Best place for a cheapie no frills wedding, other than Las Vegas?
 

My girl friend and I have been together for over 13 years and it is finally time to make it offical. Not interested in any event with tons of family and friends, just the two of us and the minister (or justice of the peace). Neither of us go to church or belong to any organized denomination.

Because we are travelers we want to get married out of town as part of a nice trip. We want to spend the money on the honeymoon instead of the marriage ceremony.

Any advice?

Try LA. My husband and I were together 15 years before we decided to get married. All went well in LA minus the headache. We found a chapel there on Wilshire Blvd. Spent little money and they provided everything (license, flowers, photos).

Well, not cheap but what about a Tahitian wedding? They are not legal here in the States, but you could have a civil ceremony here and a Tahitian Wedding in Moorea, or Bora Bora on the beach with native dancers and stay in a over-the-water bungalow. It is beautiful and so romantic!

Forgot to give you a link: http://www.visit-tahiti.com/weddings.html
You can also go to Google and type in Tahiti Weddings for lots more info.

Get married at your local courthouse and drop the announcements in the mail on the way to the airport.

You can get married in Tahoe in that same "cheapy" way you can get married in Vegas BUT the big difference being is Tahoe is BEAUTIFUL. Get married on the (tacky) South Shore and then rent a romantic cabin on the North Shore to "honeymoon". Or honeymoon in Yosemite. OR combine either of those with a few days in v. romantic San Francisco and/or Napa. Enjoy!

How about getting married in Carmel or Monterey and honeymooning there. Of course I also like the suggestion about Lake Tahoe as that is also a very romantic place. I never would think of Los Angeles or San Francisco as romantic places, unless you find dirty cities to be romantic.

Since you don't want family or friends - pick your honeymoon spot and then go to a courthouse there. Seems the easiest way. Personally, I would just do the courthouse thing at home because it is easier to get license and blood work (in some states) than have to worry about dealing with another state.

Best wishes!

LA and San Francisco not romantic, huh? I would beg to disagree.... There's plenty of romance to be found in either area. "Dirty"? Depends on where you are. A wedding on the beach in Malibu, in my opinion, would be pretty wonderful. Or maybe down in Laguna Beach, in one of the coves. Still, Monterey or Carmel would be lovely for getting hitched.

Then again, JoP in your hometown and a wild vacation somewhere would work too....

Orleans Parish (New Orleans city proper) has recently been given an exemption from the 72 hr. waiting period for a license that applies in the rest of Louisiana; it is now possible to marry there with no advance application, as long as you are from out of state.

Here is a link, but note that the link has not been updated since the law was changed last week. The officiant at the wedding (judge *or* clergy) is allowed to grant the waiver as long as neither party is a Louisiana resident: http://www.neworleanscvb.com/new_sit...or/married.htm

Here is the official announcement of the new law: http://www.dhh.state.la.us/NEWS/Marriagelicense_03.htm

I think everyone has given great suggestions.

Lake Tahoe immediately came to mind when I read your post. There are several wedding chapels near the casinos at Stateline. Each casino also has package weddings. One option which I think would be incredible is to get married on a boat on Lake Tahoe. You can get married on the Dixie Queen paddlewheeler which docks at Zephyr Cove as well as a catamaran that docks there as well. I'm sure there are other options as well. Several of the resorts offer lake side ceremonies.

I also like the idea of Carmel or Monterey - anywhere on the coast for that matter. I'm sure any nice hotel will know who can perform the ceremony and be able to help with logistics.

I think New Orleans is an exellent idea too. My husband and I spent our honeymoon there and loved it.

I agree that LA and San Francisco are not what I would call romantic. Carmel and Monterey and Lake Tahe would be my top choices. I also would consider San Diego as well.

I do not know which side of the States you live at but if you are near Charleston, SC, you can get married at the Charleston Chapel in downtown historic Charleston. They have many packages to choose from (www.charlestonchapel.com). I agree with what everyone else is saying about choosing your honeymoon location first since that is the most important to you, then plan the ceremony around that.

Get married at a beach park in Hawaii! We got our marriage license at the State Dept. of Health, made arrangements for a judge to marry us (a minister can be found also), and got married at a little used beach park along Diamond Head. Then we all headed for breakfast at a pretty little restaurant along the water at Waikiki. Not expensive (although it will cost you to get here), no frills, and no better setting!

Key West, Florida.