How weddings have changed


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The son of friends of ours just got married. He lives locally, as does his wife. The ceremony took place in Sardinia, for family and a few close friends, followed by a fortnight's stay in Sardinia as a honeymoon for the happy couple. They will be having a celebration locally on their return for everyone else. This seems to be by no means unusual, and the family is not particularly wadded.

We got married at St Aidans in Basford, followed by a reception at the Commodore, the wedding night at the George Hotel, and a week camping in Cornwall, and we thought we were well off!

Is it possible that the life expectation of a marriage is in inverse proportion to the amount spent on the nuptials?

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Yours was Posh Jim,my last Wedding (so far) was Shakespeare st Reg. office,.......followed by 'Cobs' and a sing song with Harry on Piano' at the 'Masons Arms' Old Basford............and it was wonderful,............ :biggrin:

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We married in March 1966 at Mapperley Methodist.

Flowers in church were daffodils from our garden, pussy willow from the brickyard and a few bought! Irises.

Wedding dress was £16 and I borrowed the veil from a friend.

Reception at the Grey Goose.

Honeymoon was a week in a guest house in Skeggy

It was a lovely wedding and we're still very happily married nearly 50 years later.

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We'd put a deposit on a terraced house and were nearly skint, but we paid for our wedding, nothing from either parents. We were married in Eastwood and had the reception at Greasley Miners Welfare. We hired one old limo, I had a new shirt and tie, wife-to-be had her dress made by a neighbour. We could only afford to invite about fifty guests and I hired a juke-box for entertainment. Still had a great time. Both of us back to work on the Monday, no honeymoon, couldn't afford to lose a week's pay.

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I don't think it matters where or how you get married. Couples are as equally joined in a registry office as in Westminster Abbey and neither guarantees a couple remaining married no matter how much it costs. The Royal Family have demonstrated this more than once.

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Basford Reg office for no 1 in early 70's. A nice Golf Club for the second five years ago. Nuff said !

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My wife and I got married at her church, the Chelsea Baptist Church and held the reception at the church hall. It was only about hundred yards down the road. I let my Dad organise everything because he asked me if he could. I just let him get on with it because he said it would be a nice surprise. I must say he did a fantastic job. I thought there'd be a disco, which there was. There were also two bands on as well. One of them was a right mixture of instruments and they looked like a bunch of hillbillies. My Dad had barrels of beer and other stuff on the tables, beside the food, and it wasn't long before the guests were getting into the party mood once the formalities were over. I know that it's nice to thank everyone for what they've done etc but most people want the speech's to end so the party can begin, haha. When the party started we had a trio who played nice music for the older guests and then later on, when everyone had had a few, the hillbillies came on. They played Hillbilly music (surprise) and they were fantastic. Everybody started dancing and jigging about and making a complete fool of themselves but they were all having a great time. All the dancing was making everyone thirsty so the beer went down a treat. The more they drank, the dafter they got. Even my Uncle George was doing some sort of dance and It was so funny because I'd never seen him out of his armchair, with a Milk Stout by his side, whenever I'd visited him and my Aunty at their home. :biggrin:

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My husband and I have been married for 43 years. We were married in a registry office in the town my husband comes from as it was easier for my friends and family to travel over there. Nothing on this planet would have got me into a white lace dress! I bought my outfit from a dress shop at Canning Circus. Since I was quite young I had always admired the dresses they had in the window as the E1 bus passed the shop on the way into the city. There was one window on the first floor that usually had lovely things in. I cannot remember the name of the shop. I went there with my mum to choose the outfit and I only said I was going to a wedding. That way I avoided fuss. I chose what I liked, a black and grey suit (it was great for job interviews later!) and the assistant thought the sleeves were too long. I disagreed. She asked if I would be on many of the wedding photos and I replied "probably"!

I travelled to our wedding in the taxi with the best man. My husband came in the taxi with his parents from their home. A good friend went with my parents in their car to show them the car parking. They only got a bit lost and drove around the bus station once! We were the first wedding in the afternoon and I was early. The second bride arrived a few minutes after me, all dressed in white with veil. The registrar came out and approached me asking if I was the witness for the bride. I said "no, actually it is me getting married!". Our wedding was lovely, lots of fun with family and friends, a nice simple ceremony and a great time at the reception at the village hall. It was happy with no fuss and a lot of laughs.

