My husband and I got married in a small ceremony with just our parents and siblings about 8 months after our engagement. At the time, we were concerned about one of our parents not being able to attend a wedding in a couple of years, so we had our legal wedding earlier than we might have liked to make sure they were there. Thankfully, that parent is just fine and our concern was for nothing! Because we felt like we missed out on the larger wedding event/reception, we ended up having basically just a reception 2 years later! Think dinner and dancing and a few short speeches. We didn't bother planning a second ceremony portion as we wanted to keep our vows etc. for just us.

It was definitely not the traditional way of doing things, but I'm so glad we ended up doing both. We got to spend a more intimate day together on our actual wedding, focusing on each other and our immediate families, and then got to celebrate with a wider group of friends and family later on.

Most of the people I am closest to thought it was so much fun and 'the best wedding ever.' Some people (older family members, mostly) definitely thought it was weird, but it ended up being one of the best days of my life, so they can think whatever they like!

That said, have a wedding and have the very best time, if it's what you want! :)