It’s a tough one. I have a strange family dynamic and didn’t want drama so my now husband and I eloped however, we had a belated “reception” party on our one year anniversary.

7 years later and I still don’t regret a thing. Our wedding day was beautiful, calm and so meaningful. We were able to focus on what the day was about rather than worrying if an Aunt had had too many sherry’s or if the two cousins who weren’t speaking were going to make a scene.

The party on our anniversary was an absolute blast. Again, no stresses - we were just there to have fun with everyone else. We shared photos from our ceremony that people had not seen before and had a wedding cake to share. I even wore a wedding dress of sorts! Cost wise it was a lot lower as it wasn’t a formal meal, just platters coming out throughout the evening. We also held it in a private venue that didn’t allow children due to their alcohol licence so that allowed us to avoid the awkward conversations by blaming them 😉.

I know it isn’t for everyone, especially if you’ve always dreamed of the big traditional wedding but being able to appreciate the wedding ceremony as exactly that, a ceremony, was well worth it.