These days, the civil service wedding isn't
the cut-and-dried affair it used to be, involving only the
couple, a harried officiant, and perhaps a witness borrowed from
the next desk over.
In fact, many states offer couples the option of a surprisingly
more elaborate affair, sometimes making available modest conference
rooms that can accommodate up to 50 guests.
Now that the lines are more blurred between church and civil services,
the civil service has become more attractive than ever for the couple
who wants to marry, but doesn't want the hassle and fuss of a more
traditional wedding. This type of wedding is also a terrific alternative
for couples from different multicultural backgrounds who prefer
to remove the religious aspect from their wedding, rather than try
to blend two disconsonant religions. A third compelling reason for
civil service wedding is affordability; any couple can afford it,
and go on to apply any extra funds toward a home or a memorable
honeymoon.
The price is right for civil service wedding,
and convenience is appealing too. In many states, even if
you include guests, you can hold the entire wedding for less than
$1000. If you are careful with the expenses, this fee should cover
the cost of the chapel, an officiant to carry out the ceremony,
a notary public to file your marriage license, and even the cost
of certified copies of that license you can use to prove your marriage.
Sometimes you might also be able to hold a brief reception in the
chapel after the ceremony.
Returning to the issue of multicultural couples,
a civil service wedding can solve most of the stickiest wickets.
While it's true that more and more multidenominational weddings
are successful at blending two religions, there remain some people
who would prefer to avoid religion altogether than compromise their
own in a blended ceremony.
While the question of how a couple plans to handle their religious
differences is nobody else's business, it's painfully easy to offend
close friends and relatives by holding the wedding ceremony that
doesn't hold true to the family's traditions. In this situation,
a brief ceremony lacking any religious connotations whatsoever can
be an excellent way to avoid offending special guests and relatives.
Of course, it goes without saying that the couple shouldn't compromise
their deeply held beliefs. If the bride and groom strongly desire
a blended non-secular wedding, the couple should go ahead and plan
the wedding they dreamed of. But for couples that aren't particularly
ardent about blending religions in their wedding, it might be much
simpler to go the civil service route.
As mentioned, another popular reason to opt
for a civil service wedding is the savings. Sometimes, you'll
find couples that have diligently saved for year or more toward
their dream wedding that suddenly look at the vast sum they've managed
to gather, and think, "why not spend this somewhere sensible?"
These couples decide they'd rather invest their nest egg in a fabulous
honeymoon, a down payment on a lovely home, or even a donation to
charity close to their hearts. Although you don't often hear about
it, some couples that save up for months or even years decide in
the final round that wasting all those savings on a one-night party
just isn't for them. If the couple makes this gutsy decision before
the planning has gone too far, they can often toss their wedding
plans without too much loss, have the civil service wedding, and
apply all those savings to something that feels more substantial.
For all these reasons, the old idea of the civil service option
being primarily for shotgun weddings or people jostling for green
cards has happily faded into the past. More and more couples have
begun to see the value in a civil service wedding, although their
reasons for choosing one certainly vary.
December 26th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I’m getting married at a courthouse. What should I wear?