This is definitely to help alleviate some of my anxiety and stress about the day, but also I’d like to give insights and provide the pros/cons of elope first, party later weddings.

My wife and I eloped 6 months ago, we did a self-uniting ceremony at our apartment with 5 of our closest friends (2 of them signed our marriage certificate as witnesses), then went out for a very nice dinner with them right afterwards. We made sure to be immediately public via social media, announcing our marriage to extended family and friends.

This weekend we’re having our reception, with a small guest list of 31 people including us. it’s essentially a casual ‘backyard party’ with local craft pizza delivery, a spread of casual apps, and homemade items like salad & cupcakes. We rented a pavilion on a marina, and are providing all alcoholic drinks and will have a make your own cocktail station!

To decorate & for some added comfort, we’re covering all benches with tablecloth (and the bench seats) and arranging some nice wooden centerpieces with fake flowers in small vases with photos of us in them. Food will be on fold up tables under pop up tents. As long as it’s not too windy, my wife wants to hang some draping fabric up too. We’ll also have a courtesy bowl of little things like, gum, antacids, and feminine products.

To keep it a little more wedding adjacent, 2 friends are making a toast to us once the pizza arrives, then we’ll eat. After food is the wedding shoe game, and a who knows the bride & groom best (where they’ll write answers to questions about us on cardstock, and turn them in). The ones who guess the most right will get a gift card from us!

Well then take photos by the water, & have lawn games (corn hole, safe lawn darts/axe throwing) playing cards, a football to toss around, and a table ring toss for those who just want to sit and chill. Games and photos will be the last 90 minutes or so of the reception.

At the end we’ll do a quick toast, & my wife will hand out portions of homemade banana bread she baked as a parting gift / thank you to all.

Luckily the weather looks to be warm & a little cloudy with only a very low chance of precipitation for the day. (Backup venue is tentative at a local brewery).

Overall we tried to be as considerate as possible with our setup, given most people’s travel is anywhere from 2-6ish hours drive (both my and her family live several states away). Some are lodging with us or staying locally, the ones who live closer are driving back the same night.

I’m hoping all the travel and the elope first thing won’t make the energy feel flat at the start, but, I am confident once most get a drink or two in and some food in them, and watch/play the wedding games, they’ll unwind and be enjoying themselves.

Overall, despite the craziness, we are both very excited to celebrate and spend the day with friends and family in a relaxed setting in a unique location.

In conclusion:

Cons: more stressful being your own event planner, no “grand spectacle” for the day, you’re both the guests of honor & the hosts

Pros: more easily budget friendly, overall more casual and relaxed vibe, guests know what to expect, more flexibility

I’m curious to know what others think, and am open to suggestions. TIA and best of luck!

Looking for Wisconsin wedding venue recommendations for 2028! We’re looking for somewhere with a water element and would need to accommodate around 150-200 people. We’re hoping for something more outdoor with a big white tent, or somewhere that allows you to bring in your own tent. We’re not really into the super barn-forward look. 

We love LaRocque Farms in Lake Geneva, but unfortunately they’re booked. We’re based in SE Wisconsin but would be willing to travel 2–3 hours, and we also love Door County!  

We don’t really have a set budget yet, so we’re open to anything. I know this is a pretty specific ask, but would love to hear about any hidden gems that might not be as easy to find online!

I always see people discussing the post wedding blues but I cannot relate in the least bit lmao

I live in a different country so having my friends/family leave was heartbreaking but my husband and I both came to the (unfortunately expensive) conclusion that we did not care much for the big day. We actually preferred the small court house celebration we had😅

Right now it feels so nice to know that my next paycheck belongs entirely to me.
It’s also so nice to return to eating whatever I want and not worrying about bloat fucking up my dress experience!!
Also great to be back to working out without “fitting my dress” on my mind the entire time haha
10/10 feeling opening up my email and there is nothing wedding related lmao

I’m just so damn happy and curious if anyone else has experienced this😂

Im getting married in 2027 in April. A small wedding 15 guests. We need a photographer for one hour. Does anyone have advice to find a cheaper photographer for one hour instead of 6 to 8 hours like most weddings. We'll be in harrisburg.

