Inside Millennial's 'courthouse summer' as newlyweds break away from traditional weddings
Alongside velour tracksuits, Celebrity Big Brother and the rise of the iPhone, the early noughties were a time for massive celebrity weddings.
Front pages of magazines would be slapped with exclusive snaps of big-name brides wearing even bigger dresses, and photographers would camp outside churches in the hope of getting the first glimpse of an A-list couple emerging as newlyweds.
Somewhere along the line, however, traditions changed.
Low-key nuptials before a handful of chosen guests were suddenly viewed as more lavish than a jam-packed church and five-page guest list, and courthouse ceremonies became the done thing.
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In the celebrity realm, these legal proceedings are usually followed by a much grander soiree, which tends to take place abroad, or by a more conventionally romantic ceremony.
In many cases, the latter is considered the 'real wedding', where the bride wears a designer gown, the groom makes a speech, and together, they cut the 11-tier Victoria sponge.
And sure, there are usually a horde of famous people invited to the latter. Still, there's a sense of exclusivity to these follow-up festivities that wasn't around so much in decades prior, when the press used to fight for the exclusive rights to break the news of a marriage.
Now, it seems, the ultimate flex is almost the opposite.
Welcome to 'courthouse summer'
Let's begin by emphasising that, strictly speaking, this isn't a real wedding trend.
There is no linen-clad committee of millennials sitting around a table deciding which town hall has the best lighting - but look at the celebrity wedding landscape and the pattern is difficult to ignore.
Who has actually taken part in the trend?
By modern standards, the Biebers arguably did it first.
Canadian hitmaker Justin and his beauty boss wife, Hailey, first legally married in a New York City courthouse in September 2018, before hosting a larger religious ceremony and reception at a private 20,000-acre luxury waterfront resort in South Carolina the following year.
Musicians Charli XCX and George Daniel also opted for an intimate ceremony, which took place at Hackney Town Hall last summer.
They then for the second time in a star-studded, multi-day celebration in Sicily, Italy over the following weekend.
Fellow Brits, Dua Lipa and Callum Turner, followed in their footsteps back in May, marrying twice.
The first time, they relished an uber-chic civil ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, followed by a lavish second wedding celebration in Sicily, Italy, the month after, primarily hosted at the plush Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria near Palermo.
It's not just a Hollywood fad
The hype has even trickled down to what many of us would consider 'B-list' stars, famed for appearing on a dating series or social media influencing.
Made In Chelsea legends Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo are credited with kickstarting the trend within the realm of reality TV.
They said 'I do' in two separate wedding ceremonies in 2023, marrying first at Chelsea Old Town Hall registry office that April and enjoying a celebratory private lunch at Stanley's restaurant in Chelsea.
The following month, they welcomed over 200 guests - including several fellow TV personalities - to a second, much larger and more lavish celebration at Villa Las Sirenas, a luxury estate located in Sotogrande in southern Spain.
Last month, Love Island stars Tom Clare and Molly Smith followed the increasingly familiar formula of making the legal part of their marriage - which took place in Stockport Town Hall - a much more intimate affair before celebrating with their wider circle in Mallorca this weekend.
Then, there are ex-Love Island star Josh Denzel and his model missus, Ruby Wong, who opted for a London ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall last weekend.
The same Saturday and at the same venue, Francesca Allen from the fifth series of Love Island has married her businessman partner Ed Crossan in a civil ceremony ahead of a much sunnier celebration later this summer.
Suddenly, the registry office isn't looking quite so... registry office?
And while the idea of separating the legal marriage from the big celebration is hardly anything new, there is something distinctly modern about the way couples are embracing it now.
Because this isn't necessarily about having a smaller wedding.
It seems to be about having two weddings in spirit - one that belongs to you, and another that belongs to everyone else.
The reason behind the shift
For years, the registry office was perhaps considered the slightly less glamorous cousin of the wedding.
It was where you went if you wanted to keep things cheap, keep things private or get the paperwork out of the way. The main event was the church, the stately home, or the country house hotel with enough chandeliers to light up a small village.
But that hierarchy appears to be changing, because nowadays, a tiny legal ceremony can be every bit as considered as the main celebration.
It's also a chance for celebs to show off their keen eye for fashion.
It's a statement
Instead of massive tulle skirts and cathedral veils, the modern courthouse bride is all about razor-sharp tailoring, structured silhouettes, sculptural blazers and elaborate headwear.
Just look at Dua's get-up - a custom ivory Schiaparelli Haute Couture skirt suit made up of a cady blazer adorned with signature gold bijoux buttons, which effortlessly parted to reveal an integrated blush-and-white lace bustier that channels Bianca Jagger's iconic 1971 wedding style.
