Is it possible to have this type of wedding?

atlastree

Hi. I'm getting. Married in less than 2 years and I don't want to do things traditionally, partly to save money but also because traditional wouldn't suit us. I also don't want to exclude loved ones from attending. So my ideal wedding would be:

At night/evening-start at about 8

No dinner but food later on

No ceremony seating or ailse- the ceremony itself would be on the dancefloor and everyone would be seated like you would at a 21st or similar function. Totally informal.

Party proceeds 🎉🥂

Anyone been to a wedding like this? It seems the wedding industry more or less forces you to do the full shebang

twowheelsonly

Of course it is..You can whatever you want.

Only things you'll have to consider is whether a celebrant will do it that late (Registry Office is 9-5 mon to Fri AFAIK) and what time and what kind of food you'll be looking at 'later on'.

You'd want to advise your guests of the food arrangements as well.

Peregrinus

Nothing to stop you having a registry office wedding with just yourselves and the two witnesses and, on the same day or a different day, the social wedding that you describe. If your social wedding has no legal significance, then there are no constraints on the form of the ceremony.

If your social ceremony is going to be the legally effective ceremony, then there are some rules:

You have to have a registered solemniser to preside. I doubt that the HSE celebrants will be keen to do a ceremony at night - they don't get overtime - but you may find a Humanist or Spiritualist celebrant who will oblige.

You have to have two witnesses. (Presumably won't be a problem.)

Your venue must be open to the public. So if your dancefloor is in a hotel ballroom or similar, fine. But if it's in your own home, or the home of a friend, not so fine.

Your ceremony will have to include affirmations by the two of you that you are legally free to marry one another, and declarations that you accept each other as spouses. The ceremony will also have to conform to any requirements laid down by the denomination/organisation with which your celebrant is associated, but in the case of the Humanists and the Spiritualists I think these are fairly minimal.

atlastree

Thanks so much to both of you exactly the info I need

heretothere

Sounds fine to me! I'd def advise your guests of the food arrangement, I'd want to have my dinner before going.

zedhead

Can i just jump on this thread to ask a quick question.

Our original wedding was postponed due to covid, like so many others. Our original plan was ceremony in registry office with around 25 guest followed by a meal with that same group in a dublin restaurant and then an evening reception in our venue for a larger group.

We have since got married with 6 guest back in May but postponed the reception again and its due to go ahead in November. We still want this to just be an evening reception with no meal (as per the original plan) starting at 6:30pm. There will be canapé's, drinks, cake and them some platters of food to come out later in the evening. The wording on our original invites was "Please join us for canape's, drinks and dancing" and we have sent a couple of change the dates since then. We are due to send a reminder out to our guests and ask them to RSVP again, is this wording enough for people to understand there is no dinner?

Faith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117931797#Comment_117931797

I would think so, yes.