[Rissa812]

Has anyone here been married by the Justice of the Peace? We cant afford a wedding and our families are too big to invite everyone, so we decided to get married this way.

[MiaCamille]

i did and it went fine.. i'm in Canada but i don't know if it's the same everywhere...

[mcmama]

Are you eloping, or just want a small civil ceremony?

Your families may want to have a more traditional celebration for you later. There's a lot of flexibility in how you can do this.

Remember, it is YOUR wedding. And the marriage is what really counts.

[LeanyBean]

I did.

Only my parents and his were present for the actual ceremony and we had a reception afterward.
I would have loved to have a huge formal type wedding but we could never afford it but we still wanted to be married so we took the JP route. Just as legal as any other ceremony.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

[wanna be a young mother]

I did the HUGE wedding but if I could do it over again I think I would go small. It was a big pain (you know where) planning it. My friends did a JP wedding and had a small thing after. I think I enjoyed it more then my own. If you cant afford a reception then just go out to dinner with a small group of people!

[swt1899]

I had a good friend of mine get married by the JOP. They did it outside in a town square infront of a fountain at sunset. It was the most beautiful ceremony! Might think about something like that. Best wishes!

[Rissa812]

We wanted to get married at Beaches so that we could do our family vactation at the same time. I did want the big wedding but it was extremely too much money at the place we wanted and if we only invited family, not friends. Plus I want my grandfather to be there and by the time we saved all this money Im afraid he wont be. We decided to go this route and renew our vows at Sandals when the kids are older and I can leave them (I have separation anxiety when I leave the boys for more than 2 hours). I looked into it today and the judge only does it on Thursday and so my Aunt said we could have a party at her house the following weekend. She bakes cakes so I am hoping she will make us a little wedding cake.
What did you or you friends wear? Did you have rings?

[QueenAngie]

We had a church wedding; my Dad is a retired minister.

**********

Congratulations on your marriage plans!


You can choose to use any of the following ideas.

The most important that is that you are surrounded by people you love.

Wear something you look pretty in.

Doesn't have to be brand new, just make you happy. (Cost = 0)

See if anybody in your family has a wedding veil - family traditions.
(Cost = 0)

Take photos. Have a friend or family member do them w/ their camera. Do the type that can be put on the net. I can't think of the name of the camera, but DH has one and it downloads to the net. (Cost = 0)

Later when you have extra $$$, get them printed.

Get a couple of silver wedding bands. Kmart has them on sale for 70% off. (Cost = $$)

Or better yet, maybe there is a family ring that would be very nice & sentimental in your mother's jewelry box. (Cost = 0)

Have the auntie make a cake, koolaid punch w/ 7-up and you have a party. Use the china and no paper products to purchase. (Cost = cake mix, icing, koolaid, sugar, 7-up, really inexpensive.)

Get some flowers out of the garden for your bouquet - or pick wild flowers that you are not allergic to. (Cost = 0)

Get the marriage license, arrange for the wedding at the JOP, and whatever the fee for the JOP wedding is.

Do you like any of those ideas?

Let us know what you decide!

Congrats!

[LovingJesusinAZ]

My niece got married by a JP in their small town this past Easter Sunday. Originally it was just going to be them and 2 witnesses, but her parents asked if they could come since it's the small town where they live. In the end there were about 15 (family + 2 close friends) of us in this little wedding chapel and my SIL had a BBQ back at her house afterwords.

The bride wore a white sundress (one of the groom's favorite dresses of hers). The groom wore slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. They did have rings.

My MIL (the bride's grandma) is a photography nut so she took a bunch of pictures, as did my husband with our digital camera.

[landj111]

DH and I were married by a Justice of the Peace. We just had our parents and our brothers and sisters. We also had a reception with more of our relatives after, it was nice and small just the way we wanted it. I wanted my wedding to be more personal not hectic. I hope you have fun with whatever you decide.