dress suggestions for civil ceremony?

caymanianseminole

Hi All, My fiance and I have decided to do a civil ceremony at the courthouse next month, and will be having a formal ceremony/vow renewal in October 2010. Any suggestions on what type of dress I should wear? Obviously, I'll be looking at something less formal, but any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated.

lacebride

Gosh, that response is so judgemental! The OP didn't ask for your thoughts on civil ceremonies, but rather on what to wear to them. I'm really not one to get controversial on these boards (it's a dress board, after all) but I don't appreciate rudeness. We're having a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony. We have specific reasons which I won't go into (but there are many reasons for separating the two, incidentally), but I am wearing a very different sort of dress to each. My 'religious' wedding, which is the one that really counts for me, will be after the civil ceremony. For that I'll be wearing a lacy dress that is quite simple and doesn't flow out much. I wanted to look demure. For the civil ceremony I'm wearing a poofier dress, but a more modern one. It's Paloma Blanca 4004 in champagne. The colour is the main differentiator, as my other dress is ivory. The style is more modern, and I won't have a bouquet or a veil, just a clutch. My shoes will be silver, not ivory. I don't think I'll look as bridal, but I still wanted a cool dress so that we could take great ohotos in our town (London). Hope this helps and have fun deciding!

bridesrighthand

Cayman, ignore the very judgemental post by Tarpon. It is NONE OF ANYONE"S BUSINESS why, or if you have a civil ceremony. I do agree that you can wear whatever you wish, but I do understand wanting it to be less formal. I'd go with something like one of these, since they can definitely be worn for other occasions: [url]http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3062175/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014132?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014132&P=1[/url] [url]http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3016450/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014132?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014132&P=1[/url] [url]http://www.target.com/Merona-Collection-Front-Party-Dress/dp/B00286JD1Q/ref=br_1_4?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=144457011&node=144457011&searchRank=salesrank&searchPage=1&rh=tgt_2%3ACream&searchSize=30&id=Merona%20Collection%20Front%20Party%20Dress[/url] [url]http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/weddingsparties/PRDOVR~62983/62983.jsp[/url]

M&RVegas

David's Bridal has dresses that would work for civil ceremony. They have many cocktail and tea length dresses.

amyloufustino

Disregard Tarpon's comment- so rude! I am also having a civil ceremony and then a 2nd more formal ceremony w/ family and friends. As it has already been said- there are plenty reasons why this is done and the question was about what to wear to a civil ceremony.W/ that said... check out White house Black Market, all department stores and even bridesmaids dresses in ivory/white etc (if that is the color you want) Im struggling w/ the style at the moment- we are probably going to do the civil ceremony in Feb and I would like to wear the dress again for our rehearsal dinner next year. Do you want floor, calf or knee length or shorter? Good luck and let us know what you pick!

goldgold

You could wear something like a sundress or skirt a blouse, or a floor length dress. I think anything goes for a civil ceremony. Maybe try White House Black Market or some of the department stores.

mbcdefg

Tarpon has a point regarding having a second ceremony if it's in a house of worship (in that, a lot of religions may not do it). Seems like she was looking out for OP rather than judging her in that case.

bridesrighthand

MBC, you do have a point...but she stated the first part, in a bit of a crappy way...jm2cents.

Barakins

JC Penny's and Dillards (just add a dot com at the end) online have a selection of simple wedding gowns that you might consider as well. Congrats on the wedding!

alliecarrie41

who cares if she was judgemental?  this is a public board; you can respond however you please.  she answered the OP question, didn't she? OP--no idea why you are having two weddings (what is a formal ceremony?  when you are married in court, you are married, period.  you mean you are just having a party?)  if it were me, i'd go simple for both.  in court i'd wear a no-frills dress and for the party maybe something a bit more fun, but still nothing huge since it's not really your wedding.

lacebride

Because she answered more than the question asked, because there is a difference between having an opinion and being rude, and because this being a public board does not give people a reason to be ruder than they would dare to be in real life. That's cowardice. It would seem to me perfectly normal that someone would have a civil ceremony and then a religious ceremony. They aren't one and the same, and with some religions the religious marriage ceremony may not make the couple legally married, requiring someone to go to the courthouse/register office.

caymanianseminole

Hello Everyone, A big thanks to those of you who gave positive responses to my question - I found the suggestions very helpful. I had no idea that this question would cause so much controversy. I am from the Cayman Islands and we do not have court house weddings here, (we do civil ceremonies but not at the courthouse) so I was seeking some input from other brides as to what the appropriate attire is for that occasion, since we'll be getting married in Florida. I'm not sure what religious backgrounds/denominations Tarpon comes from but mine does not have any issues with my doing a civil ceremony. This is something that has already been discussed with our Pastor and he has NO issues with this. I am well aware that a "wedding is a wedding", however, a larger religious ceremony (which is what we both want and is important to both of our families) is just not feasible at this point in time for MANY different reasons. I posted to this group to get dress suggestions. Once again, I'd like to thank those of you who answered my question, Happy Planning!

Spim7

I love the look of some of the short vintage bridal gowns. I've seen them featured for some court house weddings.

vlewis84

My FI and I are both military stationed apart from each other so we are having a civil ceremony next month when we go to his home for Christmas and then a formal ceremony/reception next year sometime. I actually went to Dillards this week and got a dress. They are having a sale on their homecoming dresses. I got one that has a square neck with about 1.5 inch wide set straps and is white from just below the bust up and black from there down. I love it! Fitted from the 2 inches below the bust and then a slight flare down. There are definitely options out there for something simple. I didn't want to go the white route as I wanted to save it for the formal ceremony. Good luck!