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Let's see if the STW collective hive mind can inspire. We're both very outdoorsy, hiking, Scotland, biking, dog. As far as I'm concerned there's just a best man for me (yes I'm allowed one) and my parents, nobody else I want to invite. The list could be even smaller for my OH. We don't want to spend a fortune as it's the sentiment/gesture and not some ridiculous flamboyance. Based on the south edge of Cumbria, top of a huge hill sounds good but there's no way my 70 n 75 year old parents will be getting up there!
Hit me with your bright sparks!
We went to Scotland because a) Scotland and b) you can actually get married outside in Scotland. Had a small ceremony in the gardens of Traquair House in Innerleithen. Lovely place, super helpful people. Registrar from Peebles was ace. All a bit magic really.
Aonach Mòr? Those who can, walk up, those who can’t get the lift?
And the caterers can use the lift 😉
Don't know if you can book it of course…
PS - I assume congratulations are due to someone, so assume they are congratulated.
Check out village halls, IIRC there's an absolute stunner around Lochearnhead, somewhere along that road. Quite small but lovely. I seem to remember it being a chalet with a glass wall upstairs and fantastic views. I think my sister in law considered it, can ask if thats of interest.
Had a small ceremony in the gardens of Traquair House in Innerleithen. Lovely place, super helpful people.
First half I'll give you, second I could regale you with tales of pissups and breweries. No end of stress and it was my sister in law getting married. Wedding coordinator was ****ing useless and that's being charitable.
Aonach Mòr?
Came here to suggest that. 2 of my best mates got married there. Couple of witnesses, very low key. I like it. If I ever remarry it'll be something like that
Friends got married (well humanist service really as they actually got proper married in a registery office the day before) at YHA Snowdon Bryn Gwynant.
Lovely spot by the lake. Service on the lawn with fire pit etc for evening entertainment. Was quite a few years ago but a lovely accessible spot that feels remote
I wonder if you could do it on chapel isle in the bay?
Or maybe in cathedral cavern?
Dunno but 🙂
Don't get married and spend the money saved in an MTB tour of NZ
Never thought I'd hear/see the day! But congratulations none the less... Although...
Don’t get married and spend the money saved in an MTB tour of NZ
I'm kinda with rocketdog here... Or at least something along those lines...
Given your location, quick Christmas shopping trip to Gretna Retail Park combined with a spot of nuptials and a quick coffee, you could be home before tea! 😉
Went to my motorcycling group Xmas party last night (most of them are older than me, at 42 I'm the young kid) and Julie came too... There was lots of assumptions we were married, then questions about when we were going to get married too... 🤦🏻 At least nobody asked if we were going to have kids! 😂😂😂
I of course have never wanted to get married, I just don't believe in it per se... I see it like religion, I'm genuinely happy for others that wish to do it, that buy into it etc... I'm just not that person. I had assumed that Julie was "once bitten, twice shy" now too, but seems after 5 and a bit years and both of us now having had cancer, that I might have to start preparing myself for her advances! 🤷🏻♂️😂🤦🏻
Even if you don't have a particular faith a lot of people like getting married in a church just to make the ceremony a bit different to all of the usual other official stuff that goes on in life. If so then how about the smallest parish church in England?
St Olaf's Church, Wasdale - Wikipedia
(I have no idea if you can actually get married there - just an idea)
Think you've both increased my wedding budget by a sizeable amount! What I'm prepared to 'spend' on a wedding day will certainly not get me to NZ! Also then I've gotta work out how to get his ebike there or pay an excessive amount to hire! THat's the reason I'm going to Finale this year and not Canada!!
@squirrelking yes please that sounds interesting.
If the actual 'event' isn't the official 'you're married' bit then it seems a bit daft to me and like I'm doing the ceremony for the benefit of other people, the special moment wont be then, it'll be the official bit. I wouldn't want to do it somewhere where random people are walking by which is the idea I get from Aonach Mòr but I could be wrong? I think in a super ideal world I'd book a really nice cottage for a week somewhere ace for walking and biking, someone would turn up for the ceremony and then leave and we'd carry on the holiday. Possibly either get someone to come to the cottage to cook for us, or go somewhere really nice to eat.
Thanks for the congratulations, I'm actually a very cynical person (history has taught me so) and I dont think anyone can love me forever but Ash has said he can by giving me the ring and wanting to marry me and for me that's all marriage is about.
For self catering ideas - we stayed HERE recently - excellent views plenty of eating places nearby and loads of walking. Very secure bike storage. They have an 8 person cottage, Also close to Tweed Valley riding. Might be well booked up tho.
Can't help with venues, but a friend of a friend rented an island on a lake and self catered the whole thing.
Well i say self catered, it was mostly all the guests mucking in and doing a massive firepit BBQ and buffet.
The officiant had to be collected from the dock in the nearest town in a Canadian as the father of the bride was repairing the small motorboat that comes with the island rental and the guy who'd ferried the guests over wasn't available.
This was all pre Covid.
Thanks for the congratulations, I’m actually a very cynical person (history has taught me so)
Hence my surprise! But congratulations anyway...
Here's another thought... Possibly a little more affordable...
