How Much Time Gap is Common Between Overseas Weddings and Domestic Parties? 【Real Experiences】

2019.09.05 published

Consultation on the Concerns of Brides Having a Wedding Abroad.

A query has arrived at marry regarding such concerns.

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I was recently proposed to and will start preparing for our wedding.

We plan to have our wedding ceremony abroad and a reception in our home country, but how long is it typical to leave between the overseas wedding and the domestic reception??

If I only think about the preparations, I would like to have both on special dates that hold meaning for us... which would suggest about a year apart, but since we have guests invited to the overseas ceremony,

"I had a ceremony a year ago, but what celebration is this for...?"

"If they've been married and had a ceremony for over a year, aren't they no longer newlyweds? Why have a wedding?"

I'm worried that people might think this way.

For those who separated the ceremony and the party, when did you have your ceremony, when did you register your marriage, and when did you have your reception? I would like to know the reasons and factors that led to your schedule 🙇‍♀️💌

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Indeed.

A year later feels a bit too late, doesn't it...?

I will share everyone's experiences.

Response 8

I registered my marriage in July, had the ceremony in Hawaii in late August, and held the domestic party about six months later in February.

I started preparing for the Hawaii ceremony around June (two months prior) and took about six months for the party preparations at a relaxed pace.

The reason we chose August for the Hawaii ceremony is that late August is my birthday. Due to work circumstances, I could only take a long holiday around that time, so it worked perfectly.

Initially, we only planned to have a ceremony abroad, but later, encouraged by my parents, we decided to have a domestic party as well.

We decided to have the domestic party six months after the Hawaii ceremony because we wanted ample preparation time, and my work gets busy after March, so I wanted everything completed by then.

Considering the guests' blessings for the overseas ceremony, how about having the domestic party on a pay-as-you-go basis or in a secondary party format?

I think you don't need to worry about the time gap from registering your marriage! Many couples I know have had a wedding reception one to two years after getting married, and they still consider themselves newlyweds!

Response 1

I'm a future bride planning to have a wedding ceremony in Hawaii next June and a reception back home in September (three months later)✨

We wanted to use video and photos from our Hawaii ceremony, so I asked our planner when the photos and movies would be ready. They advised that three months would be sufficient, so we scheduled it three months apart✨😊

By the way, I was proposed on March 15 of this year, and we registered our marriage on May 1, so there's also over a year between our registration and ceremony (laughs).

Typically, couples are referred to as newlyweds for about three years, so I think it's fine not to worry about the timeline from registration, but having the ceremony and reception more than six months apart is something I personally wonder about.

It depends on whether you want to use photos and videos, but at least the reception is a place to express gratitude and convey intentions for the future, so I think it's better to have it sooner rather than later, even as a future bride!

Response 2

We also had an overseas ceremony and a reception after returning, and it's turned out nicely^皿^

We officially decided to get married around August and began discussing our dream wedding with each other, gathering information and preparing, leading to our decision to have the wedding in Hawaii at the end of June the following year.

We chose June for the Hawaii ceremony because it was before summer vacation when travel costs are relatively lower, and both my partner and I could take time off work, plus the venue was available. So, we reserved it without consulting family.

Fortunately, both families could also attend the ceremony in Hawaii.

Around January and February 2018, while preparing for the wedding in Hawaii, we started looking for a venue for the domestic reception, and we found a great deal for a venue in October, so we planned the reception for October 2018.

This timing allowed us to have the photographers' data, albums, and videos ready from Hawaii, which we could then use in the reception! Also, we were able to create our New Year's cards using photos from the reception!

Coincidentally, looking back, I feel like we managed to smoothly carry out our wedding-related events *´︶`*♡

I didn't worry about specific dates for our special occasions or lucky days at all! Our registration date was chosen as the day we departed for Hawaii!!

Response 3

We had a six-month gap between our overseas (Hawaii) ceremony and domestic reception.

I wanted to leave some time to receive the video and photo data from the ceremony, and I thought that if I got sunburned, it would fade within six months.

Ultimately, I believe that leaving six months was perfectly fine!

Response 4

We registered our marriage four months after the proposal. We made our dating anniversary our registration date✨.

Eight months later, we had a family ceremony in Hawaii. Then, four months after that, we had both the ceremony and reception domestically😊💓.

