10 ideas for an unusual wedding

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

July 17th

The “royal” wedding of the granddaughter of Catherine II was intimate and at the same time very fashionable. No grand celebrations: the bride and groom simply got married in the Windsor Park Chapel in the presence of 15-20 of their closest guests and had a small dinner outdoors. I was struck, firstly, by the simple and beautiful floral decor, and secondly, by the vintage wedding dress of Princess Beatrice, which belonged to her grandmother.

A magnificent celebration or a wedding for two?

When planning to found a new unit of society, the young people try to discuss all the details of the upcoming event. The date is set, the format and style of the wedding is chosen. Will it only be registration at the registry office, or will there also be a wedding in the church? Is it worth inviting guests and who exactly? What expenses can newlyweds afford? A wedding without people has its advantages and disadvantages, so when making a decision, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Positive aspects of a wedding without guests

Preparing for a traditional wedding is a long, very tedious process that requires remarkable organizational skills, travel, negotiations with various people who are not always pleasant to talk to. And if it turns out that the performers failed, then a serious nervous load is added to the long-standing physical and moral fatigue. It is not surprising that young people arrive at the finish line in a state of squeezed lemon, but they still have to “work out” all the special events with an A plus! A wedding for only two people gets rid of the lion's share of pre-wedding worries and hassles, and the newlyweds have the energy left for sincere fun, courtship and a little extravagant actions.
A formal wedding with all the trappings is not a cheap pleasure. The banquet alone costs a considerable amount, and gifts, according to statistics, very rarely cover the costs. If young people do not want to start their lives with large loans or spend all their savings on chic disposable outfits, then a wedding without a celebration is the most profitable and ideal option for them. You can invest your finances in a honeymoon, purchase real estate, or spend it on yourself and your loved ones.
By refusing mass celebrations, the bride and groom leave themselves the greatest possible freedom of choice. They do not need to adapt to someone else’s wishes, health conditions, or correlate their plans with the work schedule or place of residence of one of their relatives. They can go wherever they want, have a dizzying voyage or a crazy wedding while skydiving. Choose only those dishes that they like, wear loose clothes that do not restrict movement.

Disadvantages of registering without a holiday

Many brides dream of feeling like a princess, a queen at their wedding. Walk under admiring glances in a magnificent outfit, receive compliments and wishes for a happy life from all sides, communicate and shine. Of course, this is impossible without a mass of enthusiastic guests, and such girls are unlikely to like a modest wedding.
Relatives and acquaintances who are confronted with the fact that there will be no wedding as such may be mortally offended. Their disappointment sometimes results in a complete cessation of communication with the married couple. If there are very touchy people among your loved ones or old traditions are strong in the family, when the absence of special events is perceived as blasphemy, you should think carefully. Most likely, in such a situation, the newlyweds will not be able to correctly explain their position.
The lack of gifts is also an important factor. If the young people do not want to invite guests, then there will be no presents. However, most often they give either money or not too expensive things for a wedding.

Each couple must make their own decision, guided by their own preferences. If the pros significantly outweigh the cons, go for it! Treat yourself to an unforgettable fireworks display of emotions or a tender romantic day with a candlelight dinner, admiring a magnificent sunset on the seashore or a boat trip.

Marina and Gleb Gorshkov

July 28th

The bloggers’ preparations for the wedding could be observed in the reality show Wedding Live: together with the I am Wedding Agency, they showed all the stages from the first discussions to the X-day itself. The celebration itself turned out to be bright, large-scale, but at the same time with an intimate and cozy atmosphere. The blooming decor with fresh roses was created by the professionals of Lidia Simonova's LID'S EVENTHOUSE studio, the bride Marina chose her dresses in the Christi Wedding salon, and Alexander Belov was the host of the evening.

Photo: Andrey Baida, Marina Fadeeva

Read more about wedding preparations here

Dina Nemtsova and Dimitry Matevosov

August 2

The wedding of the 18-year-old daughter of politician Boris Nemtsov was also intimate. The bride and groom got married at the registry office in Barvikha and held a cocktail party for the guests in the fresh air. The organization was handled by Wedding by Mercury professionals - it took them only 2 weeks. The main decor of the ceremony was fashionable gypsophila - they decorated the terrace with it, creating an airy backdrop for beautiful photographs, and it was also used for the bride’s bouquet.