Similarly, Charli XCX wore the iconic 'Nova Cora' mini dress last year, the tailored element of which was a signature built-in Westwood corset bodice that sculpted the torso with rigid precision, which was balanced by fluid, artfully draped satin crepe that formed a softly ruched mini skirt.
*chef's kiss*
Maybe this is the key distinction - courthouse nuptials aren't any less of a wedding; they're just a ceremony for the couple themselves, where they can exercise their right to expression and adoration.
There's also the appeal of celebs already being husband and wife by the time they get around to hosting a horde of A-listers, wearing designer gowns and posing for glossy pictures.
Once the legalities are dealt with, the big celebration can become exactly that - a big, fat party.
One day is about getting married, the other is a celebration of being married
There's no need to squeeze the paperwork, formalities and legal requirements into the middle of a day that already contains around 7,000 moving parts.
No one's left wondering whether everyone has signed the right document, or worrying about whether your chosen location is licensed.
It's just the fun stuff - food, champers, music, dancing, speeches, your favourite people.
According to one etiquette expert in the field, the shift is less about being anti-wedding and more about being pro-choice.
Stacey Ferguson-Czersovski, Founder and CEO of The Venue Experts and Co-founder of The VenueVerse, told Tyla she's observed a 'huge transition' in how couples have been approaching marriage over the last few years - both in the celebrity world and amongst us 'normies'.
An expert take
"We're seeing more couples separate the legal marriage from the wedding celebration, treating them as two completely different occasions," Stacey explained, adding that she doesn't see it as abandoning old-school tradition, however.
"For many, the registry office isn't replacing the wedding day. It's simply taking care of the legal paperwork," she explains. "The real celebration then happens weeks or even months later, whether that's abroad, in a stately home, at a private estate or as a festival-style weekend."
In other words, getting married at the town hall doesn't mean you've given up on the Pinterest board. If anything, it means you've decided the Pinterest board can have its own day.
High-profile couples have helped normalise the approach, she added, claiming they've 'shown couples that there isn't just one right way to get married'.
There is also a very practical reason behind the trend, particularly for couples dreaming of a wedding abroad.
Getting legally married in another country can involve a frankly intimidating amount of paperwork, bureaucracy and logistical ball-ache.
"The biggest benefit is flexibility," Stacey explained. "Having the legal ceremony separately means couples aren't restricted by licensing laws or logistics when planning the celebration they've always imagined."
For destination weddings, she says, completing the legal ceremony in the UK can make the overseas celebration 'much simpler and less stressful'.
And if there is one thing nobody wants at their wedding, it's stress.
Interestingly, however, Stacey also pointed out that the rise of courthouse weddings creates an interesting problem for the industry. If couples are no longer choosing a venue primarily because they can legally marry there, what are they choosing it for?
Apparently, the experience.
"Couples are no longer shopping for a ceremony room," she continued. "They're investing in unforgettable experiences, incredible hospitality and locations that reflect their personalities.
"They have to sell much more than a licensed ceremony space. They have to sell a feeling."
Does that explain why some of the most desirable modern wedding locations aren't necessarily the ones that look most traditionally 'wedding-y'? Possibly.
Couples want somewhere with a story - a niche.
Tricky business
It's probably important to mention here, however, that the courthouse wedding trend could eventually become less necessary, with the UK Government having proposed reforms to wedding law in England and Wales that could alter where couples are legally allowed to exchange vows.
The proposed changes would move away from the current system, which places significant emphasis on the building in which a marriage takes place, towards one centred around the authorised officiant conducting the ceremony.
If introduced, the amendments could give couples considerably more freedom over their wedding location, potentially allowing ceremonies in places that currently aren't licensed for marriages.
This, Stacey, could be 'one of the biggest changes our industry has seen in decades'.
"If couples are eventually able to legally marry almost anywhere with an authorised officiant, rather than only in licensed venues, it removes one of the main reasons couples currently choose a separate registry office ceremony," she said.
So, are we witnessing the 'courthouse summer' of love?
We could be. But to me, it seems this isn't really a story about registry offices, but control.
After decades of weddings being dictated by tradition, etiquette and a fairly rigid idea of what a marriage 'should' look like, couples are taking the bits they actually like and bidding adieu to the rest.
They want the romance without the rules and restrictions, and the beautiful dress without necessarily needing 200 people to watch them put it on.
Sure, they still want the big party - just don't want the party to define the marriage.
"Ultimately, couples haven't fallen out of love with marriage," Stacey concluded. "They've simply become far more intentional about how they choose to celebrate it.
"One thing is certain. Couples are moving away from rules and towards choice. They want the freedom to celebrate their marriage in a way that reflects their story, not a legal framework written generations ago."
Topics: Celebrity, Wedding, Sex and Relationships, Entertainment
Rhianna Benson