Older grans! Can you tell me something about 1940s weddings?

My parents were married in 1938. My father and all males wore suits and ties - my mother had a long dress made of a lovely jacquard type fabric which was actually a strappy top and over it a matching jacket which was fitted and had a high neckline - looking at the photo you would think it was a dress. One of her sisters was a bridesmaid - my fathers sister did not like dressing up so refused! One my cousins on my fathers side was dressed in a lacy dress and put in the front row by her mother - my mother was enraged by that and mentioned it whenever the photo was looked at! Her flowers were a large bouquet and they had a tiered cake. Her head dress was beautiful with wax orange blossom - she kept it all her life and also the dress which she had dyed a lovely shade of blue.
I was a bridesmaid to my fathers youngest sister in 1947. She had a white dress etc and four bridesmaids - my new uncles sister an an older cousin of mine and my cousin and I were the child bridesmaid - our dresses were made by two sisters who were dressmakers - a lovely heavy crepe fabric and all The same fabric. They had their sit down reception in the reception room of a posh pub.
I can remember my mother’s sister getting married in a suit at the registry office just after the war.
I think you got extra clothing coupons for wedding clothes.

My parents married in the late 1930s and had several photographs with “both sides”, bridesmaids and groomsmen, and another with all the guests. Photos were taken both inside and in the garden of the hotel where the reception was held. The internal photographs could well have been mistaken for a studio, but I recognised the inside of the hotel, and they left for their honeymoon directly after the reception.

Not strictly relevant to your question, but I have a cutting from the local newspaper from the early 1900s which I found relating to my grandparents’ nuptials . There was a lengthy account of the wedding, including venue of reception, a full list of wedding presents, guests, bridal party outfits, brides going away outfit, where honeymoon was etc. However alongside was an account of another couples’ wedding, written in the future tense. Eg the bride will be wearing, the bridesmaids will be carrying bouquets of............., guests will enjoy a delightful reception at.......... full marks to the bride for confidence in the smooth running of her arrangements! Have done quite a lot of family history, but never come across either of these type of accounts before.

My mum and dad were married in 1942. Dad wore his army uniform as did the best man. Mum wore a long white dress and veil with an enormous bouquet of red carnations with lots of trailing fern. Both sets of parents plus 2 bridesmaids are in the photo. It was taken outside the church.We have no other photographs.

I`ve only seen one photo of my parents wedding, in January 1942, it was taken outside the front of my grandma`s house. There are my parents, his cousin who was best man, my auntie who was the bridesmaid, then my mother`s father, or maybe stepfather, as my grandma was married twice, and on the end a young man who I haven`t a clue about, and there`s no-one left to ask about it. My father was wearing his RAF uniform, he was killed the following December, 6 months before I was born.

The only photo I have of my Mum & Dad's wedding was in 1939 and it included a bridesmaid and best man but although they were married by a minister I think it was in the manse as war had just been declared so everything was scaled down. I do have a photograph of a cousin's wedding as I was flower girl and have vague memories of it. Think it would have been around 1949/50. Bride was in white and I can remember my dress was pink (back in the day when everything was black or white or so my DGS thinks!).

I have no photos of my parent's wedding just a newspaper cutting giving details. I don't know if the reason for this was that they married on Christmas Day and they could not book a photographer.

have just looked out the wedding photos from my mothers first wedding in 1941 Illte and all the relatives at the time are on it, including both sets of their parents.
I also looked at grandparents wedding in 1920 or thereabouts and all the relatives are in those photos too.This is in England
btw.
I do remember my mother saying there was no real cake, just a cardboard one with some flowers on it.

My parents married in the late 40s, they didn't meet each other until after the war. They appeared to have quite a large gathering of both sides of the family and other people, from the photos I have. They married in the catholic church in my mother's home town where my maternal grandparents had also married. My father was wearing a full morning suit and looked very dapper and dark, it occurred to me when viewing "The Sopranos" recently, in his younger days my dad was a bit of a Christopher Moltisanti look alike From the photos, they appeared to have quite a big reception given we were in the midst of austerity, although from the picture I have of them cutting the cake, I'm thinking it may have been in the church hall. My mother's best friend was one of her bridesmaids, they were at school together and that was an enduring friendship for many years. My parents took off to France for a month after they married staying with various family members who lived there along the way to their final destination in the south where my father's sister and her husband lived.

Many years later my mother's wedding dress which had been stored away, was cut up to make my First Communion dress. I remember the feel of it mainly because it had a raised embossed pattern which I can recall touching all the way through the mass.

Lovely to read all the stories and memories.
My parents married in 1939. There are only two photos, one of bride and groom, both wearing dark suits ( a navy costume, my mum called it. I still have her handbag). The other is my mum only, with the sea in the background and wearing the same suit, having just arrived at the seaside for their honeymoon.
No parents would have attended on my mum’s side as her dad died when she was 9, and her mum was in a wheelchair. She probably didn’t go to the service as she did not approve.

1945, my aunt’s sister married an American soldier so was a GI bride, they then had a long and happy married life in California. My cousin and I, 4 and 5, were bridesmaids, my aunt was matron of honour. It was a church wedding in a Birmingham suburb. We went straight from the church to a photographer’s studio nearby. I have no memory of the reception! I loved my bridesmaid dress, made by the bride’s mother, a seamstress, and wore it to parties until I outgrew it! I will look for the photo, I am sure it includes both the bride’s parents as well as the happy couple, MoH and bridesmaids. I’m wondering whether the groom had a fellow GI as a best man and he was also in the photo.

