Did you have the wedding that you wanted?

My first one, in a white mini dress, church followed by big reception, the full works to please my mum!
My second, in a purple trouser suit, registry office followed by pub lunch with just our nearest and dearest!

My wedding was in 1984, I was 23 and I arranged my entire wedding so I got what I wanted and I loved it, although it was very traditional, I felt it was the proper way to do things. Back then there wasn’t all the choices there are now anyway.

In the pictures I look like the Christmas tree fairy with hoop etc.. but that’s how it was ?

No. There were just 5 of us, in a miserable registry office.
Then we had tea and biscuits on a train.

We married very young.
As my father and I were being driven to the church, my lovely Dad asked me if I still wanted to marry. He said I didn't have to if I had any doubts at all. It was a gentle serious question. He wanted me to know he was there for me whatever.

Considering he was so well known locally, had paid for quite a big and quite fancy wedding and had personally been very excited and involved in all the arrangements (including taking me to London to choose a dress) it was lovely to know that the potential upset and embarrassment really didn't matter to him compared to my happiness.

I was blessed to have loving parents and continue to be blessed by still being happy with my kind and generous husband. He would be so happy to know our love endured.

Yes, we had a small civil ceremony with just close family in a national trust property and drank champagne in the formal gardens afterwards. No formal reception. We then went on honeymoon for a few days in a UK city

Never thought about it! In 1970, we didn't have much time to organise it 'cause Dad was going to South America 1st March so we got it all together for 28th February!! it wassmll with most of the rellies - what more can we ask?

Yes, church ceremony, reception in local club. Sit down meal for 50 followed by a disco.
Mum and I shopped for my dress together which she paid for she also bought thematerial for the home made bridesmaids dresses.
Husband and I decided on all the arrangements together with no interference from our families

We had a wonderful day, just us plus our two witnesses in Gibraltar. We hired a yacht plus captain and a chef. The captain picked us up from the hotel, took us to the registry office and after the ceremony took us to the yacht. We had canapés, Champagne and lunch. We sailed all day and the whole wedding cost £700.

I asked my DDs how they felt about their weddings - Did they have the wedding they wanted?
I’d hate to think of them on here in years to come being upset about something we’d done or not done. Evidently we did OK.

Sort of. My dad was terminally ill, but could walk and function, so we made it as simple as possible while still planning a nice event. Mum had won a bit of money so we had a nice venue. Invited the many aunts and uncles for the day time and the evening was for everyone. Loads of people came. We had a lovely happy day. Everyone did. It was commented on for a long time after. I’ve always thought it was almost a party for dad too. A ‘wake’ while he was alive if you wish? He died 8 weeks later.

We were married in a registry office, but it was a bit of a shabby dump. We married in a hurry because I was 4 and a half months pregnant. I lived with my grandma and we didn`t tell her I was pregnant so as not to upset her, but she was a regular churchgoer and refused to go to the wedding. We had about a dozen people there altogether, and the reception, such as it was, was in the front room of the cottage we were renting. I`d always dreamed of a white wedding dress with an underlayer of deep pink, but I settled for a lemon 2 piece. That was in 1963, sadly my husband died in 2016, just over 53 years later.
By the way, after we`d been declared man and wife, the registrar leaned over the desk, shook hands and said, "Congratulations, that will be 7s.6d please! Very romantic!

I had a lovely wedding, just what I wanted, and I was glad my Mum arranged most of it for me - I wouldn't have had a clue, while she'd already married off two daughters.
We married in my parish church and had a choir and bells.
All the family were there - on both sides - so there was quite a crowd.
Don't think I'd have changed anything - and that includes the groom - we've been very happy together.

No, it was complicated for me.I had a violent father who rejected me so did not want anything to do with him, although I was close to my mother. Also I was an artistic “beatnik” who thought engagements, weddings and anything conventional was infra dig. But my husband was a churchgoer and would not entertain living together (my idea). The compromise was an extremely quiet wedding in church with his uncle as witness. Immediately after the wedding i climbed into my husband’s open top sports car and we set off for France and Italy. He was a good man.
I now think a white wedding would have been nice if my family situation had been different and think about what design my dress might have been!

