5 Ways To Get Married  

Now that you have decided to get married and popped the question and the answer was “Yes”, you are probably wondering what to do next. Always a confusing and bewildering process, this phase of the marriage process requires a lot of thought and planning. Involve your significant other, your intended partner for life, in deciding how you want to get married. There are as many ways to get married as there are individuals – the permutations and combinations -now don’t get put-off, it is not high-school Math I am putting forward – are mindboggling. Here is my take on 5 ways to get married. It is only a basic guide – use your imagination, do get creative; but do get real.

1. The Traditional Way

Whatever be your faith or religious denomination, the traditional way is the way to go if you have a significant number of family and friends from both your sides in consensus.

• Talk to your religious honcho conducting the wedding – your priest, pujari, rabbi, qazi…. (You get the drift). Find out all that is required to be done and his availability to conduct the wedding.
• Fix a date and book a venue.
• Make a guest list and check their availability.
• Make a budget.
• Check out options for catering, accommodation, transport, etc. Select the ones suiting your budget and other requirements.
• Make arrangements for winding up after the wedding. Take help; you don’t want to hang around cleaning up do you?
• Send out invitations.
• Ask some of your friends and relatives to help out with the wedding plans and arrangements.
• Do your shopping in advance.
• Be the star of the event. Enjoy yourself.

2. The Budget Wedding

Unless you are loaded and don’t care for expenses, the “Budget Wedding” is a very sensible option. With a bit of planning, this could save a packet and add a touch of elegance as well.

•  Date and time: Select an off-season time. There is a good chance to get discounts, lower rack rates and tariffs and special incentives in cash or kind.

• Venue: Go for a resort, public halls, gardens, town halls, village greens and such instead of hotels which cost you a great deal.
• Invitations: Don’t go overboard by inviting all and sundry from your list colleagues and acquaintances. Limit it to your close friends and relatives. Send invitations by e-mail or social media instead of printing them. Go green and save some money.
• Clothes and Accessories: Shop on-line. Go to bargain sales. Look out for discounts and off-season sales.
• Food: It is cheaper to cater from the local food outlet. If your order is substantial, they will be more than happy to meet your specific menu and tastes.
• Reception: Plan a brunch instead of lunch. This can save anywhere from 30 to 75% of the expense in hosting a full scale lunch or dinner.
• Drinks: Arrange to provide your own drinks. Buy from wholesalers if you have a large list of guests. Ask their preferences and buy accordingly to avoid wastage or falling short.
• Decoration: Make it minimalistic but elegant. Perhaps you could go in for potted flowering plants of the season. You could use them in your home later on!
• Music: Skip the expensive DJ. Make up your own playlist and get the local talent or friend to DI. He will love you for it.
• Air Tickets: Book your honeymoon tickets in advance and avail fabulous discounts.

3.  Theme Weddings

Perhaps you are a highly imaginative and creative couple and would like to indulge yourself in a theme wedding. This is quite the rage these days and the themes range from the simply understated to the outré and bizarre. Whatever your budget or other limitations, a theme wedding is always a possibility. Here are some suggestions:

• Colour Theme: Pink, lavender, green, yellow, black, white – whatever. The decor and dress could match the theme. The food could also be coloured accordingly.
• Fairy Tale Theme: Prince Charming (Groom) and the Princess (Bride) can hold court in the company of pages, squires, noblemen, pixies, elves, gnomes. Let your imagination run wild.
• Nature Theme: In gardens and parks, near lakes, on mountains, in the zoo
• Urban Theme :On buildings, skyscrapers, monuments, the metro/underground
• Epic Theme: Dress up as Vikings, Celts, Goths, Dragon-slayers, with a setting to match
• Adventure theme: In jungles, underwater, in the air, while skydiving,

4. Double Wedding

Why not combine your wedding along with another couple? This could end up as a double-whammy and an unforgettable experience for both couples and their guests. The combined shared costs could very well be much less than the individual weddings. And if you are upwardly mobile imagine the networking opportunities!

5. On the Run

Maybe you want to get married in a rush. Maybe you don’t have the time. Maybe you don’t want to splurge or maybe you have just gotta get married on the fly. Las Vegas or the courtroom is the place to go. Las Vegas is the destination for a hassle-free, no-questions-asked, quick fix, and cheap wedding. There are “Drive-in” weddings, too, where you drive-in, get married in the car, and drive out with a certificate. How quick is that?