Personally, I think it's better to not leave too much time between the overseas and domestic ceremonies. If it's a whole year apart, guests who attended the overseas ceremony might wonder why we're doing it again💦.

While you can do a lot of preparation, maintaining motivation for an entire year can also be strenuous💦.

Conversely, if the overseas ceremony and domestic reception are too close together, you may end up rushing preparations for the domestic reception before leaving, or you might not be able to use the photos taken at the overseas ceremony domestically, so I think it's important to be careful💓.

I left a four-month gap, and it was good that serious preparations for the domestic ceremony only began after finishing the overseas ceremony, allowing time for invitation preparation🥰.

Response 5

I am also planning an overseas ceremony followed by a domestic reception!

We will have our overseas wedding in April, register in August four months later, and hold our domestic reception in October two months later.

The timing for the overseas ceremony was dictated by work, as I could only go during a public holiday, so initially, I planned for August. However, due to difficulty in booking tickets, we decided on late April during Golden Week.

I chose the registration date to match our anniversary, so we set it on that day! (While I actually wanted to have the ceremony in August as well).

For the domestic reception, I wanted to show a video from the overseas ceremony, so I timed everything around that.

I was told that the data would be ready in about two months, and since I love the month of October (my birth month and optimal weather), I opted for October!

Ultimately, since the overseas ceremony will take place in April, it will be six months until the domestic reception, but I think the gap has worked out well!

If the overseas ceremony had been in August followed by the domestic party in October, I would have been overwhelmed with preparations at the same time.... (sweat)

In any case, preparations can be difficult, and the more time you have, the more you feel you can get ready! However, if there's too much time, I also feel like I could become lazy...

Let's do our best with the preparations!!

Response 6

I am also planning an overseas wedding✨. So far, we plan to register our marriage in March 2020, have the ceremony in April with family abroad, and hold a wedding party in Japan in May🥰.

We chose the registration date thoughtfully, but the ceremony and party dates are more focused on the schedules of the guests we want to invite, so I haven't worried much about the dates🤣. I dislike adding too many anniversaries (laughs).

Our dating anniversary = registration anniversary ← this is what we'll consider our wedding anniversary😊.

I also intend to set up the wedding party in Japan so that the invited guests will mostly not overlap with those invited to the ceremony abroad😊.

I think for those who are invited twice, the sentiment may fade by the second invitation...😆. On the other hand, we are planning to show photos and videos from the overseas ceremony at the party😋❤️.

I want to have a lot of freedom and originality in the wedding party in Japan, like a 1.5-time party😊.

After the overseas ceremony, we plan to hold a simple dinner party and reception, where I will also present gifts and letters of gratitude to my parents☺.

Response 7

Our marriage registration was submitted in late August, the overseas ceremony in late October, and the domestic reception in early December. All of these events took place within the year.

Some people choose to make their registration date their wedding anniversary, while others choose the date of their ceremony, so which date is emphasized is significant, I think.

I wanted to register my marriage on the same day we started dating, so I set the registration date for August.

From there, I considered when my family and husband could easily take time off and chose October for the ceremony.

For the reception, I wanted to wait until the photos from the ceremony were available, so I wanted a one-month gap from the ceremony and was honestly dreaming of a June wedding. However, my grandmother asked me to hold it as soon as possible, which is why we decided on December within the year.

We held the reception with only family members who were not invited to the overseas ceremony.

I invited friends only to the reception that took place on the same day as the ceremony, but it still creates the impression that "the wedding was in winter."

Since we did a certain amount of preparation simultaneously, it may be good to calculate the timeline based on when the photos and videos from the ceremony will be completed👌.

It seems popular to leave a gap of about three months to six months.

Leaving a gap of three months to six months between the overseas ceremony and the domestic reception appears to result in:

✅ A schedule that isn’t too hurried,

✅ Receiving the data from the ceremony,

✅ And a fresh impression for the guests, which seems to be the commonly favored approach＊.

Conversely, if there’s a year gap, it could indeed create the impression that we have "been having ceremonies forever."

Even if you consider a minimal preparation time of about three months each, that would make for a year and a half of being a future bride....!

If there's no particular date you're attached to and you're unsure "what do others typically do?" it seems setting the timeframe between overseas ceremony and domestic reception to three to six months would be a good idea.

@191214_wd