But you don't need an invitatation to go to the wedding, it's in a public Register office. Anyone can go. (Well, the last one I went to, they wouldn't allow someone to take their dog in, but apart from that...)

Americans must find all this strange - so far as I can see, from films and that, people there seem to have weddings wherever they want to, which seems a reasonable enough idea.

I suppose the idea behind the restriction is, weddings are supposed to be in public, so that when they say "Does anyone know of any just cause of impediment?' or the equivalent, the bigamous wife's representative, or whatever, can shout out from the back, like in Jane Eyre.

They must be a bit nervous about that kind of thing this time - I don't mean bigamous wives, but someone publicly objecting. That could by why Mum isn't going, because it might be a teeny weeny bit embarrassing....