work.

First wedding: early evening service in our apartment gardens, followed by cake, drinks, photos and a first dance there. Then onto our local bar for drinks. I wore a white lace dress to the knee and ExH wore black jeans, a shirt and a corduroy jacket. It absolutely pissed it down from almost the second the ceremony was over, but was a beautiful day.

Second wedding wasn't so simple.

Nomoretears56 Your 'mysterious husband' and his 'historic head' really made me giggle

Got married in registry office at 11. Walked thru town to 27 seater restaurant and had a 3 course meal. All done by 3.
Button holes for 2 male witnesses, no bouquets, no cars, no wedding dresses, no bridesmaids.
''Twas LOVELY.

We had ours at a hotel. They were licensed for ceremonies, so it was simple as we could get married, eat then sleep at the same place. The main reason for picking the venue was their food. That's where most of the money went!
What did you/the bride and groom wear?
DH wore a mid blue suit he had bought to be a guest at a wedding the year before. I bought a nice dress from Phase Eight for about £100. It wasn't a wedding dress, but I felt special in it. That's far more money than I would usually spend on clothes.

What time was ceremony and meal?
I think 3pm ceremony and 5pm meal. We wanted to give the people we invited who lived a few hours away the time to travel on the day of the ceremony, so they didn't have to pay for accommodation the night before.

Was there a hiatus in between and if so how was it filled?
About an hour and a half of drinks, nibbles and photos in the garden.

It was a lovely relaxed day and we invited who we wanted. I did my hair and make up myself. I had no bridesmaids. The best man was our 1 year old DS. The dress code was "spring celebration", so no-one had to buy anything new or wear anything they didn't like.

DH, DS and I arrived together at the venue in the family car.

We did pay for professional flowers, but that's something I value. We did gift bags for the guests with toys, sweets, puppets and masks in. Lots of beer, wine and posh soft drink on every table for free. Every person we invited, we invited for the whole day so no lower tier "reception only" guests.

First dance was informal. It was a fast paced party tune to get the dancing going. We provided flip flops and shawls for guests in case their feet ached or they got cold.

Wedding cake was from a local awesome bakery. The cake maker wanted instructions on how to decorate it. I just asked him to make it look nice, which he did!

A whole day of great food with relaxed people. No faff of organising lots of little things. That's not our style.

Village church, village hall set up with long trestle tables. We ate hog roast and homemade cupcakes, drank prosecco and a keg of ale then had a Cèilidh dance. Friend took the photos, MIL did some flower arrangements about the place.

Very low key. His and my parents, my two brothers and uncle were guests at our marriage at Gretna Registry office. I bought a stretchy skirt and top from Laura Ashley. We all stayed at a nearby castle/hotel and took our own pics. We had our nine month old daughter sharing the beautiful Bridal Suite (they installed a cot especially ) and I was also 7 months pregnant (hence the stretchy skirt) and we spent our honeymoon house hunting in Scotland as DH was relocating. Still here 24 years later. Wouldn't change a thing.

I loved our wedding. Best day of my life.
12 noon -5pm
Ceremony & reception (if you can call it that!) all in one place!
Only invited 38 guests.
Married at 12.
Drinks
8 formal family photos (no standing about for guests!)

Sit down meal of all our favourite things; bruschetta, pie & mash, then wedding cake with cream berries and chocolate sauce or coulis for pudding.
Speeches
Relaxing in garden with drinks and games
5pm - we went off to local hotel & everyone went home.

I wore a wedding dress: it was £400 from the sample rail but needed £200 worth of alterations because I was 13 weeks pregnant on my wedding day!

Lovely DH wore brown boots, beige chinos, white shirt, and waistcoat.

Ours was a properly chilled out day. We invited parents and siblings only, there were 14 of us on the day.
Wedding was at 12 noon, local church. I went and had my hair done in the morning and nipped into the florist on the way back to grab my bouquet and some table flowers for the reception. I went back home and did my make up and got dressed, my sis and sis in law went and decorated the dining room in the hotel while I got ready.
Up to the church for the service, spoken only with some music played. Did a few photos after then all walked down to the hotel for lunch. Those who could only come for the day left around 4pm so the rest of us went and slept, chilled out, kids to the park etc for the afternoon then went for a meal in the evening with my in-laws.
We ended up with a fairly last minute unplanned wedding but it turned out to be the perfect day.

I'm planning one!

Flowers -£90 for me and DP from a local supplier.
Registry office at 3pm, half day photographer (they do 6 hour packages for about £800), meal at 6 with some drinks after and done by 10/10.30pm. The meal will be the most expensive but we chose to go somewhere nice for 30 ish people. I'm a little anxious it won't feel like a wedding or people won't enjoy it.... but I know I prefer this to a big whole day event. Mines a bit expensive (about £6k because of the meal), but I'm also central London based so given the location we expected that.