Informal wedding ideas - having a meltdown!

There's a few people considering renting a large house to have the reception etc. Check out the holiday cottage post, but essentially you can hire a "party house" or see if a small BnB or guest house will let you have exclusive use.

The guests that have had to travel will have accomodation at the venue and it should be really flexible with regards to food etc.

We are getting married at a registry office and then going to a pub for a meal off their everyday menu. I have no problems going to the bar in my dress so we though this we would be a different way to get people fed.

I absolutely love informal weddings, it's a shame to hear that you are having a hard time with the planning stages. One of the benefits of informal weddings is that they can be less stressful to set up but thats all relative I suppose!

A lot of whether an informal wedding is pulled off well or not admittedly does come down to the venue. Have a think about village halls, they are usually lenient and also it's a blank canvas which you can make your own.

In terms of ideas I think lawn games are great but you're right, it is weather permitting! I would look at some live music that isn't too intrusive, maybe even an acoustic duo or something affordable that can set the scene but doesn't demand attention.

One wedding I attended this summer had an informal feel and they had hired a couple of face painters which was great! Everyone ended up really colourful and after a few drinks, pretty much every adult and child was painted in something...

They also had a BBQ which was really nice then again I love food so...

Just a quick suggestion on the above about adding some live music - to help keep the costs down, rather than going down the traditional "wedding singer" route, why not visit some local live music venues and see if you can find a good artist who I am sure would appreciate the chance to perform at a wedding.

My suggestion is to consider a wedding ceremony rather than a marriage service. Choose a place where you can hold your event and then look for a local Wedding Celebrant via the AOIC website. You will need to register your marriage before your wedding celebration but this can be done very cheaply at your local Registry office. Then on the day you can have the ceremony you want.

Also consider asking guests to bring an item of food to share after the ceremony. People love to do this - you could make it a "bake off" with people deciding on a category. That way you may only need to provide a basic buffet which will become a feast.

Hi,

Some weddings I've seen the days split. So a short wedding on the Saturday with a BBQ on the Sunday which is more intimate and suits smaller numbers. Then again I've also seen it the other way with a small ceremony followed by a big bash in a Warehouse in London.

why would they 'appreciate' the 'chance' to perform at a wedding?

you make it sound like your doing them a favor

as someone who has been in many band most bands CHOOSE not to play weddings, weddings are a pain in the ass and come with lots of LEGAL requirement plus dealing with brides is hard work... every pub band I know would laugh and give a firm 'no' if you 'gave them the chance' to play your wedding

you might be able to pick up new bands who dont know the ropes or young kids but really youll be screwed if you get caught... the venue can pull the plug or risk being shut down if the 'band' arent P.A.T tested and you'll need insurance to cover everyone involves (band equiptment is expensive, youll need liability and so on)

wedding band are expensive for a reason and no respectable band would undercut and risk it

To the OP £8000 is PLENTY to plan a wedding... once you have paid the £125 legal costs anything else is extras so you can plan as much or as little as you want

try thinking of things you love - if your outdoorsy you could try a picnic style reception with BBQ and if your indoorsy try looking for venues that speak to your hobbies or tastes and outside the box venues can be great, ive seen people get married in libraries, lighthouses, museums, zoos, train stations, treehouses, boats, caves etc... not only does it make it wonderfully personal but it often can be cheaper that go for the big 'wedding' venues