a wedding without a church and all the etiquette

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that! Nothing wrong with a courthouse wedding, "traditional" wedding, or anything in between It can be as casual or formal as the couple wishes.

This is normal these days. I have been to a wedding like this and it is just as fun as a "traditional" wedding. I think whatever makes the couple happy is what they should do.

Yup, this is a thing. Actually my aunt and uncle got married in her parents’ living room in the 70s, so I don’t think it’s a new thing. You can have an officiant come out to the house and marry you, then have a nice meal at home with your close friends and family. Depending on the size and budget they may want to look at catering / delivery for that meal instead of home cooking / crockpot because cooking for a crowd is a lot of work on your wedding day. I’m not sure how this is “without etiquette” — it’s just typically much less formal than a church wedding.

This is very normal. What do you need creative ideas on? It seems pretty cut and dry.

I think it's totally fine! As long as the guests are properly hosted, having a non-traditional wedding is a great idea!

I've been to several of these weddings. We're kind of throwing a reception like this, but we will have a caterer and the dress. I do always caution people on DIY meals at weddings for food safety and other issues, but the rest should be whatever the couple wants.

Sounds like a great time! My co-worker did a surprise wedding. Everyone thought they were going over for a BBQ and then BAM- wedding time. So awesome and I love the idea for whomever it suits.

This is totally fine. The last wedding I went to was on the back lawn of a bed and breakfast owned by the grooms friend, they had their friends officiate the wedding, there were no religious connotations throughout the ceremony, and they had pizza and pasta buffet catered by a local restaurant.

Yes! I went to a wedding that took place in a park and used the park building for the reception. There was no meal served, but there were snacks, a keg, and you could BYOB as well. It was super casual and a perfect fit for the couple.

My sister had a wedding in my parents’ front yard with a reception in the backyard, super casual with home cooking and yard games. It was really fun.

I haven't but I've seen a lot of non traditional weddings done here on WW

I’ve been to a few of these lately because almost all of my friends don’t ascribe to a religion or an organized religion. I recently went to a wedding where everything was in a cocktail lounge. It was gorgeous and very well organized

I don’t see getting married outside the church as “throwing the etiquette rule book out the window.” Etiquette is a way of hosting. As long as they are being safe, gracious, well-organized, and thoughtful hosts I see no reason to consider it against etiquette.

If that’s what the couple wants, that’s fine. I’ve been to a backyard wedding that still had the bridal gown and whatnot. I’ve also been to a small restaurant wedding where he wore a simple suit and she wore a white ensemble, but not much else wedding-like was there. A wedding should represent the couple, not what society thinks or wants.

My dad and step-mom did this. It was their third marriage, neither are religious, so they found someone who officiated non-religious people. They made all their own food, set up a buffet line in their garage, and had canopys over buffet tables for guests.

That's totally fine. My sister and BL got married in my parents backyard. Nothing religious about the wedding. They had a county judge come and officiate the ceremony and then had a small company cater the food. There was nothing traditional about her wedding and it was a perfect day.

Its not unusual. I went to one many years ago. It was all done in the backyard, very small wedding. They brought in a DJ and dancefloor, had a small arch where they got married while all the guests sat at tables and chairs around them, all rented. Arch was removed after ceremony and the food was either catered or the bride made everything herself, she loves to cook, and it was simple Mexican food so she might have done it herself. The food was in those giant silver trays covered with foil. They rented 2 margharita slushie machines and had cake and other snacks/desserts. It was all very simple and relaxed and was overall a very lovely fun evening. Nothing mattered except everyone having food and enjoying everyone else's company while celebrating a marriage. I don't think the bride even wore an actual wedding dress, just a nice white dress, and the groom was just dressed nicely too, no tux or suit.