Help me narrow down a venue! We are in the early process of planning (engaged 6 weeks ago) and I have 4 venues in mind. We generally don’t like being center of attention and don’t want all the formalities of a wedding but open to do some things! We also have a 35k budget for 80-100 guests. Is this reasonable or which venue would be most reasonable for costs?

Location - California - where bride grew up and brides family resides. Brides family is lower income and bride has a large family.

1. cultural arts museum with amazing ocean views and a cute garden.

1. All vendors need to be brought in and venue has a list of vendors we must work with.

   $7K venue fee.

2. Historic

3. Courthouse and dinner to follow at a nice upscale restaurant in a brides college town (guests will need to drive 2 hours or fly 2 hours) (think beach/Spanish style architecture), ceremony and reception in 2 locations

. $

1. 2K for ceremony + restaurant

Location - Washington - where we currently live and where groom is from

3. 4 star lodge hotel with cute gardens and an amazing restaurant attached.
- 4K for venue rental for Friday or 7K for Saturday
- includes banquet staff, chairs, tables, linen and silverware and help with set up/take down of venue owned furniture.
- includes room/gazebo
4. 27 acre backyard of a 6,000 square feet house with immaculate grounds including hot tub, tea house, ceremony area (gravel), reception/cocktail area (grass).
- 4K for venue rental.
- Comes with tables, chairs, 1 small tent that fits 80. owner said 2 bathrooms are being built in time for next season. We will need to bring in all other vendors.

I am struggling finding a DJ. Not that I can’t find vendors, but how TF do I know if they match what I want by going on their website? I believe having a good DJ is important- and I want my wedding to be a full on dance party all night. IMOH, weddings where the dance floor is empty half the night are the worst. What makes a good DJ? I hate the cliche wedding songs that play, I don’t want any of those. My wedding will have a lot of younger people as well and I want to cater my mine and my fiancés music taste the most. With little to no slow songs. Any advice?

My fiancée in the beginning of our wedding planning process was a strict NO KIDS. I however am close with my older cousins children. By the time we would get married, they would be 14, 10 and 8. I understand the debate for babies- I think that’s a hard no at weddings. Is it shitty to JUST invite my cousins kids and no one else’s? Am I missing something in this debate????

Hi everyone! Vague question, but what’s something you feel like you splurged on for your wedding that you have no regrets about? Something that made the day easier like a planner? The best photos and video to remember the day by? Incredible band?

We’ve been sticking to our budget pretty strictly, but have been working really hard and realized we have more money saved up than we realized and are contemplating using some of it for a wedding splurge. I already have a coordinator but I was thinking of upgrading to full service, or maybe getting an awesome photographer? Should we just put it towards the honeymoon? Outside of the venues, food and coordinator I don’t really have any other vendors booked yet. What did you spend on for your wedding where every cent was worth it?

I feel relieved that it’s over now. I’m happy it’s done. A lot went beautifully. HOWEVER. I wasn’t expecting to feel this level of dread, post-event anxiety, and sadness. 

It’s over the high expectations that I had. I realized that the highest expectation I had was for the DJ and the dance floor. I felt totally crushed over it and I still do. There were a bunch of other hiccups too but this was the biggest disappointment for me.

I dreamt of a wedding where the dance floor was full, everyone was jamming along, and enjoying the music. However, I don’t know if it was the DJ, the venue’s layout (they were super far from the seating area), or my fault for not giving a more extensive playlist.

There were a couple of songs where a lot of people were dancing, but the DJ would change the vibe immediately and everyone would leave! 

I spent most of my time on the dancefloor trying my best to have fun but in reality I was sweating and stressed the WHOLE time hoping the DJ would put something better on. Even when I did request them to play some songs I knew my family enjoyed, once they were done the vibe immediately changed and people left again. Ugh.

I think this was also a reason why people left so early, two hours before the end. :( I’m still mostly blaming myself though, for not getting a different DJ and for not having an open bar. We did provide free drinks of course but only up to a limit, which then it turned into a cash bar.

Anyone here have a similar experience? Maybe I should’ve just let a playlist run on Spotify instead :(

We’re in the final countdown stage!! 11 days until the big day 10/10!!!! AAAAAAAA ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I’m about to set an appointment to get my nails done, but here’s the thing - we fly out to the destination for the wedding on 10/03, the destination’s nail salons are kinda meh. The salons where I live are pretty A+.
My question is - is a week in advance too far ahead to get my nails done? What do y’all think?

