"Feeling Lonely? A Bride's Experience of Having a Ceremony with Just the Newlyweds, Without Guests"

2019.01.07 published

Is it okay to have a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom?

At marry, we are conducting a project where we share questions and concerns from brides-to-be and gather opinions from our followers through Instagram stories♡

This time's concern is as follows!

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Are there any brides who had a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom, without inviting guests or family?

We have been living together for a long time and are beginning to talk about marriage, but since we have few relatives and friends, we are not planning a grand wedding.

However, we definitely want to have a ceremony to pledge our love, and so we are considering a private wedding ceremony for just the two of us.

Upon researching, there are plans available both domestically and internationally, but we cannot find any personal experiences regarding private ceremonies... ><

If you have had a private wedding ceremony or know someone who has, please share your thoughts, experiences, and costs!

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@tocco.wedding

It does seem challenging to find reviews, blogs, and experiences since those who have had a private ceremony are in the minority.

Here are some experiences shared with marry＊

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom①

My parents are the type to care about societal expectations and wanted a typical wedding, but I don't particularly like them

and did not want a grand wedding from the start, so I had a private wedding ceremony overseas, going against their expectations.

My husband, who said he felt embarrassed about the wedding, accepted the idea of “a private ceremony overseas” and thought it sounded fun and memorable, which was great.

Setting aside the money issue, planning a grand wedding in Japan was a mental burden for both me and my husband.

My parents, who wanted the wedding ceremony, seemed satisfied when I showed them the wedding photos from the day, and they printed them to share with others.

It was quite insultive for me to have my life stage displayed like that for people who seem like complete strangers, but I kept quiet to avoid complications.

It was quite bothersome to have to send return gifts for the congratulatory messages received from friends and family after they were informed by my parents, but I did it anyway.

Just dealing with gifts from a few people was stressful enough, so I doubt we would have managed an ordinary wedding with all the customs and tasks associated with it.

I'm glad we chose a private ceremony.

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom➁

One of my friends had a wedding ceremony while going on a honeymoon in Hawaii🙋

They went just the two of them and had the ceremony on their own😊

Afterward, they returned and had something resembling a party🙋

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom③

This is upcoming, but we will have a wedding ceremony in Hawaii in February💒

We won't have a reception, unveiling, or after party after returning.

I personally find it difficult to be in front of a large crowd, so I think having a private ceremony alongside our honeymoon is nice❣️

My parents also had a private ceremony in Hawaii, so I’m happy that we can have a similar experience in Hawaii🥰

The total cost, including travel expenses, is estimated to be less than 1.5 million yen✨

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom④

In a week, we are scheduled to have a ceremony for just the two of us.

We are having it in Hawaii, combining our honeymoon and ceremony!

The cost for the ceremony and photo tour is around 700,000 yen.

Recently, it seems that private ceremonies are becoming more common, so we have felt more at ease preparing for it!

As an aside, we decided to have a flower shower during the ceremony, but since there will be no guests, the staff at the wedding venue will do it for us.

The professional flower shower is said to look beautiful in photos, which is great for photo ops!

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑤

I had a private ceremony with my husband. We applied through a domestic resort wedding company and had our ceremony at a chapel in Hawaii.

The total cost, including travel expenses, dress costs, and photo shoot fees, was around 1 million yen!

It’s amazing to be able to have overseas travel, a honeymoon, a photo wedding, and the ceremony all at once!

We had to meet for planning only once or twice and even got to try on dresses, which made it quite enjoyable.

By the way, buying rings abroad is cheaper than buying them domestically, so we bought them there and saved money.

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑥

Hello, we will also have a private ceremony in April this year☻

We’re having a wedding ceremony for just the two of us in a church in Paris, including our honeymoon.

I have always wanted to have a private ceremony abroad, so this is a long-desired wedding!

The estimated cost will be a little over 2.5 million yen, including a two-week honeymoon in Europe!

A girl from my workplace also had a private ceremony in Hawaii☻

I haven't heard much about private ceremonies domestically, but they seem to be more common for overseas weddings!

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑦

The Disney Ambassador Hotel, where I had my wedding ceremony, offers a plan for a ceremony followed by a meal at the restaurant✨

This plan is of course okay for just the two of us, and after the ceremony, Mickey & Minnie or Donald & Daisy will come to celebrate with us!

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑧

A friend of mine had a private ceremony in Italy while combining it with her honeymoon.

Her husband is remarried and has a middle school child, so they went when the child was away on a school trip.

The coordinator on-site provided the dress, and they said they had a lot of fun shooting at various locations!

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑨

A senior at my company had a private ceremony in Hawaii while combining it with their honeymoon.

Since it was just the two of them, they said it was easy not to prepare things like wedding favors, but

the groom’s parents wanted to see their daughter in her wedding dress and felt a bit sad that they couldn’t see it.

There are plans for family weddings as well, so why not discuss your parents' opinions with each other?

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑩

My best friend from high school had a ceremony just for the two of them☺

They live in Tokyo and had their ceremony at a church in Karuizawa!

They said it was great not to feel nervous and to travel at the same time✨

I saw many photos, and all of them were wonderful✨

They had a style where they had the typical church ceremony process with just the two of them✨

The staff even clapped at the appropriate times, so it didn’t feel lonely!✨

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑪

We had a ceremony and photo shoot just for the two of us in Bali.

Since my parents are divorced, I couldn’t take them on the trip, and having too many mutual friends would make it all too grand if we had a reception.

After returning, I invited only my parents for a short meal in wedding dress. (It was the first and last time both sets of parents would be together.)

For my friends, we only held a fancy second party. We reserved a venue that is usually a standard setting for weddings and receptions for both sides.

We found a venue that has various sized spaces and can adapt to circumstances and requirements flexibly, which was a huge help.

Of course, we didn’t have a party after returning, and it also would have been fine to just show our photos.

Our own costs were limited to the expenses of the wedding that also counted as our honeymoon and travel.

Experience of a wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom⑫

We had our ceremony at Central Union Church in Honolulu.

The wedding cost at that time was 157,500 yen, including the ceremony cost, dress, accessories, etc., with an 80,000 yen cost for our 4-night, 6-day honeymoon trip.

Additional costs included the framing of the pressed flowers from the bouquet for the marriage certificate,

tips for the makeup artist, driver, and helper, and various other expenses totaled about 100,000 yen.

Overall, I think it came to about a third of the price of having a wedding ceremony and reception at a hotel in Japan.

As for my experience, before traveling, I thought it might be a lonely ceremony with just the two of us, but the support from the wedding company staff on-site,

the makeup artist on the day, hotel staff, various tourists from different countries passing by during our trip to the church,

and strangers we met on the street gave us many words of congratulations and applause, making it truly a happy day.

Many people seem to have had private ceremonies!

A wedding ceremony just for the bride and groom without inviting guests.

☑ While I thought it might be lonely, it wasn’t at all

☑ We could combine our honeymoon and photo wedding, creating lasting memories

☑ The groom also seemed to enjoy it

These comments are common.

If you are considering a private ceremony and feeling anxious.... please take a good look at these comments together with your partner and discuss!♡

@satetsu0306