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Had two. First one Gedling church Sept 65. It was a great day. Lasted 33 years until she died. I have nothing but good memories of it. Probably the best part for me anyway. Was leaving the memorial hall in a rented Mini heading for Warwick and then Cornwall. Obviously there was anticipation, but almost better than that was the thought that we were now finally alone. Didn't have to be home by 11 p.m. ever again. Somehow we never lost that.

Second one Edmonton Alberta, Canada. Long way from Gedling. In a little Baptist church with just a few friends and my kids. Reception in the church basement. First night of honeymoon in the Holiday Inn, Edmonton. We were hungry again about 8 p.m. So went across the four lane road outside to an Olive Garden restaurant. It was really windy and about twenty below. My new wife probably wondered what she had come to from the sunny south. On to Banff and the Rockies next day. Still married after fourteen years so must be doing something right.

I guess the sign post was prophetic. We had no plans to emigrate at that time.

I'll have to upload some pics of the second one. Didn't realize I do not have any on Photobucket.

landsend.jpg

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Wedding number one in 1981 was St Giles church, Cropwell Bishop, with reception at the village hall. Honeymoon was decorating our new house. Cost us about £1500. First wife spent £400 (more than a month's salary then) on a wedding dress she wore for about four hours.

Wedding two in 1995 was Basford Registry Office with reception at our house (we did our own catering) and no honeymoon. Cost about £100.

A few years ago, I went to a relative's wedding at a local church, full top hat and tails job, followed by a reception at a posh restaurant. They then went on honeymoon to Dubai. Total cost about £30,000. After the honeymoon, they went home to their rented two-bed semi.

I know where my priorities are.

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#14. Funny you should mention that, as it's Friday today my wife will be going to her Lunch Club, where, if I've not told you already, she will meet that lady whose son plays in the Billy Fury band. In a couple of weeks time you will be able to sit next to her.

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My eldest daughter and son-in-law chose the wedding and honeymoon of a lifetime. All of their family and friends flew out of Birmingham Airport to the Greek island of Cos. We then travelled by bus to Kefalos where everyone would be based for our holiday. My daughter was married on a tiny island, off Kefalos, and we all went there by boat. The wedding was held outside the church because it was very small but it was lovely and romantic in the sunshine. After the wedding ceremony and photos we all went by boat to a private beach for the reception. My daughter and son-in-law had another week in Kefalos and then went to Cambodia, Thailand and Bali for their honeymoon. Below is a photo of the little church on the tiny island.

Church1%20Kefalos_zpsk5yjph3z.jpg

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I have only been married once but I am sailing into harbour for my second.

The first was in USA, Boston Massachusetts. There was a little infighting with the two families so we took ourselves off without warning and got married quietly. Had our first meal as a married couple in a quiet restaurant in Little Italy.

My fiancee (oh now theres posh) wants to get married in Russia. I'm ok with getting married but not the wedding. The wedding frightens me. The last one I went to was in Kislovodsk in southern Russia. The families I knew, and are lovely. The bride was lovely and the groom a gentleman. Kislovodsk is a dreamily beautiful place of mountains, lakes, mineral water spas, forests and parks. In summer it is very warm indeed. Add lots of Russian champagne, enough vodka to fuel a truck to Siberia and it gets a little interesting. Two family members got so totally drunk that they never got off the minibus at the church. The trick is not to refuse any toast, as that is rude, but just touch it to your lips. No need to down it. Unlike some at the reception. My partner's cousin is in the Russian armed police, the amon, and is built like a brick outhouse. He maintained a degree of sobriety. Thank heavens for that as he had some hard work to do at the reception. I dealt with the more harmless acts of drunkenness like a 60 year old man with a bad leg trying to jump over the bar to attack the DJ for not playing Shakira. I also got to guard the groom. He was hopelessly drunk. The best man did what he could to sober him up but it wasnt going to happen. Some strange tradition is to send a lot of strippers or ladies of financial virtue into the groom's room between the wedding and the wedding night. I had to stop four very lovely, statuesque, young strippers going into the room. They were only wearing the bottom half of their bikinis. They had cameras too. Obvious what their intent was. After several full frontal assaults I said in awful Russian, "You can do what you like to me, you are not going in there" and they gave up and went away. To this day I am not sure if I was relieved or disappointed. One of the guests fell in the lake. We got him out. He was trying to sail home. There was a minor fight between two young chaps who could't really stand up let alone fight, and something resembling a food fight had happened in the reception hall, which I had missed fending off the young lovelies. I asked my partner "Is it always like this?" She replied "Oh yes. Sometimes much worse"

It may be Boston next time too.

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