Christmas Eve wedding

[RRK593]

Has anyone got married on Christmas Eve? My partner and I are in the very early stages of planning our wedding and we’re not sure on what we want at all at the moment!

The one thing we do know is that we want a smaller wedding (I hate the family politics of pleasing everyone!) so I think it will just be us, our two children and immediate family. (14 total)

We got engaged on Christmas Eve last year and love the idea of a small Christmas Eve wedding, maybe in the afternoon as it starts to get dark with lots of candles and a nice meal. Though the logistics of it might be a little tricky! (Sorting the children’s presents for the next day/ everything that comes the day after a wedding being on Christmas Day) or even if places cater for weddings on Christmas Eve.

Has anyone done this and can share how their special day went?

thanks! :)

It took me forever to type my post. Do your siblings with kids are other sides of the family on those days or just yours? If it’s just yours, I really don’t see a problem with an afternoon wedding with the population you describe. If they have other family commitments, it may not work.

If you think about it a bit more and figure out the details slightly more firmly, at least in terms of rough times and rough venue, all you can do is ask your family if it would work for them. They might love the idea. They might hate it.

One of the best weddings I went to was Christmas Eve. Church at 11 followed by a lovely country pub lunch - all over by 3pm. Probably about 30 people tops.
Bride arrived in horse and carriage, snow on the ground - absolutely beautiful. She wore white with the most beautiful scarlet velvet cape and looked stunning.

I actually think it sound lovely. If it was just very close family and you all live near each other I don’t see the problem. However I’d run it past everyone and see what they say.

I went to a Christmas wedding the weekend before Xmas - maybe 4 days before. It was at 4pm, only candles lighting the church and individual ones for reading the service. It was magical and singing Silent night sounded wonderful.

I wouldn't fancy it to be honest. I think the week after Christmas is great for weddings. The 26th would be better than the 24th I think.

I think if you can plan waaay in advance, so that you know no one has to travel and they can do the “last minute” things maybe on the 23rd, AND if you don’t take up the whole day (eg late morning wedding and then lunch or early evening wedding then dinner) it could be bloody lovely actually. You all live close. It would be magical.

you’ll never get to really celebrate your anniversary though, bear in mind.

and
dont do between christmas and new year! It’s a shit time to get married. New year itself would be a good alternative, or the 21/22/23 dec.

This makes me sound horrible but I'd be really annoyed at my friends if they got married on Christmas Eve 😂.

There's always so much to do on Christmas Eve and it's a day that I look forward to.

I'd probably forgive if the wedding was amazing and fun but some weddings are boring.

I would also decline sorry

As long as I didn’t have to travel or stay overnight then yes I would. If it was a relative could then spend Christmas with or other relatives going, then I would travel. But dh’s kids are grown up so no ties at home.

if it meant spending Christmas Day in a premier inn in Slough with a Wetherspoons Christmas Dinner, then, polite turn down of invite.

I think it would be lovely to go to
A wedding on Christmas Eve. How romantic. It would just mean being perhaps a little more organised. If all
Your guests are reasonably local to the venue no problem at all but if guests are travelling it maybe a little more tricky.

I think if my dc was younger I'd be up for this. At the moment there's 3 of them and they're very into Santa and getting ready and I think they'd have my head melted. But when dc1 was under 2 I'd go for it as a guest. It's basically a lovely Christmas Eve spent together and then Xmas day the next day.

I'd turn it into a two day thing though from a planning point of view- where I'd make sure that my parents weren't going to have the stress of hosting on Xmas day. As in I'd take responsibility for their xmas day so order a dinner instead of cooking because the Christmas Eve prep would be gone, maybe organise a cleaner to come after they head to the wedding so my moms doesn't stress about it when she gets home/smas morning. I know if I said to her Christmas Eve wedding her first thoughts would be when would she prep the veg, cook the ham and what state would the house be in for xmas day after getting ready that morning for a wedding. But you know what oils stress your mum and dad.

Went to a wedding 2 days before Xmas once, picked up a d&v bug, which then got passed round the 11 guests I had too stay for Xmas, was not a fun time in a house with 1 toilet!!!!!

I think if your guests are all happy to attend then why not? But, do remember it might be pretty tricky to celebrate your wedding anniversaries in the future, if that will be important to you?

Where do you intend to marry?
Do registrars work Christmas Eve?
Churches are a bit busy!

We went to a wedding once that was on the Saturday before Christmas. Only for reasons best known to themselves, they didn't embrace the theme and apart from the Christmas trees in the church and venue you wouldn't have known any different. The bride randomly went for a pink theme. And it was horribly stressful, our DC had things they had to miss and I felt stressed knowing I'd lost my last minute shopping day.

I'd refuse, close family or not. It's a bit Bridezilla, tbh.

@RRK593 we got married on 23rd December and we were 7, including us. It was blissful, the very best day but, my God, the hangovers of at least 4 of the 7 of us on Christmas eve would have RUINED Christmas day! It meant that we spent Christmas eve recuperating and were able to do.all the family prep for Christmas day, and then had an absolutely lovely Christmas day as newly weds.

I would absolutely LOVE to go to a Christmas Eve wedding - it would be the realisation of all my Hallmark Christmas movie dreams!

Obviously it would need to be in the same town we were spending Christmas day in, and it would need to be over at a reasonable time. Other than that, if it was wintery and festive I think it would be ace.

Ahh I guess the general consensus is that it’s not a great idea - though just to clear a few things up it would literally be us, our children, our parents, my brother sister and nephew and my OH two brothers and one wife. We all live within 5 mins of each other and will all spend xmas eve/Xmas day together.

that’s still 6 households, but if you are that close just ask them!! I’d be concerned about finding a venue/caterers/hairdresser etc available.

I went to a wedding the weekend before Christmas about 15 years ago. It was gorgeous!! All log fires, red and silver, lots of velvet and cashmere(effect!) wraps.

I think it sounds lovely. As it’s only 14 people why not ask them? Also nb some suppliers might not be working. But it could be really magical.

You’d still get the lovely festive feeling on other, more practical dates in December though. As a guest I would decline unless it was an immediate family member, and even then, honestly I’d be a bit peeved I couldn’t do what I’d usually plan to 🫣

However if you’re only inviting people you’d usually spend time with on Christmas Eve, and you finished the day early, it should work. But I’m planning my wedding currently and the thought of extra logistical arrangements and supplier costs for facilitating a Christmas Eve wedding is making me panic a little bit.

I think it sounds great, I know someone who did this, they rented a house for Christmas, got married Christmas Eve and then they all did Christmas the next day, if you all spend it together anyway

Nope. I would attend if close family member. But I would hate it and leave early to get the children to bed and sort the Santa presents.

Christmas is special enough with SO much else going on. In years to come- would you want to celebrate your anniversary as a stand alone day- or have it mixed in with Christmas? Yes, you got engaged on Christmas Eve, but it doesn't mean you NEED to get married on the same day!!!

Have you actually looked into booking photographers, venues, celebrant etc etc and whether there are additional costs? Esp with the venue once it clicks over the Christmas day.

I'd love it, but then I hate Xmas and always completely ignore it!

Same here.

There are 365 (or 366) days in a year.
Any of about 364 or them would make a better date.