A nice chat about your wedding

We were due to get married in Sept 1969 but we had started arguing over silly little things so we brought the wedding forward to April instead. My mother thought I was pregnant, I wasn't, but more through luck than judgement . I was 19 and we had met when we were 12. We booked the day with the vicar nd when we got outside the church in Tottenham, North London we realised that Spurs (our team) would have been due to play in a cup game that day, so we went back and made an excuse why we couldn't make that particular day and changed the day to a week earlier. Spurs (typically) got knocked out of the cup and then on the day we got married they were playing at home so we missed the match anyway. 47 years later we are still very happily married and still love Spurs!

Love this happy thread.

sueinhull what a happy photograph.

purpledaffodil how wonderful that your daughter will be wearing your veil at her wedding. I'd be crying a river. (I always cry at weddings, do all women?)

We got married in 1970 in St Pancras Town Hall. I wore a dress I bought in Bus Stop in Kensington and my husband had a new suit. The reception was a three course meal in a local Italian restaurant and my mother made and decorated the cake. We had a week's honeymoon in Devon and the car broke down on the way home!

First wedding in Kings Road Registry Office, 3 days before Christmas, only us and my best friend and (late) DH's youngest brother. Spag Bol meal at our flat in Portobello Road afterwards. Son at nursery Christmas party! Second at Alnwick Registry Office which is a solicitor's Office, my sons, his daughters and respective children and my first husband's brothers and their wives and children. Been very lucky?

Goodness, some lovely stories. I was 20 when we married, so my parents permission was needed. The Vicar agreed to leave out obey from the service in our local, pretty, Church. The choir boys made me giggle, my soon to be husband was told off by the Vicar for standing on my dress. It was freezing, snow on the ground, black and white photos with frozen on smiles and tombstones in the background, nothing posed as they are today but laughing friends and loving family were being themselves. The reception (family only, no room for friends) was in my parents very small home. It was all very relaxed. A three day honeymoon was all we could afford. We wanted to be married not to have a big wedding. I think I am so fortunate as we still want to be married 49 years later.

We were married in a historical little church in central Manhattan 46 years ago ( known as "the actor's church) when I was 20 and still a full time student. We had met and fallen in love in France where I was an undergraduate and he, a doctoral student, older, charming and owner of a bright red Mini. He pursued me across the Atlantic but we returned to Europe immediately after our wedding and eventually settled in London. We are still together.

The wedding was beautifull and a marriage of two cultures but not without some awkward moments. My inlaws were graciously British. When they arrived in NYC before the wedding, crossing the Atlantic on the QE2, they were invited by my immigrant parents to our modest home for dinner, I was dreadfully embarrassed as I had previously visited my in laws-to-be in their lovely home and, for the first time in my life, noticed that not everyone lived with settees covered in plastic( to protect them from dirt), amongst other differences.

The inlaws stayed in a posh central Manhattan hotel. My parents lived in an inner city, working class suburb. When they arrived in our home, they responded warmly to my parents and did not bat an eyelid when greeted by my father , who wore a string vest for the occasion( It was a still hot September). I was so embarrassed.

My parents paid for the reception( dinner for 110 guests). It is the custom for wedding guests to give envelopes of money as gifts. My husband and I were given the honeymoon suite to use for the weekend. We spent some of the first night counting all the money we had been given. At breakfast, the hotel told us that guests had liberally used the bar above and beyond what had been allowed in the agreed price prepaid by my parents. We could not tell my parents, so we paid out of our wedding money.

My father had late stage Parkinson's Disease and could not walk me down the aisle, so an uncle stepped in on the day. My father died three weeks later., aged 53. The children in the picture are my nieces and nephews. I was the baby of the family.

The day after returning from our honeymoon( cost £30, 2 weeks in Alcudia, Majorca in a not quite finished hotel), we learnt of my papa's death and flew straight back for the funeral. My lovely inlaws paid for our flight as we were skint.

Like many, I was 21, which seems too young now! I was in my last year at University. My mother paid for my wedding dress,( from a department store sale ). We paid for everything else ourselves, as I knew that my parents would struggle financially. In return, they gave us a three piece suite, which they were able pay in instalments. That was a relief to my mother. The in- laws, though better off, contributed a couple of bottles of sherry and whisky, to have at the showing of gifts. Almost 48 years later, we are still together, although the last few have been difficult due to OH having PD. We have just moved house, and, as we speak, the wedding dress is in a bag, waiting to be taken to either a charity shop, or tomthebcostume wardrobe of an amateur theatrical company.

Oh, grannyactivist that's such a lovely, happy story. Thank you for sharing it with us

Callgirl1

This is a really lovely thread, thank you Flossieturner.

Reading these posts is a reminder that marriages are not exactly predictable are they?

