Anyone Already Married & Having a Ceremony Later?

My groom and I eloped at the courthouse Nov 9, 2018 and will be having our "wedding" with friends and family this Nov 9, 2019 (1 year anniversary/1 year vow-renewal)

My friends got married at a courthouse I think almost a year before their wedding, they let us as BM/GM know in their 'wedding planning' process that was the case. I don't know about anyone else or the wedding guests, it wasn't my place to ask or make judgement on. Honestly, they did it because of her health issues and needing affordable insurance first and foremost that covered expensive medications that other government funded ones wouldn't. We understood and enjoyed being part of their big day, it felt no different to us.

Yes, a lot of people are super technical on here and they think you should be honest with your guests and let them know that you're already legally married. Two years is kind of a bit and maybe some already know your situation. However, I wouldn't care if I was witnessing someone get legally married or not, it's not my business why they married before the ceremony or not and not a place to judge. Everyone deserves their ceremony, if they desire and while some think it's a sneaky money/gift grab... then that's their hang up.

Personally, I'd be honest and tell my guests as I give out STD - that I regrettably couldn't afford a ceremony and I've already signed papers, but this is something I wanted to make memories with family and friends with and now I'm finally able to include everyone. Yet, it's truly up to you how you want to handle it.

Hi there!

I'm not married yet, but I'm pretty much doing what you did 2 years ago. I'm having a simple ceremony with immediate family and our best friends and then in a year or two (once we have enough saved)we are going to have the our actual ceremony and reception where we will be inviting our other relative and friends.

We didn't call it a vow renewal, we had a handfasting after we were legally married. It's not like people don't know you're married so I think it is just having the wedding ceremony you wanted. The only time I ever warn people is when they try to keep it secret that they're already married. That doesn't typically go well when friends and family find out after.

Handfastings were done in the rural areas of the British Isles (my wife and I family that came from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) in lieu of a wedding since the magistrates could not always be available for a wedding when a couple wanted/needed to be married. It is a ceremony that involves wrapping or tying cord, ribbon, or cloth around the couple's hands and is also symbolic of the trust they put in each other as well as their union. I agree I always thought vow renewals were something that happened long after a wedding, but to each their own.

We did a civil ceremony on our anniversary - we did it for the money reason, but also because of the marriage law issue for the out of state wedding. It was too much hassle to work with the state so we eloped here and will do the ceremony next month!