I married in 1958 and I think in those days the bride’s mother ruled, mine certainly did.
She was widowed and had no opposition, certainly not from me, I wouldn’t have dared.
Nevertheless it was a lovely , very simple day.
I wore white, 3 bridesmaids in lilacs/ lavender, a traditional ham salad meal at the local coop hall and we left at 6 pm when it was all over and we went with friends for a drink at a lovely pub.
We went to Newquay on honeymoon the next day.
My mother would have liked to interfere with my D’s wedding in 1991 given half a chance but she wasn’t!!
My H and I were married for over 60 years until he died.
Our wedding was of it’s time, I can say no more.

No. Spring 1981, had the wedding my Mother wanted. My future FIL actually commented ‘ when your Mother’s finished organising this one- is she doing Charles and Diana’s? Which just about sums it up really.

Mine was ok but it was the wedding my Mum chose, not me. I was 19 and she was footing the bill. It was in a Methodist church which was fine because it was the church I had grown up in but the reception was very ordinary and not at all what I would have wanted.She chose my wedding dress, too which wasn’t bad but again, not what I would have chosen. We escaped on our honeymoon to a gorgeous place in the Australian Tyrol. We are still together more than 50 years later.

I had a wonderful wedding, 4pm on a Saturday afternoon in December, well timed to be in between monsoon showers. A day I’ll never forget.

Oh that’s such a shame harrigran! The church would be much more accommodating nowadays. Times change and that was a real disappointment for you. These things just rankle don’t they? On a positive note, you’re happily married which is lovely. Far more important.

Smileless ??

Yes, we did have the wedding we both wanted. Neither of us is religious so we didn’t want a church wedding. Neither of us wanted a fuss, to us the being married mattered more than the wedding day. We got married in a registry office then had a knees up in a local hostelry. Brilliant day, be 45 years in July.

That's a wonderful memory for you Urmstongran, a photo of your proud dad with his beautiful daughter on her wedding day.

No I didn't get the wedding I wanted. We had a lovely picturesque church in mind, I was baptised there and went to Sunday school and was confirmed there. We went to see the vicar and he flatly refused to marry us, he said we were outside of the parish.
We had to marry in a run down red brick church in a slum area that had nowhere for photographs. My mother dictated what we could and could not have and if I didn't have my 10 year old sister as bridesmaid then there would not be a wedding. My Dad said he would give us the money to run away and get married, I would have loved that but my mother would have killed him and us.

We had a lovely day that had been arranged by us and both sets of parents. July 1971, so Golden anniversary this year.
Bought our own house so no honeymoon for us. I can’t remember any stress or problems - just a very nice wedding with friends and family.
Espee do tell! ?

My second marriage was perfect. I was in my 40's, 5 months pregnant (had thought it was the menopause) and we were both thrilled. We had a registry office wedding followed by a reception in our garden with outside caterers and the food was wonderful. I had a two piece made for me to cover the small bump and had a wonderful time telling everyone our wonderful news. It was the first day I didn't have morning sickness and was so happy. It is a good solid marriage and our daughter is our pride and joy.

Urmstongran, you were indeed a beautiful bride. You married the same year as us. We had a church wedding, United Reform Church and were married by the minister who knew us. It rained! The weather was horrible, but the next day the sun shone as we set off on our honeymoon. Camping! It was the only honeymoon we could afford. We went to Devon and Cornwall, but it started raining again after a few days so we drove across to Kent, where the sun was still shining.
My dress was beautiful. A Jean Muir design, but made by my Godmother. My chief bridesmaid made the three bridesmaids dresses. Two of my dearest friends were my bridesmaids, along with my nearly three year old niece. My mother organised the Reception for about seventy guests, and it was mostly family, but I was allowed to invite a few friends too.

I think it was what I was quite happy with at the time. My daughter’s wedding was much more sophisticated. We paid for it and said she could have exactly what she wanted. But things are much more sophisticated these days aren’t they?