My husband (aka The Wonderful man) and I met through church when he was 19 and I was 29. My first husband left me with three young children and so I wasn't the greatest catch for a boy about to start college, but we married in 1986 when we were 23 and 32 (I had my 33rd birthday 3 days after the wedding).
The wedding took place in our home church and by then I was living in Manchester and he was living in Scotland so I did most of the arrangements. My dress was very simple and cost £99.99. We wrote our own wedding service and lots of people took part in various ways; I still have a copy of the sermon that the minister gave us to keep. Our ceremony took two hours and a friend of my mothers was overheard exclaiming afterwards (with expletives) that she'd spent two hours in church and actually enjoyed it.

All the food was bought from the cash and carry and church and family members helped me to prepare it. Our reception was held at the local theological college and I had no idea how many would turn up as we had sent out invitations to family and friends, but also to everyone involved in the church. I can't remember now how many did come, but it was either 140 or 160. I loved the actually wedding ceremony, but felt very self-conscious at the reception (part of me would love to do it again as I would enjoy it now).

All the nay-sayers were proved wrong as not only are we still together, but we have a very good friendship still and a very happy marriage.

We, with the help of my future in-laws, arranged a wedding at Bury registry office, just a handful of people there, BIL and his fiancée were witnesses. My outfit was a lemon 2 piece with white accessories, it came from Derek Harvey`s Mam`selle, a shop in Rochdale that cateredfor 5`2" and under. I lived with my grandma, but she refused to attend the wedding as we wouldn`t be "proper" married if not in a church! The reception was held in our very grotty 2 up 2 down old terraced cottage that we were renting for £1 a week, quite a bit in 1963. My family sat down one side of the room, his down the other, neither side spoke to the other. There wasn`t room for us, so we sat in the kitchen along with our witnesses. My best friend from school drove us to the Yelloway coach station in Rochdale for our coach to Blackpool, where we had a week in his parents` caravan.
We`d been married for just short of 53 years and 3 months when he died last month.

We had a very small wedding, in church with Communion then on to a lunch we had booked at a very nice nearby hotel with the dozen or so guests. It was a three course meal, the waitress came round with seconds during the main course and pressed DH to have some more. "Just a bit on the side" she said, then she added "It's the last bit you'll get on the side!". On Saturday we celebrate 39 years. I made my own wedding dress, still have it, it's in the loft.

Met when I was 16 and he was 18. Married in 1970, 5 years later. Mum and I bought my wedding dress in Oxford Street. My best friend and husband's sister were bridesmaids in dressmaker made dreses because they lived 300 miles apart and we couldn't get them together to go shopping. Wedding car was from local undertakers, think this was quite common then?. Parents paid for everything as we had only just stopped being students. No honeymoon as no money. Such a contrast to DD's wedding currently in planning. However she will wear my veil which has been preserved in an old photocopy paper box, not a heritage box with acid free tissue paper as I have seen recommended. Despite many ups and downs, DH and I still together after 46 years. Monument to powers of human endurance on both sides

Met in 1967 at a holiday camp in Norfolk. I was a waitress, he was a camper. Married in 1970. His mother hijacked the wedding (I was so young and foolish). We had to marry in his local church (mine was too far away for all her guests to travel to). I bought my dress in big store in Oxford Street - £18. She chose the caterer - my mum and I were allowed to choose the flowers. We had a lovely day and I quickly learnt to stand up to my mother-in-law - good job as she lived next door. We eventually became on good terms, especially when I gave her her first grandchild. Mind you when she showed people the new baby she always said "This is my son's new baby!" Er, mine too!!

Winnie ☺☺

I had a serious car accident ten weeks before our wedding. I had facial injuries as I'd gone through the windscreen. I was also unable to walk. I was determined to make it down the aisle. I planned getting a pretty parasol to use as a cane. I also got my hairdresser to cut my hair in a fringe to hide the scars. In the end I didn't need the cane, I could walk slowly unaided. If you could see my wedding photos you'd never guess there was anything wrong with me, but the wedding was my incentive for getting better as soon as possible. We're still happily married!

someone said" I had a fairy tale wedding" So did I ! Grimm!!
Sorry, not what you want to hear- however, here we are 57 happy years later.

Lovely thread flossieturner !

Married first time in 1971 ....bought dress (19 guineas) from a shop newly opened at the end of my MIL's road in Romford Wedding in pretty church in Hornchurch (had to give friend's address as not in my Parish !) ...reception at the local scout hut (FIL was Scoutmaster !) ...paid for everything myself .10 pounds a week to MIL....MIL and SIL cooked roast beef and veg and made cake and dessert ...evening disco by fried, Wedding car driven by SILs brother who had a nice white BMW...lasted 18 years ..sadly husband was a compulsive gambler and I just managed to save the house being repossessed after he left and I paid off all his gambling debts .......then met an Accountant, and we arranged wedding after being together for 14 years ...then he got cold feet and disappeared to meet someone from America ....she left, and he contacted me again ...told him where to go !