My mother got married in 1941. She wore white but the dress was borrowed. My dad wore his army khakis because apparently he had outgrown the dress uniform he had been given when he joined up. On the night before their wedding the photographer was bombed so there are only family snaps. On the day of their wedding Hull was divided in two as they staged a mock invasion. The organist was called up for it. My dad had to pass through the road blocks to the wedding, he was carrying his army pay book so he got through (he could have been arrested as a German spy). A few years ago we went to an exhibition about WW2 in Hull where there were photos of the mock invasion, the man in charge said they weren't sure of the date. When my mum told him he asked if she was sure "I should be," she answered, "It's my wedding day"

My parents married in 1946 - Daddy in RAF uniform and Mummy in a white wedding dress, material provided courtesty of the WAAF on condition that other WAAFs from RAF Sylt could borrow the dress. (None ever did). She wore Daddy's mother's veil.

And the bride wore white by Ann Montsarrat published by Corgi in 1973 gives both descriptions of wedding wear and traditions

I was bridesmaid to my cousin around 1946 after her fiancé came back from the war.
We did have studio photographs taken but I no longer have any.
We girls, all cousins, looked hideous , we had like big powder puffs tied onto our heads with ribbon and the youngest girl, then about two had one far too big for her and it slipped sideways and nearly obscured her face.
I can only remember one photograph which was the bride, groom and us bridesmaids.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202007/medium-409731-img-4270.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202007/medium-373676-img-4271.jpg

Judging by photos in my family, it was common between the two world wars for wedding photos either only to be of the bride and bridegroom, or of them plus the bridesmaids and best man.

In my childhood, my parents displayed a wedding photo of them alone taken in a studio. This was in Scotland at least usually taken on the day of the wedding.

The bride and groom drove to a local photographer from the church, while the wedding guests went directly to where the reception was to be held.

The fact that the bride's mother wasn't in the photo might indicate that she had gone to supervise the reception, or that she just didn't like "having her photy took"

Two of my parents friends only had a photo of the bride on show, both husbands having declined to use a photo of the happy couple.

I always found that a little odd.

My parents married on 1946. Black and white photos show both lots of parents and all family.

I was a bridesmaid to my uncle and his new wife when I was 4, (nearly 5) in 1945.

I only have one photo. His parents were not there (lived in Ireland) but both her parents are in the picture. I am in it too, wearing a pretty dress and what I’ve been told was a “poke bonnet”. The bride’s two sisters were also bridesmaids.

The dresses were all hired and I think they went back after the reception, which was in a hall somewhere,

The wedding was in a village in Essex. We would have got there by train(s).

All the flowers, bridal and bridesmaids, were made of paper. Given it was wartime I think they managed really well.

I have photos of myself and a cousin as child bridesmaids to aunts from that time, but no others. There was very little money around in those days and they probably cut down on the cost of photographs.
One of my outfits was borrowed from the younger sister of my cousin so that we would both be dressed the same. There was also a shortage of dress fabrics due to no imports from other countries.
I can't remember any more about those weddings.
I also have a photo of Mum and Dad's prewar wedding and the adult bridesmaids were dressed in beautiful turquoise velvet gowns what a difference!

My parents were married 76 years ago yesterday ,my Dad was on 48 hours leave from the navy.They were married in the Manse ,no guests just witnesses.Mum wore a blue suit and a corsage of flowers on her lapel ,Dad in uniform .Apparently they had tried to get a studio shot taken but the photographers were booked for the whole day with similar weddings so no evidence that it actually happened.My Aunt let them stay in her flat on their wedding night and kindly moved in with my Granny for the night and the next day until Dad rejoined his ship .
They got remarried in a Catholic Church 8 years later when my sister was due to start school and the catholic schools wouldn't accept her until they had remarried and she was baptised in teh RC Church .My Uncle and Aunt were the same married in the same way and remarried a few years later

I can't give you personal experiences - I'm not old enough
I was just wondering if anyone is!

My parents got married in the 1930s and I only have one photo which is of my parents and the bridesmaids, which is a pity. That looks like a studio portrait, I never thought of that before.

My MIL remarried in the 1950s and we only have a group shot and her mother is included (her father was deceased by then).

I have a photo of a family wedding from 1899 which I found on the internet, I was thrilled that someone had done that. It's of the bridal party plus bride's parents and brothers and also the bride's grandmother (my great-grandmother). She's dressed in formidable black as she was a widow.

I don't know why the mothers weren't included, Illte, I dont think it was the norm.

My parents were married in the early 1940s in the Parish Church, but wearing their military uniforms. In the only photo, it would seem to have been a small family wedding.
As it was wartime I expect they took advantage of some leave, not a hasty wedding as children didn’t come along till 1950
Annodomini They also honeymooned in the Galloway Hills.

I hadn't thought about staying at home to do the catering but that could have been possible especially since you know that happened in your family.

They were still alive loopyloo. And revelled in all the grandchildren for many years after!

In early 1940, my mum wore her Sunday best suit and my dad wore his kilt. No idea what transport was involved but I know they went off on their honeymoon in the Galloway hills in my dad's little BSA sports car.

My mother cut the lining from her wedding dress to make blackout curtains. The mother of the bride may have been ill or busy on a war effort somewhere. Have you checked that she was still alive?

I think, OP, that the answer to your question is answered in your original post. "The reception was held at home", the mother of the bride would have to be there to organize things. I know this was the case at my parents´wedding in 1953, my mother´s mother did not go, she stayed at home and cooked lunch for the wedding party. She is not in the wedding photos and no photo, as far as I know, of her together with her daughter was taken on the day.

You know that cakes sometimes weren't cakes either? They might pool rations to make a smallish cake then use cardboard ones to make it look bigger or make the tiers.