Photo: Andrey Baida

Registration at the registry office without a wedding

The simple procedure for registering a marriage is noticeably different from the solemn one. In the second case, the ceremony may be delayed for a month or more due to the heavy workload of the registry office staff. In addition, such weddings with obligatory music, guests and good wishes are held only on certain days of the week.

You can sign in the office on any weekday by paying the minimum state fee. There is no need to stand in line and wear special outfits, just a beautiful dress and suit, or even casual clothes. The wedding itself takes just a few minutes. You can invite your own photographer or agree to the services of a person who usually takes pictures of celebrations at the registry office.

Svetlana Bondarchuk and Sergei Kharchenko

August 15

Svetlana and Sergei’s wedding turned out to be an incendiary social party. After painting in the Gagarin registry office, they had fun with the guests at the Sixty restaurant. It is impossible not to note the incredible decor in the Provence style, which was created by the LID'S EVENTHOUSE team, adding French charm and comfort to the space. And also Svetlana’s outfits - especially the short sparkling dress in which she danced with her husband.

Photo: Nikolay Zverkov, Denis Shumov

I don’t want a wedding: 4 alternatives to a banal celebration

Redemption-registry office-walk-banquet - weddings have been held in this format for decades. The script is terribly hackneyed, banal and old-fashioned. This option suits some people. But if you are tired of banalities, but still want to have a celebration, there are a lot of alternative wedding options that boldly break all the templates. We will tell you about 4 options for organizing a non-trivial holiday, without a hint of a wedding.

Wedding dinner

The word “banquet” truly already inspires horror. A wedding dinner or wedding evening sounds much more harmonious. By the way, dinner can be for two, or maybe only for parents. Many couples have long given up on banquets with dozens of relatives, neighbors and friends who would be offended if they were not invited. An alternative option is to split the wedding dinner into two parts. One is more strict, in a restaurant at a small table, in the company of parents. The other is with friends. Here you can do whatever your heart desires. And the main thing in this option is that the newlyweds have enough time to rest, to be alone, and not crawl with all their might to the next competition on the orders of the toastmaster.

Journey

If you don't want a wedding, don't do it! Everything is extremely simple. You can instead go on a trip, spend the money that would have been spent on a classic celebration, to see the world, to go somewhere you haven’t been before. Climb mountains, sink to the bottom of the oceans, meet people from different countries. Create whatever your imagination allows. This is a much wiser use of money.

Develop and relax

We are again talking about an alternative option to spend money that would have been spent on a typical banquet. Develop yourself as a person. You can celebrate your wedding by going to some interesting master classes. Sign up for courses, trainings, retreats, joint activities or training in something. Dedicate your wedding vacation to joint development or simple relaxation. You can go to the spa together, or you can lie in bed at home watching a movie.

Extraordinary celebration

If you really want a holiday, and your relatives insist on the traditional option, look for a compromise. A wedding celebration may be different, not the same as it was imagined 15-20 years ago! Get away from stereotypes, turn on your imagination, and most importantly, your “wants”. If you want an outdoor wedding, do it. In nature, you don’t have to rent a house or a hotel, which is already boring. Picnic and catering are a great alternative. Here you can arrange a buffet or even bring a food truck. Wedding in winter, and you have to drive yourself indoors? No problem! Don’t settle for “golden” restaurant halls, look for an alternative. Nowadays there are a lot of studios that are rented out for celebrations, and not just photo shoots. In such a studio, your hands are literally free and you can furnish it the way you want. And if you don’t have enough imagination to arrange everything yourself, you can ask the organizers for help, clarifying in advance that you don’t want a banal wedding.

Arseny Shulgin and Liana Volkova

August 29

The wedding of the singer Valeria's youngest son was large-scale: the couple's relatives and friends gathered at the Soho Country Club, among whom were Yana Rudkovskaya, Emin Agalarov, Dmitry Malikov and other famous representatives of Russian show business. The bride chose the Bellina dress from Galia Lahav, which has already become legendary. Artik & Asti, Zivert and other musicians performed at the celebration, but the newlyweds performed their first dance to Valeria’s song.

Photo: @nastyafed, @oo.kora