My fiancee and I have decided to go to the courthouse (or maybe our pastor's chambers) to be married. Is there any thing we can do to make this kind of special? We don't have much money.
By Onesummer
Have a bouquet/corsage and a boutinneare(sp). If you have a couple of attendents/witnesses take them out to lunch or dinner, it wouldn't have to be at a real expensive place. By each other an inexpensive surprise gift.
The Sex and the City movie answers your question. All you need are friends.
I was married in a courthouse on Valentine's Day by an elderly, female judge (30 years ago). She opened a music box to play during the ceremony and sentenced us to life(her joke) together.
If the weather is pretty you could go outside. Most courtyards have flowers and trees. Most justice of the peace are willing to do that for you. Friends and flowers will make it nice.
36 years ago we got married in one and then drove back over to my folks house, had some family and friends come over for "cup cakes" and grocery store punch in a rented electric punch bowl that streamed out in 4 or 5 different areas. I had a nice bouquet from the flower shop that I tossed over my head to the single women there and a photographer (which was a college student taking photography as his profession). I think "it" was HIS gift to us and he did a real good job.
You might also want to buy alot of cheap throw away camera's and hand them out to your guests to take photo's of you both, which they would leave behind with you and you could then go get them developed perhaps at one a week or one a month (depending on how your money is).
My wedding dress was my old prom dress and my veil was my grandmothers hand made lace table cloth by pinning one corner of it into my hair.
Carnations were my flowers and the buttonier's for my husband rented tux. I personally think that carnations are hardy-er and last longer then roses do. Besides you can get them for a $1 a piece so 24 of them would make a great bouquet for you and wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.
Good luck to you on what ever it is that you do end up doing for yourselves!
My husband I got married by a "JOP" on Halloween. We had special duds picked out just for the wedding and had our closest friends there for attendants. Later we went to lunch. A few months later our friends got married in their back yard with a few of their closest friends and family. They had a single layer cake from the local supermarket and homemade bouquet.