With wedding season in full swing, many couples are choosing to keep their nuptials under wraps, opting for secret ceremonies to cut costs, reduce stress, and avoid family conflicts. This trend, once reserved for celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, is now gaining traction among the general public.
Jess Rudwick, 29, and Gerald Davies, 37, married on their 10-year anniversary in Brighton last March, telling only four people—excluding their parents. “For us, it was just a really relaxed and enjoyable day,” Rudwick said. “We didn’t have to worry about who would get on with who or if people liked the food.”
Landis Bejar, founder of AisleTalk, a therapy practice specialising in wedding stress, noted that secret weddings are becoming more common. “People are looking for ways to get out of the spotlight and avoid the pomp and circumstance of weddings,” she said. “They just want to get to the part where they are married.”
For Ian Walker, 55, and Ceri Nunn, 48, who married in 2016, a secret wedding felt more genuine. The couple, together for 20 years, told only their children on the way to the ceremony. “Another reason we didn’t tell anyone was that we didn’t want them to think that either of us was ill, or that we were fishing for presents,” Walker explained.
The financial aspect also plays a role. With the average UK wedding costing £17,300, secret ceremonies offer significant savings. Mursh Haque and his wife Tash, both 34, married in San Francisco without telling friends, then spent a month honeymooning in the US—still spending less than a traditional wedding would have cost. “It would have cost each side £30-35k and it seemed like a lot of stress, hassle and appeasing people,” Haque said.