Assuming your folks still live in France...? Why don't you go to them? Make a motorbike trip of it... Take 2 weeks off work, Spend 3/4 days leisurely riding to them, a long weekend with them (and any others you might want to come out for the ceremony which as you say isn't many, and flights will at least be cheap there for anyone coming), then spend the next 5/6 days coming back home via your chosen route (and you can take your walking boots with you on the bikes, get some walks in too on the way back)... The ceremony isn't important I am guessing, beyond having the correct people there and someone to do the ceremony.
Needn't be especially expensive, would certainly be memorable, and would make it far easier for your ageing parents to be part of things...
@golfchick https://www.kinlochard.org/ That's the place I was thinking of.
Cheers will take a look
Congratulations!
Registry office followed by a hike up an awesome mountain for those who can.
Slap up dinner in nearest town hotel with a nice restaurant?
We got married at Holbeck Ghyll overlooking windermere with just us and our parents attending, it was perfect for our needs. My wife's not into cycling otherwise it would have been great to do 3 passes in the morning and then get married in the avo!
Langley Castle, near Haltwistle , Northumberland (Hexham)
Lovely hotel made out of a 14th C castle as its name suggests. I got married there, can be as low key as you like
Also been recommended Killearn Village Hall.
We booked the “Hideaway Cottage” at Portavadie for 2 nights, arranged the registrar (from Bute I think) and got 2 of the staff to be witnesses. We got married next to a standing stone (AFAIK a modern one) overlooking Loch Fyne.
It was ace, efficient, a great little break and very cheap.
What we spent wouldn’t even get 1 of us to NZ 😂
Also been recommended Killearn Village Hall.
How random. I used to get the school bus through Killearn every day. Never struck me as the sort of place to get married though.
I've been to a wedding at Comrie croft a few years back, cracking setting just 50 yds up the hill in amongst the trees
Everything seemed to be run very well other than the meal and dance in the big shed as it was Baltic end of March and so hard to keep warm, seeing as your party is very small no need for that worry and the bike it's bike friendly
For simplicity (and faster registrar availability in England) it might be worth checking out register offices as some are really nice even in unexpected places, one near you could be a hidden gem.
My brother got married in Marylebone in London which was quite smart and round here Whitby is often preferred to Redcar for aesthetic reasons. The register office staff we dealt with seemed to be professionally nice and well professional dealing with weddings, babies, etc.
Another option is to get married in a hotel and just arrange lunch for a few. Any other friends who want to wish you well are allowed to come to the ceremony itself and so can crash for the 20 minutes or so of box ticking. This happened at a friend's wedding. The hotel were bemused at 50 or 60 people turning up rather than the dozen booked for lunch but I think the ceremony is nominally public.
If you want a party then a community hall, scout hut or whatever usually good.
Went to a wedding at Comrie Croft about 12 years ago. Lots of people, camping and a big knees up in a barn. It was great but we were lucky with the weather.
Got married last year to my outdoors loving better half.
A couple we walk regularly with were our witnesses and only guests.
Register office wedding followed by a walk up the Pony Path on Cadair Idris in our suits, dresses and boots.
Back to our Hotel and a few drinks and lovely local food.
Fabulous day . Total cost ( which wasn’t the point at all), £ 700 including hotels and food.
Honeymoon walking Welsh hills.
We genuinely wanted not to have a ‘showy’ wedding and had a wonderful day….We still do.
Peebles registry office is a nice one.
Cocktails in coltmans
Dinner in coltmans or Osso
You can now rent the house on the island in the Menai Straits- it’s not cheap but not overpriced out of season. Accessible by car via a causeway when tide conditions are right. Very romantic, then a trip up Snowdon on the train with the older ones.
My mate took his suit back to M&S after his wedding - keep the receipt.
We got wed midweek, 20 folk in total - kept it below a couple of K - highly recommended
Don't spend ages planning stuff, choose somewhere nice, get wed, job jobbed.
Oban or thereabouts would be on my list - some nice beaches up that way
Congratulations! We got married at Brantwood, Ruskins house on East side of Coniston. Registrars job and knock on a Friday afternoon, small wedding, immediate family and then a do with frieyand family at a beer festival and cafe back home in Cockermouth the following day. Good do, minimal stress, beautiful place to be...
Thanks for all the ideas, amazingly before he asked me I managed to get a cancellation for a lovely holiday cottage on Mull for a week in April and we already had a holiday for finale booked for May so Mull will now be the wedding and finale the honeymoon. There will only be my parents and best friend in attendance for the wedding, we just need to try to work out a Scotland proof place for it now. Registrar has been emailed, cake place emailed. Need to work out somewhere for a meal as well as what the chuff a woman who loathes dresses wears!!
Hope you have a wonderful day !
Congratulations sounds a great plan.
what the chuff a woman who loathes dresses wears
Whatever you want. its your day.
Even if you don’t have a particular faith a lot of people like getting married in a church just to make the ceremony a bit different to all of the usual other official stuff that goes on in life. If so then how about the smallest parish church in England?
This option would require that they present themselves to a priest a certain number of months beforehand, unless there a health emergency necessitated something quicker.
Whatever you want. its your day.
Full face, knee pads.... Back protector?
Congrats and enjoy. Sounds like a good wedding plan.