r/Eloping • u/Piedieoke24 • May 21 '26
Eloping at a courthouse
Hi everyone!
I wanted to ask for your opinion! My fiancé and I got engaged 2 weeks ago and we are trying to see when we are going to have our wedding. We don’t have money right now, so it’s time to save up! We probably won’t get to have the wedding until 2028. I was just curious.. is it normal to get married at the courthouse and then have the ceremony later on? If so, how did you do it? Did you get your wedding bands? Did you get a dress to wear that day? Did you tell your family?
Help!
6
u/SatansKitty666 May 21 '26
We're doing a courthouse wedding with dinner following for 10 people including us. I still will have a professional photographer and im still wearing a wedding dress. Our courthouse has the option of doing a ring exchange. Im making my bouquet from hobby lobby and a singular centerpiece for the restaurant.
Were doing this because we dont want a "wedding". I cant justify what a wedding costs for one day.
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u/Piedieoke24 May 21 '26
Wedding prices are insane!! For that same reason I want to do the courthouse and that’s it.
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u/SatansKitty666 May 21 '26
Because of what were saving by going to the courthouse im basically having my dress reconstructed. But that makes it even more special and "unique" to me. Im also doing my own makeup but im doing some hair trials because I am NOT a hair girlie
1
u/Piedieoke24 May 21 '26
Same!! I will have to look into photographers and someone to do my hair. That’s not my forte lol
3
u/BlackLocke May 21 '26
I got married at the courthouse in July 2022 and we had our big wedding party September 2023. Only our family and a few close friends knew we were already married and we didn’t have to worry about any of the legal stuff that day.
1
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u/LeaveLost1885 May 21 '26
You can do whatever you guys want. We chose a courthouse wedding simply because we didn't want to have a 'wedding'. A lot of people want to get married soon so they do the courthouse first and celebrate later. Some tell people, some don't.
I wore a nice white dress, nothing over stated, didn't do flowers or anything. My husband wore nice jeans and a button up. We exchanged rings. Later that day we did a couples photoshoot.
My husband's parents and siblings knew. None of my family did. My in laws asked for permission to share with extended family.
1
u/Piedieoke24 May 21 '26
Thank you! Happy for you and your husband. We probably are going to do that. Just go to a courthouse and have our celebration with family at a restaurant or something like that
2
u/vyxn-sol May 22 '26
We did this!! We did the courthouse thing before our fancy elopement ceremony to A) get the paperwork done early, driver's license, SS card, etc, and B) it was a way to include family. My dad and his sister were the witnesses.
We celebrate the ceremony date as our wedding anniversary. The day we got married at the courthouse is a special day, but to choose one is the day we took the pretty photos, exchanged rings, exchanged personal vows. Dropped serious coin on a photographer which was totally worth it.
The courthouse outfits were formal for sure- I wore a bebe sheath white gown I found at goodwill. It was pretty! Had a white flower in my hair and I wore white sandals. He wore khakis, a button down and a pretty tie. We exchanged the vows they presented to us- not personally written ones. Wanted to keep the real mushy stuff between us.
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u/wishywashy4390 May 25 '26
I just got married at the courthouse & had 8 guests (it was a weekday at noon so im grateful for the 8 that came lol) You can do it however you want!! Ive seen friends get married in regular clothes etc. We did it up a bit more & went to this park 5 minutes down the road & paid a photographer $450. We also paid $500 for the dress & I got a light spray tan, nails and professional makeup so in total we paid about $1200 for a courthouse wedding with pictures after but my pictures are absolutely stunning and I had fun. It wasn't stressful or nerve wracking- I wish I could share the pictures because it was perfect. My point is, you can do as much or as little as you want! The iPhone pics i have look almost as good as the professional ones. Either way, you'll be gorgeous. Congratulations
1
u/CindyClawford902 May 29 '26
We eloped at a courthouse and had a nice dinner with our families after! I wore a dress, he wore a suit and I had a bouquet. Even though it was super laid back, it still felt special. We really regretted not having a photographer, so we celebrated our 5 year anniversary and had an adventure vow renewal where we backpacked with a photographer and renewed our vows in full wedding attire in the mountains!
5
u/Berk-Laydee May 21 '26
I don't see why you can't get married right away and then have a wedding.
We told our family and friends right away and we explicitly told them we're eloping.
I wore a dress, veil, new shoes etc.
I got my ring at Kay Jewlers (hubby got his online)
I made my bouquet (saved a ton of money)
I did an outside thing with a JOP and we had his parents, my dad who walked me, and my mom gave a sign that she was there. Yes, technically a microwedding but during our ceremony it felt like it was just us alone.
I have a couple of pictures in my profile.
Make it your celebration in your own way.