2 weddings in 2 different states: question

If you can afford to have two weddings and it's easier for your family -- I vote yes!

If one of the weddings is just for show, then literally anyone can marry you. You could have your dog do it and it wouldn't matter. For the wedding that counts, you'll have to find out how to get a license in that state and then have a licensed person do the marrying. Some states let people who were ordained online marry you, so you could have a friend do it.

If you can afford to... GO FOR IT!

I would

Well, you can't really have a "fake" wedding before a real one -- you're unlikely to find an officiant that would do a "fake" ceremony. It should be real wedding first, "renewal" wedding second. So you may need to switch that part. Celia might be able to give you some more insight on that part.

Holly, if you're considering the west coast of Florida, contact me -- I think I can help.

Yes you can use a "dummy" rev. for your second wedding. and try to re use anything you can for the second wedding if possible. if your flying this could be very tricky. best wishes!

we had a friend do our ceremony. we got him certified online. and had his credentials fed-ex to us. total cost was $55 and he is likely to do our 2nd ceremony to. :-)

but for a second non la-get wedding you can just ask any one you think would be willing :-) you can find what to say online. :-)

@ Reenski - the problem is we will be in Florida first (the last weekend of this month) then back here in TX the first week of August is when we wanted to do the real wedding. I guess that was my main question, would someone be able to do the "fake" wedding out there in FL first, which I doubt but thought I'd ask

@Nancy - We'd be in the Orlando area and I'd like to drive out to one of the coasts and do a quick ceremony on a beach, and part of his family is in Tampa so west coast could be an option. Nothing fancy or elaborate really, just a quick beach wedding. I'm not looking to spend much money at all on the FL part.

My husband and I actually did have a private ceremony in the state we live in on May 19, 2012 and we are in the process of planning our larger ceremony by the beach in another state set for September 21, 2012. Most of the people coming in September were not at our ceremony in May and we've found that people are still very excited about the ceremony upcoming although it is more of a renewal than a marriage ceremony. I purchased two different dresses and had two different themes but the colors are the same and there were no bridesmaids or groomsmen involved in our ceremony in May so while it seems redundant to have two ceremonies, they both are special in their own respects and gives us the opportunity to share our union with all the people that love us! Best wishes with it all :-)

Holly, I recently did an unofficial ceremony for a couple who was getting legally married later in W. Virginia.

We had our real wedding in Indiana. Ceremony, reception, dress, suits, wedding party and all. The following weekend we had a party in Ohio for DH's family (which, thanks to MIL was as well put together as the real wedding reception and had great food). We had about 33 guests at our actual wedding and 90 something at the Ohio reception. The first weekend of August we are having a party/bbq in Minnesota where we and my family live so that all of my family and friends can come. It will be low-key, much like my brother's grad party last year, but fun. Is something like that an option? You could just go someplace beautiful with a few family/friends and get married, then come home and do separate receptions.

If the dummy wedding is first it comes off as fake and not meaning anything. You could do a handfasting. It's odd but not technically a marriage though people use them in real marriage ceremonies now. It's a ceremony that lasts "A year and a day" as a trial to the real marriage they bind your hands together, and the couple gets to live together for "a year and a day" as a married couple and at the end if they don't like it they don't get married. It's an old Celtic thing. That way it's still meaningful with vows, but not fake.