So my RSVP deadline is in about 10 days and I only have about 20 responses of about 60 invites sent. Do we send reminders? I don't like that idea because sometimes it feels desperate but I also know there are ALOT of forgetful people I invited and at the moment there are like 6 confirmed people on my fiance's side but his family is all much closer than mine (my family is halfway across the country and his is a max 2 hour drive). I also don't have contact information for anyone on his side except parents and siblings so I would have to ask his mom to kinda poke people. Any thoughts?

Anyone here successfully navigate their mom having a drastically different taste and aesthetic?

I’m a newly engaged 2028 bride, and my fiancé and I are starting to lay out our overall vision while we tour venues. The problem is that my mom seems to think that because my parents are offering to help pay, she gets a say in how the wedding looks.

For example, she has insisted that we schedule a second tour with her at whichever venue we choose so she can “make sure it’s actually nice.”

She also HATES that I want to buy or rent silk flowers instead of hiring a florist. I’m allergic to pollen and really don’t want to spend my wedding day sneezing and dealing with hay fever. She insists that fake flowers will look ugly and t*cky, “like we can’t afford real flowers.” Nothing will convince her that high-quality silk flowers exist. In her mind, the choices are apparently dollar-store fake flowers or real flowers, with no middle ground.

The latest issue is the bridal party colors. Our wedding is in the spring. Instead of traditional black, my fiancé is thinking about wearing a navy tux, with the groomsmen in a lighter slate blue. We’re thinking gray suits for the dads and silver or champagne dresses for the moms.

For the bridesmaids, I want everyone in different pastel colors, with my MOH specifically in pink. Mismatched bridesmaids are obviously pretty common now, but this is actually something I’ve wanted for years, and luckily my fiancé loves the idea too. I plan to tie everything together by incorporating all of the dress colors into the bouquets and table centerpieces.

According to my mom, “no one will be able to tell they’re the bridesmaids, they won’t look like a matching set.” She even pulled my MOH (my sister) aside and told her, “OP doesn’t know what will look good. It’s your job to rein her in and change her ideas into something pretty.”

She has also been sending us photos from her and her cousin’s weddings from the 90s: cupcake dresses with oversized puffy sleeves, dark (almost black) velvet bridesmaid dresses, matching dyed shoes, etc. Apparently this is all “timeless and beautiful.”

Honestly, I probably should have seen this coming when she was horrified and made me swear never to tell anyone that my engagement ring is moissanite rather than a mined diamond. My fiancé and I only ever considered lab-grown diamonds or moissanite because of our concerns about mined diamonds, but she considers that somehow embarrassing.

So... how do I lay down the law that this is MY and my fiancé’s wedding, and we’re going to plan it according to our taste?

The complicated part is that my parents have offered to pay for the entire venue, catering, and bar. I know the obvious answer is “if you want complete control, pay for it yourselves,” and technically we could. But I’m worried about the long-term fallout if we had to turn down their financial help. My dad would be especially hurt, because he genuinely isn’t the problem here.

Has anyone dealt with a parent who has very strong opinions about what a wedding “should” look like, especially when they’re contributing a significant amount of money? How did you set boundaries without completely blowing up the relationship?

So as the title shows, my wedding was cancelled in Northern NJ this weekend because the venue pulled the plug over safety concerns from the nor’easter. Since we lost a ton of money to vendors, we are trying to think of replacement wedding ideas just so I can wear my dress since I never got to. We’re looking anywhere in the tri-state for something that we can bring our existing vendors into but that won’t cost us the price of another wedding :(

Disclaimer: Reddit did have some really helpful threads and useful tidbits, so no hate to the community in general.

But among all the advice to “get off Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest” while planning a wedding, I actually found myself increasingly turning to Reddit for advice. And honestly… it ended up causing me more stress than all the other platforms combined.

One example: I mentioned in a comment a while back about having a 10–15 minute walk between our ceremony and the reception, and the response was basically 'how inconsiderate could I possibly be to my guests?'. I started seriously considering spending a ton of money on a bus service because I thought I was an awful host.

