# I'm getting married **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195 "2002-09-13T01:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/1 "2002-09-13T01:07:25Z")
IN NOVEMBER, DING DONG THE BELLS ARE GONNA CHIME. PULL OUT THE STOPPER, LET’S HAVE A WHOPPER, BUT GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME… 🙂🙂🙂🙂 I am soooooo nervous. Any advice for a cheap wedding? (other than eloping) ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/2 "2002-09-13T01:10:56Z")
Conga-rats! There is very little you “need” to have a wedding other than a license, officiant and witnesses. Everything else is personal choice. make the list of what you think you “need” small…and then have fun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elshatan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@elshatan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elshatan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/3 "2002-09-13T01:25:53Z")
Get an Elvis impersonator to marry you. That’s so what I want to do if I ever get married. ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/4 "2002-09-13T02:42:04Z")
**CONGRATULATIONS JERSEY!!!** I’m so happy for you! So how’s the lucky guy? How long have you been together? Details…details! ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/5 "2002-09-13T02:43:19Z")
I’m mean of course, _who’s_ the lucky guy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/6 "2002-09-13T02:47:04Z")
it’s **Billdo** --------- ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/7 "2002-09-13T02:49:04Z")
just kidding **billdo** , relax… 🙂 Actually, my guy is **joe\_cool**. We have been together for 2 1/2 years. We are very excited…thanks Any advice **dreamer**? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/8 "2002-09-13T02:53:48Z")
First of all, congratulations!!! Now, cheap wedding advice: First, does your church have a fellowship hall that could be used for the reception? (I’m assuming a church wedding here. :)) One of the biggest potential expenses of a wedding is the reception hall itself, so if you don’t mind something non-ritzy, that’s one easy place to trim the bill. Another way is this, if places still do it: when my wife and I got married, we were able to find hotels that would let us book their banquet facilities for practically nothing in return for us hiring them to cater the reception. (And we did heavy hors d’oeuvres, rather than full dinner, and that was OK with the hotel we chose.) And absolutely insist on tasting samples of the food they’ll be serving at your reception, before you sign a contract with a caterer. Second thing: _don’t hire a deejay_. (Unless you really have to have the “chicken dance” at your reception. Most wedding deejays are worse than no deejay at all, IMHO.) Pick your own dance music, burn it onto a CD or two (or get a friend whose tastes you both like to do it for you as a wedding present), and either borrow a sound system from your church or community center to play the CDs on, or rent one for the afternoon. Get one of your friends, or one of his, to volunteer to be the deejay, just to start and stop the music when necessary, and to announce basic stuff like your first dance. The other big things: shop around for everything - reception hall (if you rent one), caterer, photographer, florist, baker (wedding cake), wedding dress. Talk to people you know who’ve gotten married recently near where you live. Solicit recommendations. It’s easier if you’re in a community where you already have a lot of local connections. The tricky part is, you’ve only got two months. But it can be done, if the important thing to you is the fact that you’re getting married, and a reasonable approximation of a picture-book wedding is OK, as opposed to having everything be perfection. And if you don’t mind wedding prep being your full-time hobby between now and the Big Day. One of my oldest friends threw together her wedding in five weeks. It was a blast. Don’t forget to register somewhere, for a reasonable selection of stuff, even if it’s just at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. Not everybody who wants to get you a present, will have time to think of something original and appropriate. They’ll want to get you something anyway. Make it easy for them. And remember that the point is it’s supposed to be a joyful occasion. Don’t kill yourself in getting there. Put as much into planning as is fun to do, and when it starts being a burden, ask yourself if a simpler wedding won’t do just as well, and scale back where you feel you can. Congrats again!! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/9 "2002-09-13T04:05:11Z")
Congratulations, **JD** and **Joe**! ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/10 "2002-09-13T04:30:34Z")
Happy happy joy joy! Congratulations, you two! (Or three, if you include Billdo.) Are you going to do the deed in Jersey? Please let me know if there is anything we can do to help out. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/11 "2002-09-13T05:01:17Z")
Whee! Get a couple of artistic friends to take photos. Don’t buy a bloody veil- sew a couple of yards of tulle onto a comb. Go to vintage and antique clothing stores for a dress, or borrow. Or make it, if you can sew. Do hor d’oeuvres. Choose a weekday if possible- less busy and sometimes reduced rates. Hire family friends as much as possible for everything… anyway, that’s what I’m doing for mine. I say again, Whee! Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/12 "2002-09-13T05:06:31Z")
Thanks guys. We are doing the deed in Jersey (garfield) **Green Bean** , I waited and waited for **Billdo** , but I couldn’t get his attention. 😛 Being that **joe\_cool’s** family is in NM, we have to have 2 reception. That’s why I’m trying to keep it cheap (but not tacky) Kinda wierd. 🙂 thanks for the help offer. Thanks for the advice **RT** ``` JD ``` ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/13 "2002-09-13T14:16:29Z")
What day? My birthday is the 26th. How about Thanksgiving, and then the reception will already be cooked? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/14 "2002-09-13T14:42:44Z")
Congratulations, you two kids! November is a beautiful month for a wedding of two Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/15 "2002-09-13T15:36:31Z")
**JerseyDiamond** , I’ve got lots of advice if you wanna email me it would be my pleasure to share :). The main thing, being that you both are Christians, is to put God first in your marriage. Trust him when things get rough (which they will) and keep him close in your hearts, together. I am very excited for you both and wish you all the best!!! ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/16 "2002-09-13T15:47:49Z")
Congratulations! This is so exciting, what great news! Many, many good wishes to both of you. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/17 "2002-09-13T16:48:20Z")
Many, many congratulations! You’re two of the Dopers I met first, so I really couldn’t be happier. ---
**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/18 "2002-09-13T17:49:41Z")
No advice on a cheap wedding, but I did want to offer a great big **Congratulations**! ---
**Author:** ![JerseyDiamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8491ac/32.png) [@JerseyDiamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyDiamond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/19 "2002-09-13T19:59:06Z")
We decided that the 30th of November will be the big day **vanillia**. We figured no one would be hungry since they probably ate themselves into an oblivion on thanksgiving. 😃 Thanks for the advice **dreamer** and I will email you. Thanks **OxyMoron** , **joe\_cool** and I hope to see again at the _ULTRA MEGA SUPER MONDO EXTRA GIANT_ 😃 January dopefest. You are super cool. 8) Thanks for your good wishes **Serendipity, delphica, and Unclebill**. ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195/20 "2002-09-13T20:10:27Z")
No advice, sorry. But I had to jump in and congratulate you two lovely people. Very best wishes, and continued happiness, **Joe Cool** and **Jersey Diamond**!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-married/128195.md?page=2)