Did you have the wedding that you wanted?

I'd rather forget about my first wedding but I'm having the wedding of my dreams in just two months. Us and our children at Gretna Green with a piper - so romantic. After it being postponed last year I am really starting to believe....

I had the wedding my parents wanted??. But honestly I don’t remember it being an issue. For me it was never about the wedding day, I was so looking forward to my own home and sex!! ???

I didn’t ever dream about weddings, I never imagined myself all in white.
I suppose we got married because that was expected, but we didn’t have any money, we had just bought our first house and our eldest daughter was three.
My mother in law made me a dress I wouldn’t have chosen, and we went for a meal in a local hotel paid for by my father in law.
I’m not bothered, because it was never important to me, if I was starting again, I wouldn’t give in to the pressure.

I had exactly the wedding I wanted. Registry office with close family. One aunt and uncle turned up uninvited as did the media but we were beyond caring. We were married!
I had a dress I designed made by the lady who was in charge of a top store’s wedding seamstresses and she refused to charge plus the hotel we had booked for the family lunch chipped in with extra champagne when they recognised my husband.

I had exactly the wedding I wanted. A register office, no fuss, seven guests - my parents, my brother, a few close friends. My husband’s family couldn’t be there because they lived in Australia. No fancy dress, but I did look very nice ?.

In the evening we all had a terrific meal in the poshest local hotel. My father insisted on paying for that, though I didn’t want him to. We were both earning good salaries and there was no reason for us not to pay ourselves.

Some of my relations found this all too casual, but it was right for us. I have always disliked conventional weddings.

There wasn't much money about, so we had a home grown wedding, i.e, the reception at my parents home, after the wedding at our local Church.
It was a white wedding, and lovely, on a very hot September day.
My maid of honour was my best friend from school, and a friend's two little daughters were bridesmaids. Their mum made their broderie anglaise dresses.
My dress came from the Co-op and I paid it off weekly. My aunt paid for my veil and headdress.
Mum and her friends did the catering and made and decorated the cake.
DH ordered and paid for my bouquet, as I had landed up in hospital, having my tonsils out. So I didn't know what to expect, until it was delivered on the wedding morning.
It was beautiful. Well done DH.
I don't remember having much input, but do remember mum saying that we had to have new curtains for the front of the house, upstairs and downstairs. Strange what comes to mind now.

My first marriage, at age 23 no, it was the wedding my mum wanted.

My second marriage, at age 48, yes we had the wedding we both wanted and it was perfect.

I had exactly the wedding I wanted. Quiet registry office, just two sets of friends, one of these were the witnesses and my husband's parents who insisted on coming. My parents were not alive. We had a wonderful party in the evening with friends, we hired a whole restaurant in London.

I never wanted to be trussed up like a Barbie Doll at Christmas and I thought spending lots of money we didn't have was just silly. Interesting that the trend for expensive weddings has returned and all those wingeing young people apparently missing out are more than happy to spend an average of £35,000 on their weddings. I'm impressed that they have the money!

Nearly 60 years ago when we married weddings were much more modest affairs - church ceremony, bells, photographs, reception and off on honeymoon by early evening - so having what you wanted was easier. Now they are three days events, cost a fortune, and seem to have become a competitive sport.

We were broke but paying for our own wedding, so hired dress, flowers courtesy of a school friend’s florist mum, car from sympathetic church member, buffet reception with wine for the toast provided by my then boss; as I recall it, a lovely day surrounded by people who cared about us and wished us well, and no debt incurred to pay for it.

At the time, I wished I had a much better dress. But now I look back, my dress was lovely. I made it myself. A slightly off white, silk shift. Very, very pretty.

I hate being the centre of attention, so I wouldn't have wanted a big ceremony with lots of people looking at me. If anything, even the small, family and friends registrar office wedding we had was too much. I would have preferred to just have had the two required witnesses and a nice meal alone together.

No I didn’t unfortunately. My father paid but my mother in law took over all the arrangements and at the time I wanted to keep the peace. I also regret being a pushover but I was very young and barely out of school. I did however resist my mother in law on the all important dress though. Now I look at the photos and think I look like puff ball.