Then met through Dateline mag my present husband who was living in Menorca ...met on the telephone ...decided to get married (impulsive !). Put my house on the market, signed the contract before I had even met him ....went out to Menorca, arranged all paperwork necessary and married in the town hall in Mercadal in December 2001 at 6.30 pm as is traditional there . suddenly realisedm on way to town hall I had no flowers ...stopped at little gift shop and bough a dozen fake ones (still got them ! bit dusty now !)...lovely life ! Still hanging on there now 15 years ago ...now living in France. Would both love to return to the island, but as he is now 83 and not in good health and with Brexit looming, for the moment we stay here ! We did our own catering and a friend made a wedding cake ! We looked on it more as a party than anything else ....he was lonely after his first wife died after 42 years of marriage, and I was fed up of working in the NHS and was learning Spanish with a view to retiring there on my own when I retired !!

My late husband and I got married in 1965 at Marylebone Town Hall, then we went back with our guests to our rather damp basement flat to eat snacks made by my mother and me the night before, and drink lots of champagne thanks to the wine-importing company my husband was temping for. My dress was from Wallis, and my hat was from a market stall.

The marriage was long and very happy, lasting until my husband died in 2014.

We were on holiday in Florida and decided to get married there. We'd been living together for 3years already by then. Went and bought the license then arranged the ceremony the next day. I had a new blouse and skirt. We couldn't find a wedding ring anywhere so did it with my own previous one temporarily. (Bought matching ones when we got home) no one was there except the Lady who officiated and another girl from her Office who kindly took video for us with our video recorder. (Battery ran out just at the end as I burst into tears!) the local Sheriff came and congratulated us (bristling with firearms!) To this day my DH claims we are not legally married as it took place in America! 25 years on and we are still as happy as we ever were.

Married in December 1965 having met in April. Met only at weekends and not all of those, and I spent the whole of August in Greece. My very dear father stumped up for a simple reception in a local pub, after a white wedding in the church where we'd all (4 brothers and sisters) been christened and confirmed, and both sisters married, with the choir and bells etc. My dress cost 17 guineas from Keddies in Southend. One bridesmaid, the friend who had introduced us. We had a brief honeymoon in Wales, and left to live in California for 2+ years. Such a risky undertaking but we are still together after 51 years.

We married at a Registry Office in Tunbridge Wells followed by a big reception held at my parents home, so most of the guests were their choice!! It was a glorious snowy, sunny day and I was so happy. Our honeymoon was somewhat restricted due to Ted Heath's '3 day week' but we managed to acquire enough petrol to get my little Triumph Spitfire to Dunster in Somerset for a few days. It all seems so long ago. J died in 2012 and we would be celebrating our 43rd anniversary on 1st December. His birthday and a wedding anniversary in the same week is difficult to get through, but I have so many happy memories.

I am so glad I started this thread. These stories are so varied and interesting.

Thursday afternoon wedding for us as that's when my future in laws shut the shop. My DH to be was hopeful this would mean very few people at the church but of course everyone who could got the afternoon off and the place was packed. All very simple, white dress made of nylon and far to much veiling (I was very young). The reception was in a local hall and just tea and cakes, by 4.30 we were at the station on our way to a short honeymoon. Nearly 50 years now.

Met DH when i was 13 and he was 15 , it was christmas eve and the first time mum had let me go to a dance at Dreamland in Margate . It turned out he live next door to my married sister ( she had just moved into her first house ), he asked if he could see me again and as we were all going to sissy's for christmas day he called for me in the afternoon and I was allowed to sit on the back wall where mum could see me and talk to him !! Mum didnt really like him because at 16 he got a motor bike and wore a leather jacket .. so when I was 18 we eloped and with a special licence got married with just our best friends as witnesses , we then went to the pub for a drink , we eventually went home and confessed what we had done....we moved into a little flat that evening that a friends parents had over their shop.
That was nearly 46 years ago , both sets of parents eventually got over the shock and forgave us ... I wouldnt change a thing , he's my soulmate and I love him just as much today as I did at the start .

First in side chapel at Westminster Cathedral with about 20 guests, followed by meal at hotel.Honeymoon in Corfu subsidised by Dateline who had introduced us. Knitted my wedding dress and cap. Second in local registry office with 12 guests, young daughters and cousin by marriage as bridesmaids. MIL made dresses for me and bridesmaids and cake and FIL handled flowers, photographer and wedding cars, together with return flight to stay in his flat just outside Amsterdam. Favourite restaurant did sumptious meal for us at cost as their contribution. Guess which was the happier occasion! But neither cost more than about £300 in total.