Registry office marriage vs. Big wedding

We didnt fork out loads for our wedding ( wasnt registry), but it was pre covid we just budgeted 6k all in, wedding prices do seem on the rise now a days.

But even looking back now I would be happy with a registry office wedding. At our registry office I think it was a max 10 guests. As you say it is about you and your partners day no one else's.

My brother and his wife got married in a registry office with family and close friends and then had a 'celebration' styled as a wedding (with a friend doing the ceremony part). The celebration cost a lot less than a 'wedding' as it didn't come with the price tag and we all got to see their official wedding at the registry office 🥰

If you have a child/ children already, get married, don't wait. Too many women not properly protecting themselves and stay gfs. There's nothing owed to you as a gf.

As far as a "big traditional wedding" maybe you can scale back to be able to afford it. People often invite people who don't really matter because "they're family". Plan well and save, you can have it.

Not exactly the same but similar. We eloped in a national park, just the two of us & our son. My state doesn't require witnesses, so that made it easier to be in secret. We then planned our "big" wedding for a year later. We told everyone we had married the previous year with a slideshow of our elopement pictures during our first dance. Essentially, we had a vow renewal and big 1 year anniversary party that everyone thought was a wedding until the end of the night. It was great, we don't have any regrets!

I was engaged and was planning to go for a big wedding that I was dreaming of since I was a little girl, then got pregnant. We decided that it was a lot of money for just one day and we couldn’t justify it with our financial situation at the time and expecting a little one too. So we ended up having a registry office wedding - we had our immediate family from both sides and two friends as our witnesses, about 15 people in total, and we don’t regret it at all. We had our ‘wedding breakfast’ at a pub afterwards and we were at home and tucked up in bed by 9pm, it was great! I don’t regret it at all as ultimately all that mattered to us was being married together and having a nice day with people closest to us that didn’t break the bank!

We did a big ish wedding but it all got ruined by COVID. If we hadn't already paid all the money for the wedding we would have cancelled the whole thing and driven up to gretna green.

Do whatever feels right to you. I just wanted to give the perspective of someone who regrets the big wedding!

Thankyou guys, so much, for all your inputs. Just goes to show it doesn’t always pay to break the bank and be extravagant for the purpose of everyone else. All that matters is the couple

Accidentally clicked on registry regret but we did it n no regrets at all xx

Did a ceramony at home with our important people and registry to legitimize it all... Loved it so much we purposely bought a house with a garden we adore with the intention for an outdoor wedding if/when our kids decide t get married (I'm know I'm nutts but honestly it would make for the most beautiful outdoor wedding!)

We went for a simple wedding, in our pretty local church, family took photos, then we hired out half the local pub and had a lovely meal there. Dessert was the wedding cake.
Honestly soooooo glad we didn’t spend much.
Hardest thing was having only 30 people to keep the meal cheap.

I wanted a wedding, but we also didn't want to wait and we got married in December of 2021 when covid was still running pretty rampant so between his parents being much older and in India and everyone I know being 13 hours away, we skipped the wedding. His parents say they'll throw us a ceremony once we visit India, but honestly between our daughters being so young and the Trump Administration, it could be years before we visit. 😞

I got married on a Friday morning at the courthouse 10 years ago, no regrets because a marriage is 100% all I cared about. We’re having our vow renewal this June! It’s at a small venue with about 60 guests and it’s going to be the wedding we never had.

I’ve done both. My first wedding was huge (200+ guests), with all sorts of crazy bells and whistles (candy station, caricature drawing, cigar rolling station), at a beautiful location by the beach. I didn’t see my then husband all night because I was greeting all of the guests and he was with his friends; I also didn’t eat and ended up getting way too drunk.

My second wedding as at a little chapel in Vegas, just the two of us, the cheapest package they had. Then we got a nice dinner together later on.

I much prefer the second one!!!

We got married abroad in Crete. Everyone was invited (all my extended family would have to be invited if it was local) but we knew not everyone would come and ended up of 30 of our closest family and friends. We all had a week holiday before together before the wedding. Some people went on their own holidays and joined for the wedding and some had longer out there after. We left 2 days after the wedding and had our family holiday in France.
All in all we spent £12k for an August wedding and 2 holidays. Best money we could have spent!

We went to Vegas and eloped. A year later we had our “big” party. I have no regrets the way we did it. It gave us time to save, and the only people invited were actively in our life during that year.

We did both!
We very luckily had my husbands grandparents who had a garden big enough for a marquee and the wedding.
So we saved ££££££ on a venue and then we got married during the week at the registry office and then we had our best friend do our “wedding” and I wore my dress, did vows etc. on the registry office day we both wore jeans and just took our mums as witnesses!

Registry office. I loved my wedding and wish I can do it all over again. So intimate. Felt so connected with my husband. Quick. Beautiful. And affordable. We love being stressed free and being in the moment.

Divorced now BUT we did a beautiful local park, picked a spot by the water and fountain. Dressed in suit and dress, hired a wedding officiant because we didn’t belong to a church at that time, a beginner photographer and our two witnesses. Wouldn’t have changed a thing.

I had a big wedding, I don’t regret it and had the best day BUT I wouldn’t do it again.. I’d just go and get married x

When I used to work weddings I saw a bit of a mix because we also did blessings (where youre already married but want to another cerimony). Had one couple fly to Vagas without telling any of their family and they got married out there then had a blessing about a year later with a party. They loved their decision.

Do what you want to do really. A wedding is about what you two want and if youre not too fussed then either is good.

I had to big wedding but I knew i wanted that and I waiting for it (did have financial help from family which helped a lot though)

If you've always dreamed of a big wedding I wonder if you'd regret it, we never wanted a big wedding, so that's why we didn't regret Registry Office 😊

I got married in a registry office with our closest family and 6 of our closest friends and it was beautiful 🥰 then had a bigger reception in the evening in total cost less than £10k, including my dress, 3 bridesmaid dresses (from vinted) his suit, registry office, cars and reception venue with a 3 course meal for 28, buffet for up to 100 evening guests, DJ and a photographer xxx the decorations I did myself and picked them up from charity shops and discount shops so made everything a lot cheaper xx