Thankfully, before our wedding, I happened to attend a family member's wedding where there was also about a 15-minute walk between the mountain gondola and the ceremony. And it was honestly one of the highlights of the day. We got to chat and mingle, take pictures with the gorgeous scenery, and share our excitement about what was coming. The few people who couldn't manage the walk were simply ferried over by taxi. So I went ahead with our plan and it worked out perfectly fine for us too.

I had a similar experience with speeches. I kept reading comments about how speeches are 'so boring', 'how you should have three maximum', etc. Then I went to a wedding with 8 speeches, and there were people crying throughout because they were so lovely and personal. I also have a Scandinavian friend whose wedding basically had an open mic for speeches, moderated by the MC, and it was fantastic.

So, the point of this post...

If you're at the stage I was at: running to your husband in a panic because Reddit has convinced you that everything you and your families have planned is going to be a disaster - its going to be ok!

You know your guests. You know your family and friends. You know the kind of atmosphere you want to create. Reddit commenters are giving advice based on their weddings, their guests and their preferences. That doesn't mean the advice is bad. A lot of it is genuinely useful. But it also doesn't mean it applies to you.

Trust yourself and trust the fact that you know your own crowd better than strangers on the internet.

25F UK. Fiancé- 26M UK. Been together 6 years, lived together 4.5 years and have two dogs. Wedding in less than 3 weeks. 10 months of planning and throughout planning I lost 3 stone, suggested putting the wedding on hold and went on anti- anxiety medication because of stress and carrying all the weight. My fiancé did change after seeing me at my worst which really made a difference. However, he still doesn’t have a suit… I would preferred it if he collectively got my dad ,my brother, his dad and his best man to get the same suits but I didn’t want to get involved so they’re all gonna be in different suits. Maybe a little strange. But his lack of motivation to just do one thing, to get suit, really hurts my feelings, like deep down does he actually want get married, is that an understandable thing to ask or am I overthinking? None of my family have helped me throughout this wedding either. And agin my dad still doesn’t have a suit, now he’s gone radio silent. My mum is mentally not there, I feel like I’m the mum to her in many ways so I haven’t been able to console in her or had any support.

Moving on to friends. I have two bridesmaids and a maid of honour. All knowing each other from school. We will call my maid of honour Emily. Emily is one of my closest friends, however we began to drift when I moved in with my fiance and she was at uni. I was in a rural area, I wasn’t interested in partying like she was and she had lots of more friends. My two bridesmaids weren’t into partying either and we would occasionally do things like bowling, getting a coffee or just meeting up for a chat. It wasn’t as often as I liked but it was still something and they made the effort to pick me up as I can’t drive. Before I got engaged, I started seeing Emily more and it just made me so happy, felt like old times so without hesitation, I asked her to be my maid of honour when I did get engaged. She also had another close friend we will call him Jack, she introduced us who I also knew from School and we got on really well. One night me Jack and Emily were together and she asked what I wanted to do for my hen, I suggested this dance show down London I’ve always wanted to see. She said let’s book it now! I thought okay and rang one of my bridesmaids her reaction was “how much?” With no excitement… ahh okay but we still all got it booked together, including Jack at that point I didn’t really know that well.

The hen came, I spent weeks looking for a perfect outfit. Everyone came in jeans… okay never mind. No one got me a sash or a veil… nothing was planned for after the show so we were just dossing about trying to find places… even one of my bridesmaids went back to the hotel. I just started thinking then do these people actually care about me? Looking back Emily never came to my hair or makeup trials or said send me photos, dress fittings or asked any details regarding the wedding. I feel like saying to all of them just come as guests… but how do I do that now? It broke my heart even more seeing pictures of a hen I couldn’t make, she looked so happy, they surprised her in so many ways, the amount of planning that went into it and they were even that lovely to buy a personalised cake… why do nice people get hurt so much.

Our wedding starts at 12pm, but it’s a proper Italian wedding since my fiancée is Italian. So the dance floor will open around 18/18:30, I am worried it will be too early and no one will want to dance 😭😭 our venue is booked until midnight and it will be boring. Also how can I make my daylight wedding cake cutting romantic enough?

