Weddings of yesterday and today.

Apologies for misplaced apostrophe, don’t know if that was me or auto whatsit.

I’m a misery guts. I think an awful lot of money is wasted on weddings. I’d rather see a registry office and a good party. The trimmings can all go as far as I’m concerned.

hand made wedding dress, hand made 4 bridesmaids dresses, home produced buffet, hand made 3 tier cake. Held in my mums house with nice borrowed cloths on borrowed pasting tables. 1970. Tbh I don`t know how I did it all at the age of 22.

Honeymoon in a camper van. Lovely time and a marriage that stood the test of time and lasted. The children came after a year

We married 50 years ago. We had 50 guests for a three course dinner in a hotel. We were married in church at 2pm and had to leave our reception at 6pm to catch a flight. It was all a mad rush and I don't know why we didn't wait a day or two to go away. At the time our wedding cost a lot. Dad paid for most of it, bless him.

I know I’m out of touch but I really, really dislike seeing the children at their parents’ wedding. I think it’s a good idea for people to live together first - they didn’t when I was young (not where I lived anyway) and if they had I would have been saved a miserable marriage in 1970 - but I wish they would marry before having children. The excuse is often that they’re saving up - it doesn’t have to be expensive.

The couple marrying today have hired a Nanny from 11am to 1am tomorrow to be at the wedding venue in charge of the baby.
I also don’t like to see big white weddings with their children as bridesmaids, page boys etc.
It wouldn’t have happened years ago but hey ho it does now and is totally normal.

Germanshepherdsmum four of our children were at our wedding, it was a wonderful day and they enjoyed every minute of it.

Our fifth child often tells us that they wish we had waited until after they were born, as they feel miffed that they missed it.

I think some couples - and I'm honestly not generalising here - lost sight of the fact that a wedding is just one day. I know some who have spent an absolute fortune on a big flashy wedding, even getting themselves into mountains of debt to do so - only to split up a few years later. It's often all for show. My daughter's friend spent a fortune on her wedding and I remember my daughter saying at the time that she'd far rather have used that money as the deposit on a house.

Our granddaughter was at our daughter's wedding. Years ago I would have been horrified but things change.

I was just thinking earlier about a sumptuous wedding that we went to last year. The young couple, relatives, both have professional jobs and had just bought their first small house together in London.
The wedding must have cost several 10s of thousands and was extremely enjoyable, but I wonder if considering the rise in mortgage costs, the money would have come in handy now.

Our wedding probably cost about £50!

annsixty

The couple marrying today have hired a Nanny from 11am to 1am tomorrow to be at the wedding venue in charge of the baby.
I also don’t like to see big white weddings with their children as bridesmaids, page boys etc.
It wouldn’t have happened years ago but hey ho it does now and is totally normal.

I don't like big white weddings with children already born to the couple either. I wish people would revert back to waiting.

My daughter is getting married in two weeks. Thirty guests for a three course meal in a nice hotel outside Manchester. No hen or stag night and no evening party. My daughter is wearing a normal ivory dress (not an expensive wedding dress) and her mother (me) is making the cake.

growstuff

My daughter is getting married in two weeks. Thirty guests for a three course meal in a nice hotel outside Manchester. No hen or stag night and no evening party. My daughter is wearing a normal ivory dress (not an expensive wedding dress) and her mother (me) is making the cake.

I hope the day is just perfect growstuff and I am sure your cake will be scrummy 😋

Different people want different things and I try very hard not to judge others choices.

Winter wedding. Soft white coat ( C&A) velvet pill box hat and a bunch of freesias. Reception above a very old pub. Cost? No idea as my parents paid. That was in 1965. Still with my DH who wore a slightly too large suit.

GrannyGravy13

growstuff

My daughter is getting married in two weeks. Thirty guests for a three course meal in a nice hotel outside Manchester. No hen or stag night and no evening party. My daughter is wearing a normal ivory dress (not an expensive wedding dress) and her mother (me) is making the cake.

I hope the day is just perfect growstuff and I am sure your cake will be scrummy 😋

Different people want different things and I try very hard not to judge others choices.

I think we all have opinions on what is good/ bad, proper/improper - opinions without judging individuals.

1968 winter wedding. Mum crocheted my long wedding dress and a shorter version as my going away dress. Reception at my house. Sister in law cooked a whole salmon.. considered quite posh in our circle in those days. Local fishmonger let us down with the order so DH to be and father scoured North London to find one.
Was returning to university for new term (no honeymoon), but the train we were on was full of football supporters who kept pulling the emergency cord. Eventually police got on and took everyone’s names including ours, though they laughed as they did it!
I too find it strange to get married after having children. Surely to have children together you should be committed to the relationship.

Talking about Nannies at weddings Norah my granddaughter a professional dog walker was employed for a weekend all expenses paid and a fee to look after the happy couple's dog.

I got married in 1958 in a very dreary register office with just 4 guests.
The reception was coffee and biscuits on a train to the airport. We flew to Jersey for our honeymoon as we preferred to spend our savings on that rather than a posh wedding. We both had family issues that made it difficult to invite everyone.
But I now wish we had had a slightly better wedding. However I do think today's extravagances are over the top.

GrannyGravy13

growstuff

My daughter is getting married in two weeks. Thirty guests for a three course meal in a nice hotel outside Manchester. No hen or stag night and no evening party. My daughter is wearing a normal ivory dress (not an expensive wedding dress) and her mother (me) is making the cake.

I hope the day is just perfect growstuff and I am sure your cake will be scrummy 😋

Different people want different things and I try very hard not to judge others choices.

Thank you!

I'm not sure I'll be invited on "Bake Off"!

sodapop

Talking about Nannies at weddings Norah my granddaughter a professional dog walker was employed for a weekend all expenses paid and a fee to look after the happy couple's dog.

How wonderful for your GD.

Many of the costs are relative I remember coughing when I brought my daughters wedding dress I think the dress and veil cost just under £1800.
My wedding dress was £100 which was a months salary if my daughter had brought her own dress the cost would have been only half a months salary for her.
As to the bride and groom having their children at their wedding this has changed from years ago when the wedding would be hastily planned if a child was on the way

I was married in a quick registry office service with just 4 guests - not even my parents. Glad I didnt waste much money on it as we were divorced within 3 years. I told my husband before we married I would never have children but he thought he could "make me over" into a little housewife and mother.

Yeah - when hell freezes over.

Not anyone's "fault" in particular.I should never have married anyone. I dont need anyone else to complete me.

My sister had a second (registry office) wedding in the 1980s in a nice white lace dress and flowerd headdress which I made. I was very crafty even then. Her marriage is still going.

When I read on Mumsnet of these so-called "destination" weddings, lavish hen parties and so on I know I would pass on all that and have the money towards a deposit or things for the home.

One gripe my offspring always has at weddings she goes to is the standard of the food. She comes back and says that lots of money was spent on the bride's dress, the suits for groomsmen, dresses for the bridesmaids and cake but very little detail given to the main sit down menu which is often bland, poorly presented with no choice. I won't go to weddings anymore as all the show bores me.