I read somewhere recently that someone suggested getting legally married prior to their wedding. I remember the reasoning being that the bride and groom could worry less about the legal, formal angle and can fully enjoy the social, celebratory, (and sometimes religious) angle. In this context, I believe the speaker was talking about getting married sometime the week before, almost like a preparation for the wedding. If this path is taken, something cool like a copy of the marriage certificate could be framed and on show at the ceremony.
This got me thinking about what happened if you did this earlier than "the week before the wedding". What if the couple did this a month before, three months before, a year before...
And, out of curiosity, I wondered what all of you think of this. Some questions to help get you stimulated for a fun answer/debate/discussion:
Good idea? Bad idea? Tactless or logical? Circumstances where it would be appropriate? What affect would a legal marraige have on a traditional, religious, or social wedding ceremony? What if the couple kept it a secret between them, and what if they announced it?