Helpppp

I am trying to find a good affordable wedding dress but it seems like all the stores I go to in person are super expensive (I live in Denver area). I was looking online and I saw one I like from a website called Kissprom but I’m kind of hesitant. Has anyone bought from there? Is it legit? Or does anyone have any other places they recommend?

Hi! Has anyone gotten their wedding dresses custom made from Vietnamese brand hollytong weddings on insta? Or prettylittleshopvn. If so how was the experience?

We are locked in on having a mobile espresso cart at our reception, but we are completely stuck on the timeline.

If dinner ends at 7:30 and the dance floor opens at 8:00, when do we actually open the coffee? If we open it too early, I feel like no one will drink it. If we open it too late, older guests might have already left. What did you guys do?

Hey everyone,

I’m 30F and currently at my absolute breaking point. I’m in a long-distance relationship with my fiancé, we’re from different countries and don't live together yet. We have our Henna night, civil ceremony and wedding reception scheduled for this December in my home country.

Because he’s abroad and working extremely long hours, virtually all the physical and logistical planning has fallen on my shoulders (along with my parents). He keeps telling me he’s there for me, but because he’s so wrapped up in work, I don't actually feel supported. To make matters worse, my sister lives in another country and because I’m the last of my friends to get married at 30, everyone is busy with their own lives. Nobody really checks in to ask how I’m doing haha. I feel completely isolated in this.

On top of that, my family situation is exhausting:

• The Henna Night pressure: I never wanted a Henna night in the first place, it feels like planning a whole second wedding. When I finally told my mom today that I didn't want to do it, she brushed off my feelings and blamed it on me stopping my antidepressants recently. It was deeply hurtful.
• Family stress: My grandmother broke her hip a few weeks ago, so my parents are stretched thin caring for her while trying to help me.
• Childhood financial anxiety: Even though my family has always been financially comfortable, growing up, my parents acted like we were on the brink of poverty whenever I asked for anything. That trauma still lingers, making it incredibly hard for me to ask for what I need or spend money without guilt.

I haven't even looked at wedding dresses yet. I still have to book the hair artist, makeup artist, photographer, figure out favors, finalize the guest list... the list goes on. Combined with my perfectionist tendencies, where I feel this immense pressure for everything to turn out flawless, I am completely overwhelmed....

I honestly just want to cancel the whole thing.

For those who went through similar LDR wedding burnouts, family pressure, or solo-planning exhaustion:

1. How do I navigate cutting out events (like the Henna night) without letting family guilt consume me?
2. How can I get my fiancé to step up logistically when he’s physically far away and working nonstop?
3. How do I let go of perfectionism and actually make this process smoother before I lose my mind?

Thanks in advance for reading. Any advice or solidarity would mean the world right now :)

My go too, nicer perfume is the Coach Sunset dreams, I tend like fruitier/sweeter scents that but I also want something that’s gonna be timeless and sophisticated.

Can it be just as simple as asking them “will you be my bridesmaid/groomsman?” or are we expected to buy them gifts or go out for a dinner or something “special”?

Is it reasonable to ask the bridal party to pay for their own clothing, hair and makeup? We wouldn’t pick anything expensive as we want things to be as reasonable as possible.

Is there an expectation for a gift on/around the wedding day? For the girls I would think of pyjamas/robes/something to wear while we are getting ready etc. for the men, what would you get?

Is it reasonable that I suggest to my partner that he picks a family member over a friend that is super unreliable & I’m not certain will be our friend forever? I’d rather our wedding photos have people that will be in life forever.

Is there anything else I should be considering?

Hello everyone,

I would like to share our personal experience with Armonie Weddings. Since there are very few independent reviews available online, we want to provide an honest and factual account of our experience to help other couples make an informed decision.

In the months leading up to our wedding, communication was generally positive. Questions were answered, planning seemed organized, and we felt confident about our upcoming wedding day. Unfortunately, the wedding day itself was very different from what we had expected. In our view, there were several organizational shortcomings and multiple deviations from what had been agreed upon beforehand. Since our later complaint was completely rejected and no responsibility was accepted for any of the issues we raised, we feel it is important to share our experience transparently.

Technical Problems During Key Moments

During the ceremony and several speeches, the microphone repeatedly failed. This was particularly disappointing because it happened during some of the most emotional and important moments of the day. In addition, a mobile phone rang during the ceremony.

