No wedding knowledge and 6-8 weeks to get married!

Start with a venue and giving notice of marriage as you need this for your marriage to be legal, (unless it's different in Scotland). I don't know how it works abroad but this may be even more important than your dress if it's a quick turn around. The registrar near me suggests six months notice is the best, I can't remember what the shortest turn around for notice is but ours' is today and we get married next April.

As for an engagement ring I can totally see where your OH is coming from and tbh I think he may be right, perhaps you could suggest that you wear it temporarily and then pick one when you get to the states and you're settled as there are a lot of pawn shops over there where you can get serious jewellery for your money.

Gretna, or Vegas x

Just checked it's at least 28 days notice unless there are extenuating circumstances x

Gretna Green is very good, our friends got married there for a ridiculously cheap price. Everything was included but their outfits!

You need to sort out a venue and giving notice as a first priority (don't know if you need to do this at Gretna, do check lol) That will handle the legal side of things

Wed2B is a lovely Wedding Dress store that you can visit and purchase a dress to take home that day. It's not just that they're cheaper (although they are - under £600) but you just don't have time to order a dress in from a more conventional Bridal store.

Ring wise, use the one you have for now and get a "proper" on once you're stateside. You seem to get more diamond for your money over there!

Xx

You will need to have picked your venue to fully book the registrars (we had to anyway!) so I would definitely pick the region you want and get looking at venues. As everyone said, get the legal side sorted first. Getting married in Europe has extra legal steps involved (like getting your wedding papers translated) and it would end up being way more hassle than doing things in the UK as you're short on time.

You can find nice white dresses in high street shops and online to save money, they don't have to be wedding dresses as such. With a few accessories, you'll look just as good

For the ring, I can see you might be disappointed for now. My boyfriend proposed after 10 years together and I think I would have been sad to not get a ring. You could always agree that he will get you a ring and stage a little proposal when you have moved, it would compensate for having to rush to get married!

Cripes, that sounds so stressful!!

As others have said the legal side of this is much more important! I'd recommend you check with an expert on visas, as a rushed wedding may raise some red flags to the visa issuer, and the US are really strict!!

For the dresses there are some nice ones from ASOS, Dorothy Perkins and Phase Eight.

Does anyone in your family have a ring you could use as an engagement ring? I think your H2B is being wise and best to save now and splurge later.

Then for venues you may struggle, as 6-8 weeks isn't much notice as most venues book up years in advance! If you try ringing places up and ask for last minute deals, and if you're willing to go for a weekday wedding you'll have better luck!

I was going to suggest Gretna Green too - I googled it at the beginning of my planning & some of the venues up there looked so lovely!

Debenhams, Phase Eight, Monsoon, even Dorothy Perkins & lots of other high street stores do some lovely wedding dresses - you may not be able to try in store, but should be able to get something lovely from one of those places for a quick turnaround. What sort of style do you have in mind?

Try not to feel overwhelmed! We can all act as group wedding planners for you! ?

Needle and Thread have some lovely dresses available in Selfridges, I think or online. What sort of dress to you have in mind? I have done quite a lot of research at the high street and online dresses. I can share my finds. if it sounds helpful.

Re the engagement ring - why don't you use your dad's for now, and then at a later date once your fiance has saved some money he can treat you to another one that's a little more special and personal?

The key things you need to get sorted first are venue and registrar

All of the above to be honest is what you need to be worried about.

Venue and registrar first, outlet shop for you dress and worry about the ring later.

We're in Scotland and just given notice so I can give you some help there.

You'll need to know when, where and who is marrying you. The person marrying you needs to be registered but if you're applying for a temporary license you really want the paperwork for that away by the end of the week. You need your birth certificate, passport, drivers license and a recent utility bill. It cost about £80 (I don't know the exact figure because my OH paid).

Contact the registry office for a registrar (if you're using one) now to see what times they have available. And don't write them off. Alloa registry office is beautiful (we're getting married nearby and that's where we had to register).

Ring - why not skip an engagement ring for now and get a wedding band. You can get an engagement ring further down the line. Consider Etsy - they have some gorgeous rings.

Dress - Monsoon have a bridal range that's very pretty. Or Wed2Be in Glasgow do wedding dresses for under £500.