Most of us are accustomed to the wedding scenario in the form of a solemn ceremony and a festive banquet after it. Therefore, few people know how the non-ceremonial registration of marriage takes place at the registry office.
In fact, this is the usual procedure for the bride and groom to receive a new document confirming their marital status, taking place in an everyday setting. Before deciding whether to register a relationship in this way, it is worth understanding its advantages and features.
pros
More and more couples are not just celebrating an important event, but expressing themselves through a wedding celebration. And in the case of informal registration, too, lovers often choose it quite consciously, because it has a number of advantages:
- allows you to calmly and thoroughly prepare for the celebration - save money, plan, but in the status of official spouses, this is important for lovers who do not accept civil relations;
- makes it possible to formalize a relationship faster, without waiting months for your turn;
- relieves you of a lot of worries and worries, because non-ceremonial registration takes place quickly and calmly, without unnecessary pathos and attention;
- allows you to choose a convenient date at the time of submitting the application, rather than adjusting to the work schedule of official bodies;
- ideal for those who do not want to advertise the creation of a family for any reason;
- suitable for creative newlyweds who come up with entire scenarios for original video clips and play it off coolly;
- This procedure has less strict regulations, which gives more room for imagination in clothes, images and allows you to feel “at ease.”
How to spend
You must submit an application, as a rule, at least a month and a half before the selected date. Marriage registration without a ceremony usually takes place on weekdays, but some registry offices do this on weekends (you need to check in advance).
There are no strict requirements for appearance. The bride and groom can come in any clothes convenient for them. Young couples often choose jeans and T-shirts with original couple inscriptions or prints.
Many people do not focus on this issue and wear something from their existing wardrobe: a cocktail dress for the bride, trousers and a shirt for the groom. The lovers come on the appointed day, go to the desired office, put their signatures in the appropriate book - and that’s it, they can accept congratulations.
The exchange of rings and a kiss often take place in the corridor and at the initiative of the newlyweds.
What other expedited options for registering a marriage are there?
Expedited registration can take place for various reasons.
It is not necessary to hold the ceremony on the day the application is submitted. It may simply take place earlier than the deadline set for waiting. The reasons may be different, the main thing is to confirm their validity and exclusivity.
This could be the bride’s pregnancy, the urgent departure of the groom or his future wife, or a call to duty.
If there is no need to register the marriage on the same day, the ceremony can be held simply before a month.
The question often arises of how to quickly register a marriage with a foreigner. If a couple in love wants to legalize their union in our country, then the procedure will be the same as for Russian residents .
Outside the country, they have the right to quickly sign at a consulate or other representative office of Russia in a foreign country without any special celebrations. Such a union will be recognized as valid in our country.
Peculiarities
Despite the speed and apparent simplicity of a non-celebratory wedding, there are still certain nuances. Therefore, when planning, you need to consider that:
- Not all registry offices allow you to invite even relatives or friends to the procedure, because sometimes there is simply no place for them in the office where the bride and groom sign documents;
- ordinary procedures are carried out only by district departments, wedding palaces can only conduct ceremonial ones;
- in emergency cases (pregnancy, childbirth, illness, etc.), lovers can be registered within a few days or even on the day of application;
- A non-celebratory wedding does not imply any festive attributes: congratulatory speeches, first general photographs, exchange of rings, etc.
Don't forget about the little things. For example, order a taxi, buy rings, a beautiful folder for the first joint document - a marriage certificate, take a camera (so that after a while you don’t regret the untaken memorable shots).
Still, this is not a trip to the store for bread, but a serious and important event; you should not treat it with disdain.
Submission of documents
To register a marriage relationship, you will need to submit documents to one of the registry offices. There is no need to look for a branch at your place of registration. If you wish, you can even sign in another city. The following documents should be presented to the registration authorities:
| Document | Description |
| Identification | The passports will confirm the identity of the applicants. They will be needed during the application and ceremony (for the stamp). |
| Receipt | To register a relationship, you must pay a state fee. The mandatory fee is 350 rubles. |
| Statement | The document is drawn up by both parties and contains information about the applicants and the body in which the procedure will be carried out. Last names after marriage are indicated at the end. |
Registration officials are told separately about the form of the ceremony. Documents are submitted in person, via the Internet or MFC. Information about the features of the last 2 methods is given in the table:
| Document submission option | Process description |
| Website "Gosuslugi" | The Internet service gosuslugi.ru is used to submit documents to executive bodies. To submit an application, you will need to register, select a city and service, and then follow simple instructions. First, the applicant fills out information about himself, selects a registration authority, determines the date and time of the ceremony, and submits the questionnaire to the other party. The invited spouse provides personal information and confirms the choice of the registry office and other points. Then the state fee is paid. The advantage of the online service is a 30% discount valid until 2022. Instead of 350 rub. You can transfer only 245 rubles. using one of the methods indicated on the site. After payment, all that remains is to send a request. The answer will come within 5 days. |
| Multifunctional center (MFC) | Initially, you will need to issue an electronic ticket in person or online. Then come on the specified day and go to the window. An MFC employee will help you draw up an application and accept documents. It is possible to pay the state fee directly in the center using a terminal. |
You can only submit documents using the stated methods. The parties must attend the ceremony in person.
How to choose an outfit for the bride and groom
It is unacceptable for newlyweds to appear in a sloppy, careless manner. If you want to emphasize the formality and everyday life of a situation, this can be done in an original and beautiful way. For example, “family look” - clothes in the same style (jeans, leather) or in the same color scheme will look impressive and make the couple stand out from the crowd.
