Double Wedding: Why More Couples Are Choosing Two Ceremonies

How many times will you say ‘I do’? Not content with just one big day, one in seven* couples are now choosing to have a ‘double wedding’ or 'sequel wedding', holding their legal ceremony on a different day to the main celebration, something that rarely happened a decade ago. So, we asked some of our fabulous wed2b brides why they thought twice would be nice…

Why have a double wedding?

There are so many reasons to split your big day into two separate parts. It can help reduce the pressure and stress of having all that expectation on just one day. There’s also a huge amount of romance in making the legal ceremony just about you two, with fewer distractions. It can also give you the freedom to have exactly the second ceremony you want, without any legal limitations. Lastly, if you have family overseas, a second party can allow you to share your day with them.

Not sure yet? Here are five great reasons to consider a double wedding celebration… 

1. To include guests from around the world…

For Larissa and Ryan it was so they could include family and friends on different sides of the world. “We got married officially in September 2023 at Liverpool Registry Office near where we live,” says Larissa. “However, as my Brazilian family couldn’t come to our wedding, I wanted a celebration for them and my friends. Ryan is half Brazilian too, so we decided to have a Catholic ceremony and a big celebration in Brasilia my hometown.”

2. For an intimate, romantic ceremony for two…

However, for other couples, it’s so the day when they say their vows is just for them. Jennifer and Colin followed their civil ceremony in the UK with a romantic Paris elopement, then surprised their families with the news afterwards. “We eloped to Paris for our wedding and had a ceremony at the Eiffel Tower,” says Jennifer. “We wanted to go away, just the two of us, and have an amazing trip at the same time.”

Cheryl and Dean chose to marry in New York, followed by a party at home. “We became ‘The Andersons’ on 9th January in New York,” says Cheryl. “We were married in the City Clerk’s office before heading to Brooklyn Bridge for photographs. It was just the two of us on our wedding day and we had a reception for family when we were back home. We both decided we wanted to just go and do it, and do it somewhere special. It was honestly amazing. New York City has a large part of our hearts.”

3. For a European-style wedding…

In many countries across Europe it’s always been the norm for couples to complete the legal wedding paperwork a few days before their ceremony with loved ones. It’s only in the UK that the official element has historically been seen as a key part of just one main day. For example, Krisje and Koen had a civil wedding first in the Kapellen municipality, in Belgium. “This was followed by a nice and intimate dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant,” says Krisje. ”Then we had a second luxury wedding in July with friends and family at Domain Martinus, an elegant hotel in Zoersel.”

4. For the freedom to celebrate how you want…

For others, removing the legal part of the day means they’re free to have exactly the ceremony they want, with fewer rules. Josie and Mike got married at a beautiful old barn in Norfolk and their ceremony had plenty of surprises for guests.

“Our ceremony was very different,” says Josie. “We had already married at the local registry office, as the barn didn't hold a wedding license, so we had lots of fun! My mum and I walked in to Beyonce’s ‘Smash Into You, we made vows to our guests and they made vows to us. We also read our own vows to each other and we physically tied the knot with a hand-fasting ceremony. Then we had our best man bring our rings in via a barn owl! Everyone said how relaxed and enjoyable our ceremony was - we wanted anything but boring.”

Sarah-Jane and Stephen chose to have a separate legal ceremony so they could have Humanist ceremony outside, followed by a festival celebration. “We had a mini festival wedding at a friend's outdoor classroom,” says Sarah Jane. “It was under a stretch canvas full of fairy lights in a stunning woodland location. There were tipis, yurts and lots of good food, music and dancing! It tied in with our love of the outdoors. We had a Humanist ceremony and our celebrant also sang a song called ‘Here's To Life’. Later, there were food trucks for the wedding breakfast, a fish and chip van and the local Indian takeaway serving curry and pizzas. This was followed by a ceilidh band who called a number of traditional Scottish dances and our friends’ rock band.”

5. For the joy of two dresses…

Of course, one of the best things about two ceremonies is that you can have two dresses! And, at wed2b, this won’t blow the budget either. You can actually get two stunning dresses for less than £900, and there’s plenty of advice here on how to plan the perfect wedding wardrobe to cover every part of your celebrations and how to choose the perfect two dresses.

However, there’s also no need to splash out if you’d prefer not to. Simply choose a clever adaptable dress like this one, or change your look with a luxurious overskirt, stylish cover up or different sparkling accessories. Just drop into your nearest store and we can help you find the perfect style for any number of events. 

Lastly, why stick to just two celebrations?

So, whether it’s for romance, freedom, overseas friends or just because you want more than one party, we can see why increasing numbers of couples are choosing the double wedding option. And, we’ll leave the last word to wed2b couple, Ross and Lanette, who stretched their celebrations out to three different events, so they could have something intimate and special as well as parties that included friends and family on different continents.

“I’m Canadian and Ross is Scottish so, to minimise wedding planning complications and make sure everyone was included, we decided to elope to the Scottish Highlands,” says Lanette. “Weddings are shockingly expensive and it was important to make it something really personal for us. So, we got married in the Glasgow City Chambers on 4th April and the only people in attendance were Ross, our two witnesses and myself. Then, on 21st April, we had a wedding reception for our UK friends and family in the grand ballroom at Sloans in Glasgow, which was beautiful. Finally, we held our last reception on 21st July for our Canadian friends and family at my family home in Canada. It was an evening garden party full of fairy lights and white tents. We couldn’t have asked for better celebrations!”

*Bridebook

Click here for lots more double wedding ceremony ideas from our brilliant real life brides. Also, for more inspiration, check out our Instagram, Facebook or TikTok accounts.