Getting legally married before the ceremony and reception

I think that no one will be willing to get dressed up for your ceremony, go home, and get dressed up and come back the next day for the reception.

You'll either have to accept that your wedding will be a day before or after the day you want, or pay for the Saturday wedding. Your family and friends would probably not like to find out you already got married before your wedding.

No.

How many guests are you talking about having, because you have more than two whole years to save for the wedding you want.

Definitely don't ask your guests to come to your ceremony on Sat and your reception on Sunday, that's ridiculous. The best way to handle it if you're stuck on this idea would be to have a private ceremony with immediate family only on Saturday (take them out to lunch or dinner after because that's a thank you for being part of your special day). Then on Sunday have your big celebration with all your guests but don't include vow reading/fake ceremony/walking down the aisle. There's no reason to do it just for show.

@Jacqui76 we are planning on inviting 120 people. But as I mentioned my Fiance is going to school and unfortunetly has a school debt to pay off before he can contribute more into saving for the wedding. He wont graduate until 2017

Meh, I am not usually against these for good reasons (if you don't lie to your guests about it) but having it the next day due to expenses just doesn't seem to be a good reason. You have two years, can you start saving? Maybe cut down the guest list. If not, then just have it on Sunday. A reception is to thank your guests for coming to your wedding, it needs to be on the same day, ideally right after, not the next day. You get one day, not two.

@Massy we cut down our guest list almost in half. We were about 200 now down to 120. I can start saving but my Fiance is still in school with debt he has to deal with. He can save aswell but not as much. But yeah I probably wouldnt want to go to both if they were seperate days. I was just hoping there would be a way to have the day I want and having it for cheaper to save money.

I would suggest you just save save save to have everything you envision on that Saturday, or just have the wedding on Sunday. I get the date is important to you, but you'll be married. You'll have a new anniversary to celebrate anyways.

This is a hot topic on wedding wire, just to forwarn you.

Also you have two years to save, and even in school and having debt does not mean you can't save. Trust me I've been there. I'm still paying off my student loans, and paying off some silly mistakes I made with a credit card at a young age, but I am still saving.

Cut the expenses you don't need: getting nails done, going out to eat, going to bars, buying things you could wait on, really anything frivolous that isn't groceries, bills, and clothes if you need them. I'm not saying never get your nails done or go out to eat but cut it down. Maybe to once or twice a month, and then put the money you'd be spending on that into a savings. That will add up quickly.

I'm not really a fan of this idea. You have to decide what's more important, saving money or having the date you really want.

The difference you are looking at for 120 guests is @$3500. Over 104 weeks that is only an extra $35 a week more than what you would need to save to do it on a different day. If that date is important to you, then you could find the extra $35 a week. That's $5 a day spending to cut out, between the two of you. $2.50 a day to cut out if you both do it. That's doable even with student loans.

I will say this, you can not ask guests to come on 2 days - if you want them at both.

The only way I see this working is your brothers and sisters and parents and maybe grandparents attend a small ceremony on Saturday and invite guests to celebrate a reception in honor of your wedding Sunday.

Some people will still hate this, but I don't see it as a huge of a deal as asking people to give up a whole weekend for a wedding. (and getting dressed up and such 2 days in a row)

But consider that you will have to get done up twice this way (which is usually not cheep if you are hiring someone to do hair and makeup) - plus you risk getting something on your clothes.

This makes no sense to me, and everything makes sense to me. The only scenario that even marginally makes sense is to get married privately on Saturday and have the party on Sunday; no walk down the aisle, no fake vows, no nothing.

And no, no one is going to block out two days for you in the middle of the summer. That is a crazy request.

Why can't you just do everything on Sunday?

My DH and I got legally married about a month before our wedding but it was for legal reasons that we had no control over. Here, just IMO, I would personally either have a smaller wedding on Saturday or have the larger wedding on Sunday. I don't really see anything wrong with getting legally married on Saturday and then having your wedding on Sunday but I warn you it will likely come with WAY more hassles than benefits. For one thing, if you are planning to do the legal bit at the courthouse (as most do in these situations) that date may not be an option. In many places you only have certain days to pick from at the courthouse. Here they only do courthouse weddings one day a month so you'd just have to get really lucky for them to line up. Next, you have the issue that if you are dealing with all of that the day before you will have trouble trying to set up for the wedding, have a rehearsal, greet family coming into town, etc, all the usual day before a wedding things. Then there's the fact that after all this you really will just end up with 2 anniversaries rather than having 1 on the day you want (and guests will be super confused in years to come if you mention your anniversary and it's not the day they remember coming to your wedding). Personally, I think it would be nice to in years to come celebrate the day he proposed on one day and your wedding date the next. It's kind of romantic.

If you really have your heart set on it, then I don't think it will really hurt anything, I just think it's going to be a lot of trouble and won't really come out making your day more special. The one thing I will say I do think is a bad idea is asking guests to come to a ceremony one day and a reception the next. Trust me, no one wants to get dressed up for your wedding 2 days in a row because it got split in half just because. You will have a lot of people irritated.

@Celia Milton I've only been to two weddings in my life. I wrote this discussion to ask for advice because I'm new to all of this. No need to be rude.

I would do a private ceremony and then have Everyone come on Sunday

Or get married a year early legally so its on a Friday so u can.go to city hall lol

@Caitlin, nobody is suggesting a tiered wedding, and it's perfectly acceptable to invite guests to a hosted reception after a very small immediate-family only ceremony.

I really don't see how Celia's comment was rude. She is pointing out the truth. I know if i got an invite that had it split into two days, I would only go to one.

You aren't going to get very many people to tell you that you have a good idea, when in truth it's not. The date at which he proposed while yes is special doesn't have to be the date you get married. The day you get married is going to be even more special.

Either figure out a way to save so you can have it on your dream day or do it on the cheaper day. Don't split it up. You'll have a lot of side eye coming from guests.

Orrrrr another idea. U make it a whole weekend of celebrating when u celebrate ur anniversary. Engaged on 7/21 and married on 7/22