It is not forbidden to wear a wedding dress, but it is unlikely to be appropriate. If you are planning a photo shoot and a restaurant, then laconic wedding dresses (without meter-long trains and tuxedos) will come in handy. In this case, accessories create the image one hundred percent: an elegant hat, a beautiful hair clip, short gloves, cufflinks, a bow tie, suspenders - this is what you need.
To feel comfortable and at the same time pay tribute to the important event, the bride can wear a stylish and well-fitting dress (evening or cocktail dress - depending on the weather and time of day), and the groom can wear a suitable suit or shirt and trousers. Hair styling, makeup, bouquet will complete the festive look.
If for newlyweds changing their status to family status is a simple formality (and in fact it is), there is no point in buying bulky wedding dresses. But it is quite appropriate to acquire simply high-quality things that will serve in everyday life.
For example, a silk shirt for the groom or an elegant dress for the bride will never be out of place in the wardrobe.
How to mark
The absence of a solemn ceremony is by no means a reason to deny yourself a holiday. There are a thousand and one options on how to make this day memorable and non-standard, for example:
- invite guests (friends and family) to nature (to a park, forest, gazebo), but not with gifts, but with treats, the result will be a fun and tasty holiday with your closest loved ones;
- rent a car for two or three hours (or use the help of a friend), take a photographer, stock up on delicious sandwiches and champagne and take a photo walk;
- alone or in the company of parents, visit a restaurant where you have never been before;
- immediately after, go on a trip - to the sea, to a neighboring city, to the nearest forest with tents;
- take a quiet walk to your favorite places together, drink delicious coffee and ice cream, discuss plans for the future;
- arrange a fun festive family dinner with relatives in the closest circle.
Many couples deliberately refuse traditional celebrations in favor of traveling or buying their own home. Despite all the beliefs that a stamp is just a formality, and a wedding is a waste of money, it is still not worthwhile to spend the day of even a non-celebratory ceremony as ordinary.
By adding at least a little something special and joyful to it, taking a few memorable photos, the newly made husband and wife will thus begin the story of a new family for the future generation.
What to gift
The absence of a magnificent celebration is not a reason not to congratulate the new family. Of course, gifts may not be as significant as at a usual celebration. But it’s also impolite to give outright trifles, except as a funny addition. In addition to money and certificates to various stores, you can give:
- beautiful and useful things for general everyday life (interior items, dishes, bed linen);
- household appliances or useful gadgets (from an electric waffle iron to a washing machine);
- individual gifts (couple portrait, jewelry);
- all kinds of certificates for spending time as a couple (visiting a spa, restaurant, sanatorium);
- hand-made or custom-made items - a hand-painted vase or custom-made bed linen will be a welcome gift for any couple.
The main rule is that the item must be of high quality. Let it be the proverbial vase or frying pan, but not bought “on occasion”, but chosen with soul, in beautiful packaging, from a reliable brand/manufacturer, which you can use with pleasure.
This video shows how a non-ceremonial marriage registration takes place:
Newlyweds first of all appreciate attention, so congratulating them on their new status with a bouquet of flowers and sincere wishes is also always appropriate.
To legitimize a relationship informally is a convenient and quick way to legitimize a relationship without spending extra time and money. It is not without reason that they say that the strength of a future family does not depend on the funds invested in a magnificent wedding. To create a happy couple, you only need love and a sincere, strong desire to be together. And it doesn’t matter how much the bride’s dress costs or what kind of champagne is poured into the glasses, right?
Buffet instead of a banquet
If you have an idea to hold a wedding without a banquet, you can arrange it with a buffet. This is a small post-wedding event that is appropriate to organize even if only the registry office is supposed to be the main wedding ceremony.
Here are a few basic steps that will tell you how to hold a wedding without a traditional banquet, but brightly and tastefully:
- invite a small jazz orchestra or just musicians who will accompany the entire event. As a last resort, you can limit yourself to a good stereo system with powerful speakers;
- The program of such a celebration necessarily includes a photo session of the newlyweds, dancing to live music;
- gifts to the newlyweds from the guests.
Such a buffet in itself can be interesting are sufficiently varied, prepared at the highest level and decorated in an original way.
There are many menu options - it all depends on the skill and imagination of the chefs and the budget spent for these purposes.
However, a buffet table presupposes a certain set of dishes that must be present on the table and will become its basis at any celebration in this format:
- cold appetizers, especially canapés - this is the most common type of appetizer, which can consist of anything: from meat and fish to simple vegetables;
- fruits, cut into pieces;
- seafood decorated with herbs;
- various salads;
- cakes, pastries, sweets.
A buffet table does not imply abundant dishes, long gatherings, or intricate competitions and fits perfectly into a wedding, where the main celebration is only registration. Everything should be relaxed, tasty and elegant, and most importantly, comfortable.
It is important to position the tables correctly so that they do not stand against the wall, but in the middle of the room. In this case, it will be easy for guests to approach them from any direction, and there will be no crowds in which guests will interfere with each other’s elbows or have to wait until they can come up for the next dish.
In summer, it is best to organize this kind of event directly in the open air, placing tables on the street. Don't forget about the pleasant musical accompaniment. To do this, it is not even necessary to invite a live orchestra, but simply connect powerful speakers to the equipment. An excellent place for such a celebration is a country house.
