My FI and I had to get married because we are moving a few weeks after our Cabo wedding to Hong Kong (I needed to have my name change for my passport and visa), so we chose to have a civil ceremony in May. No family members were there. Just a few friends and 30 of my students (I'm a 6th grade teacher) and some parents. It was a great party, but it didn't feel real. My husband's father is marrying us in our symbolic ceremony in 7 days. I can't wait to have my family there, and his father doing it makes it that much more special.
Something we couldn't have if we had a legal ceremony in Mexico.