Oooh. How the other half live!

Does PM have a disclaimer attached to her wedding advice? The trouble with an eye wateringly expensive venue is that ordinary people borrow tens of thousands of pounds and are in debt for years afterwards. They often live together for a time before marrying so after their eye wateringly expensive wedding and honeymoon they come home to their mundane life with a bump. I know of one couple whose £30,000 wedding debt lasted longer than the marriage and had to be written into the divorce settlement. I'd be very surprised if they were unique!

Teetime would you want for your girls what the Middleton girls have.Does money, fame, appearing you have it all always buy happinss.Time tells.Things have changed since our mums were girls but how many marriages 21C will last 30 years let alone sixty.

At the end of the day, two people are marrying.

They can afford the rather eye-watering sums (as shown by our beloved press), so let's wish them a wonderful day and hope the sun shines or at least, the rain stops!

Our views are just that, our views, so let them have and express theirs. It's not our wedding!

Like many Gransnetters, my first thought was heaven help them all if the sun is shining !?
Even when the sun is weak, a glass house will get incredibly hot even if vented. Add to that the amount of body heat that will be generated by everyone, alcohol consumed ( which is dehydrating ), and you will have a major problem. Hopefully, at that price, there will be A/C, if not, they will need a lot of First Aiders.

Given her dire catering advice before she got kicked off the Waitrose magazine, god help the guests if she's had any input in the food being served!

When William married Kate there were some tv programmes which explored her rather humble beginnings. Nothing wrong with that I have the humblest beginnings myself.
One of her mother's cousins who still lived in the North East said of her Aunt, Carole's mother and Kate's GM, " Aunty X always wanted to be the top brick in the chimney" It seems her family follow her philosophy.

Think of all the jobs they are providing with such a lavish wedding. "It is the duty of the wealthy man to give employment to the artisan" was quoted to Prince Charles when he tried to cut down a tree, and hurt himself.

So they pay for flitting about in helicopters, security to attend parties, the cars, rent, council tax, clothes, food, heating bills etc. themselves out of their personal money do they Magrithea ?

"Pippa, a former party planner, has decreed that her big day should have a ‘relaxed’ country wedding feel"

Is that what you call it!! We had one of those for my DD1..it wasn't quite the same!

Jeez Penstemmon if that was a ‘relaxed’ country wedding I wonder what a big fancy affair would have looked like?

DS and DDIL had a relaxed country wedding as well - for a fraction of the cost!
Everyone had a great time.

The best wedding I ever went to was a Church ceremony followed by a bulk delivery of fish and chips from the local chippy to the Village Hall. The bride looked stunning in a pretty off-the-peg summer dress. A happy, relaxed time was had by all and it was memorable.

I am another who thinks Pippa's 'do' was vulgar and an obscene waste of money.

gilly maybe a big fancy do is something like her sister's wedding.

I don't think it was 'vulgar' but it did cost a vast sum - but that vast sum is presumably in proportion to their parents' incomes!

And if the Middletons are rich I am not going to feel or begrudge them because they are an ordinary couple; it's just that she had a good idea and started a business at her kitchen table which has proved to be a very lucrative money-spinner. They still live in the UK, presumably pay all their taxes, give employment to others.

I wish I'd had a good idea like that too!