Guerrilla Weddings – Flying By The Seat Of Your Pants

Ever thought of cutting the costs of your wedding dramatically? In the current climate, most brides, even those with sights set on lavish weddings, soon realise that somewhere the wedding is going to have to give a little to come in within budget.

Hence the growing popularity of guerrilla weddings AKA The Vow in which Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum hold a guerrilla wedding at The Art Institute of Chicago. Also referred to as rogue-weddings or elopement-style weddings, they’re the latest in wedding trends.

By now you’ve got the general idea. Guerrilla weddings are in public spaces, or private locations, that have not been booked for the purpose; without a wedding party and certainly without an accompanying string quartet (that can still be arranged if an impromptu street performer is at hand). In other words: long, lavish ceremony it is not.

Guidelines for guerrilla weddings:

You’ll need a minister or someone qualified to marry you
At least one witness, probably two (snatching a passerby or two is not unheard of)
You shouldn’t have more than 10 people gathered for the event, as it can get a little risky; the fewer people, the better (if you’re exceeding this limit, you’ll need a permit, at the very least, to wed in a particular location)
Avoid major crowd scenes, like getting married in the midst of a march on parliament
Stick to the summer months when there is less chance of rain marring your already unscheduled event (or take along a few umbrellas)
Wear an un-wedding style dress – rocking up in full white regalia plus veil kind of gives the game away

The gist of it is that it’s sneaky. It involves living on the edge. Which might, or might not, add to the atmosphere of your wedding. It’s nothing if not exotic and can be a lot of fun.

But it’s more than just winging the venue. Guerrilla weddings skip the traditional in favour of a more intimate style wedding, whilst saving on the fees for a venue.

And there are so many beautiful spaces in South Africa to choose from.

If you’re worried about celebrating afterwards with friends and family, organise a meal out at a local restaurant or pub – keep it low-key, in keeping with the spirit of your impromptu ceremony.