My wife and I had a notary-friend and her husband join us for a dinner celebration at a local restaurant. We rented out one of their banquet rooms and had a little civil ceremony with candle lighting and all the usual stuff in a wedding.
It cost us just a little over $1,000 for the whole shebang. The down payment we fronted for a reception at a local golf resort was $1,000 alone.
My wife said it best: “I want a marriage not a wedding.”
Nicely said. Our daughter got engaged this past March to a very fine young man (we knew before she did, as he asked for our blessing before popping the question.)
She came home from college in May and started discussing wedding plans..."we're thinking August".
August? Of this year????
Turns out their plans were for a simple private ceremony - parents, siblings, and grandparents followed by dinner at a local restaurant. No attendants....and she freaked out the people at the bridal shop by walking in a month before the wedding to choose a dress off the rack. (Lucky for her it fit like a glove - no alterations needed.)
It was marvelous, low stress, and very meaningful.....the minister, who knows both the bride and groom very well was so touched by the whole thing he blubbered through the ceremony more than I did.
One down...two to go! I am hoping this experience made an impression on my younger.daughters. MGD's only regret is that I "came to my senses" a little too late - we had the traditional Polish Catholic splash - nothing too fancy, but in retrospect, we could have done things much simpler.