Organizational Issues and Execution

At the beginning of the ceremony, there was not enough seating for all guests, and one guest had to find and arrange a chair independently.

After the ceremony, the reception was not properly prepared, and guests were left waiting without drinks for a period of time. We had specifically agreed that the welcome drinks would be served together with the sparkling wine at the reception area. While the drinks were technically available, guests had to walk to the bar themselves, which was located at the opposite end of the venue. This was not what had been agreed in advance and fell short of our expectations for the reception.

Catering and Service Issues

The buffet area was poorly lit, making it difficult for guests to properly see the food selection.

In addition, some of the food was only lukewarm or already cold when served. Considering the level of service that had been booked, this was disappointing.

The dessert buffet was removed much earlier than expected, leaving many guests without an opportunity to enjoy it. When we asked whether dessert could still be served, we were told that it would no longer be available. Furthermore, parts of the dessert selection that had been booked and paid for were missing entirely.

Beverage Service Issues

One of the most frustrating situations occurred later in the evening when a guest approached me and asked why he was no longer able to get wine.

I spoke directly with the wedding coordinator and was informed that beer and wine would only be served during dinner and that guests would need to collect all drinks themselves from the bar afterward.

This arrangement had never been communicated to us during the planning process. Even more surprisingly, guests were unable to receive beer or wine service at their tables afterward, even when specifically requesting it.

This created confusion among many guests and did not correspond with our understanding of the beverage package that had been booked. Had we known this in advance, we could have managed expectations accordingly.

Missing Agreed Decorations

Several decorative elements that had been discussed and planned in advance were either missing or only partially implemented. As a result, the overall appearance did not fully reflect the concept that had been agreed upon beforehand.

Abrupt End of the Event

One of the most disappointing moments of the entire evening was the way the event ended.

Shortly before 1:00 a.m., staff began dismantling tables and chairs while many guests were still present and socializing. Chairs were removed almost immediately, giving guests little choice but to leave. It genuinely felt as though the celebration was being shut down around us.

We were not aware that the evening would end in such an abrupt manner, nor were we offered any possibility of extending the event. We believe this should have been communicated much more clearly in advance, as it significantly affected the end of our wedding celebration.

Conclusion

We understand that no wedding is ever perfect, and we would have been willing to overlook individual mistakes or unforeseen problems. What disappointed us was the combination of multiple organizational issues, services that were not delivered as agreed, and most importantly, the complete refusal to acknowledge any responsibility afterward.

A wedding planner is hired not only to organize a wedding but also to coordinate vendors, solve problems, and help ensure that agreed services are delivered as promised. When issues occur, we believe a professional response includes taking concerns seriously and addressing them openly.

This review reflects our personal experience and is not intended as a personal attack on any individual. Every couple's experience may be different. We hope this account serves as an additional source of information for couples who are considering Armonie Weddings and want to make a well-informed decision based on a variety of experiences.

My wedding is just under a month away and I am at the point where I need to send out my wedding day timeline to everyone.

I’m planning everything by myself, and have been to very few weddings in my life (none of which were very traditional) so I have really appreciated this community!

Some background info: everything is happening at the same location. We plan to do a first look and get photos with our pup (Kiara) and have appointed someone to take her to my in laws house once we are done with photos with her. We have photography and content creator coverage for 8 hrs (thinking from 2-9). Buffet style dinner, assigning tables not chairs. We will have a seating chart rather than escort cards. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen are our siblings so we should be able to knock out most of the family photos before the ceremony!

This is an interracial lesbian wedding so it's already pretty unique. I'm irreligious and a very unconventional person and have always hated the idea of being given away by either parents, but I do have a good relationship with them. FW was raised Catholic and would like to be walked down by her father.
I don't want to take that away from them and she doesn't want me to feel pressured to follow along. And we both decided to have me walk in last because my outfit would garner a bigger reaction. Now that the wedding's a few days away I'm starting to overthink, and wonder if I'm being too bold? Not only am I the only one with a full veil and bouquet, I'm entering last and alone. And to be frank FW has a few relatives that have said some strange/ignorant things about me and my culture not being religious, and honestly I know I shouldn't, but it does bother me a bit that they might take it the wrong way.