No, is the simple answer. I wanted a small wedding with only a few close friends and family but my husband comes from a big family and wanted all of his aunts and uncles, cousins etc to attend. I hardly remember the reception. I seemed to spend most of the day thanking people for coming, and then the rest of the time saying goodbye to people. I do remember the church ceremony which I enjoyed and valued very much but the rest was not for me. The thing is that my husband feels the same as me and regrets insisting that so many people attend. Nearly thirty six years later and we're still together but we don't look back on our wedding day with fondness.

My first wedding was in a church,very traditional and it was a nice day.
My second was the best tbh,it was a civil ceremony and we had over a hundred guests ,it was very formal which the guests really appreciated.
And no input from anyone.
Heaven.

First was because ‘living in sin’ was frowned upon, registry office, a few relatives and friend's, food at my parents house. Second similar, sad because my parents chose not to attend. Third was the best, registry office with both children and two friends, back to the local, some fizz then over the road to the Indian restaurant, buffet for 40. Back to the local in the evening for live music with friends, this was 14 years ago, we spent £400, my dress was Monsoon, from a charity shop.

No. I would love to have been a 'bride'. I was 19, DH 23. We had no money and neither did our families. So it was the Registry Office with about 10 guests. DH's mother fell out with us prior to the day so didn't attend, neither did his dad or most of his family as they didn't want to upset her. They kept the gifts they had bought too! It was very sad for him.
Then it was sandwiches, cake and beer in my mum's front room. We're still married 51 years later though. I look really miserable in the photos!

My first was a showy awful thing at my mother's behest - turned out to be moderately less awful than the marriage. The second was a register office, with two witnesses and was followed by a pub lunch. Much better, the marriage has been too!

Yes, I had a lovely wedding in the hot summer of 1976.
Not the marriage I wanted though !!

Esspee.....intriguing!

Yes, it was lovely.

I married in 1972. It was quite soon after my father died very suddenly, it was a small church wedding.
My only regret is my wedding dress. I didn’t want a fussy white dress, my bridesmaid made it, it was a very pale blue full length one in a sort of heavy crepe. Nothing wrong with it, well made, but looking back I wish I had worn a Laura Ashley flowery one, more suited to the time and more casual wedding.
Oh well, 48 years too late!

Very different from many of today's complicated weddings. Late 1960's it was a traditional Church wedding complete with giggling choir boys, a dress I loved (goodness I was slim) but was much too cold in as it was snowing. Formal photos, confetti everywhere and a reception for family and close friends in my parents home. Off for a three night UK 'honeymoon' that evening we only managed two nights as I developed shingles! The whole thing, other than shingles, was right for us, I still dislike being part of large events and definitely do and did not want to be the centre of attention.

Yes. No money really, but I had a lovely wedding with a good mix of family and friends as guests.
We couldn’t afford a honeymoon then but we had one years later.

Yes, I did. I never wanted a big white wedding and, as both of us had a parent whose siblings ran to double figures, it was a huge white wedding, or what we had.

16 of us in total had a sitdown meal after the ceremony and then I put a coat on over my wedding dress (a white courtelle minidress that cost £5) and we went off to our flat. No honeymoon until the summer when we had a 14 day package holiday in Yugoslavia.

Never regretted it.

My first marriage was at a Registry office my dad did not attend he had fell out with my fiancé. We had a little reception at the in laws because we had spent our money on a deposit so it was the best we could do.
This my second marriage was on a Wednesday it was arranged with just my two children and our mums present. It was a different Registry office I am not religious and my husband is not a Christian so a church was out of the question. We had our wedding night alone at a nearby hotel.
We had arranged a small reception at the village hall for family and friends on the Saturday.
We had kept getting married early a secret because my ex husband was lurking about.

Lovely to hear all your wedding stories. Like GagaJo I did not like being the centre of attention (and still don't) so all these guests were to much for me. I remember looking out of the window just before my Dad and I left the house and all the neighbours were out on the street which really freaked me. Just as Sarah1954 did, we bought our first house and did not go on honeymoon as the little money we had was ploughed into our first home together. For us it would have been better if my Parents had put some of the daft money they spent on our wedding towards helping us with the property we had bought. So yes the day was about them and what they wanted for their Daughter rather than what Mr J and I wanted. As I said before it was a wonderful day but just too overwhelming for me.