This is something I never thought much about until I got married and I'm curious about others beliefs. When my husband proposed we originally planned to have a ceremony, but ended up not having one at all. We hired an officiant to sign the license, we did this in her home. It was just the three of us, the officiant, my husband, and myself. It felt so perfect and very intimate. But then when we'd told our family, my side particularly, they were very upset. The more I thought about it the more I wondered why we put so much emphasis on a perfect ceremony, stress for months, spend tons of money (I know that's not always the case), for something that is mainly done for others or for show. How does everyone feel about ceremonies? Are they an important part of getting married or just a showcase?