A nice chat about your wedding

We ran off to Gretna Green but the family followed us. We got married over the anvil, not just the two of us and the Minister DGD (2 yrs)stood with us the whole time and when the minister asked us to join hands for the vows DGD turned and and held our hands and said the vows with us, oh how we all cried including the minister. The photo that was taken at that moment is so special.
Before the wedding DGD was adamant she was having a Princess dress (she did) and was going to wear it with her pink fluffy bunny slippers and carry her Woody from toy story doll (she didnt).
The wedding nearly didnt happen as the discs in my spine slipped 2 days before and i made the 300 mile journey in sheer agony. Best friend who was my bridesmaid suggested that i didnt wear my handmade bridal shoes and should use my flip flops instead, i wont tell you my reply.
My DH to be was a scaffolder and spent his life in dusty joggers and t shirts with huge holes in the right shoulder (from carrying the tube) looked like a movie star in his new suit, he really did scrub up well.
It was a day of happy tears and laughter, my Sister who was dying managed the 90 mile journey and had a great time, she got rip roaring drunk and loved every minute of it.That was her last day out as she died 5 weeks later.
I can honestly say it was the best day ever.

Thank you Bellanonna, we can't wait it's been a long time coming, but is going to be well worth it.

Roll on five weeks LadyG. Wonderful New Year present to look forward to.

We met in Malaysia in 1969 and married in Singapore in 1970 in the Church of Scotland by an Irish vicar. Our reception was in the Wessex welfare centre next to the church, apart from my mum, dad and sister there we no other relatives, but many other serving soldiers and their families. We're still together, it will be 46 years on December 12th. We have a son and daughter. Our daughter got married in 2014 and wore my veil, in 5 weeks she is due our very first grandchild.

I've loved reading all these stories, many bought a tear to my eyes

I forgot ton mention in my post, when the ceremony(?) was over, the registrar leaned over the desk, shook hands with us, and said "Congratulations, that will be 7/6 please."

I've just seen this thread, lovely memories!
We (me and 2nd husband) were married in 1978 in a Reg. office.
Very quiet, only his brother and his wife as witnesses.
Afterwards our two families (4 adults and 6 children) had a nice meal in a local hotel.
The thing I remember about the ceremony was that instead of saying "lawful wedded wife" DH said " awful leaded light" .
We all got the giggles. I forgave him because he's dyslexic.

It was 1979. We were broke. We got married in a registry office. I sold my car for £50 and that paid for the reception (which we catered ourselves and with the help of friends in someone's garden). That didn't include the rings of course. We went to the jewellers and asked for two gold rings, as cheap as possible, that looked the same. I can't remember if they were £12 each or for the two of them. We're still together.

Many thanks Bellanonna.
Glad you enjoyed that trip back in time.

What a fascinating description of your wedding day Maywalk. Lovely to read that you have been together for so long.

This is the last chapter from the small book I wrote about the first 20 years of my life.It tells about my cockney knees up wedding way back in 1949. My lovely hubby died this year after us being married for 66 years. I hope any readers will enjoy their trip back in time and I dont know of anyone else spending their first night of marriage on the floor. LOL

www.maywalk.oddquine.co.uk/mybook/chapter12.html

We met when I was a student and got married in 1969 when I was 22 and OH was 26. The wedding was in the village where I grew up, in the chapel where my parents had also married. Weddings were quite a rare occurrence in the village so all the neighbours turned out to watch and country bus stopped in front of the chapel where we were having our photos taken so the passengers could have a look. It was Grand National Day and a horse called Highland Wedding was running. As Dad's family were from Scotland all the local gamblers took this as a good omen and put their money on the horse. My Dad did too, but being a bit short, having paid for the reception, only put on a small bet of ten shillings. It won!
I made my own full-length dress from white satin. It had a high waistline and puffy sleeves gathered in at the wrist. I still have it in a box in the wardrobe together with my bouffant veil.
The reception was a fairly simple affair in a local social club then we left to catch the train to London before flying off to Ibiza for our honeymoon - paid for by OH because I had virtually no money.
BIL gallantly offered to look after our cases during the reception so that nobody would interfere with them. When we opened the cases in our hotel they had been stuffed full of confetti and we spent half the evening picking the bits off the floor.Of course, we guessed who the culprit was!

April 1970. We met a year earlier when my contract at a girls' school in Kenya had a year to run. If we didn't get married, I'd have to go home to UK. We decided to get married in the school chapel, a lovely, modest little building; a Scottish minister, retired missionary, agreed to officiate. I booked a caterer to do a buffet reception and a large marquee, in case it rained though optimistically the tables and seating were set out in the open. It was a glorious day and my parents arrived just a couple of days before. His did not.
Honeymoon in Uganda where we saw huge tuskers and could hear hippos snorting in the lake below our balcony.
Sixteen years and two fine sons later, he decided he had found a better model and I achieved independence which I have never given up!

My parents were working in Turkey when my boyfriend proposed to me. I rang their flat in Ankara from the payphone in the nurses home. I only had 30p. My Dad answered and said hello, then he proceeded to go for my mother. By the time she got to the phone I only had time to say that we had got engaged before the money ran out.
My fiancé had his own business so we had a bigger wedding than I would have liked. We had our service in church at midday, and then a reception for family. We had to have an evening reception for all business associates and my nursing colleagues, there were about 500 there. We left the night do at 11:00pm to catch a bus to London, as we were flying to Italy early the next morning. We were booked on the flight as Mr and Mrs. My passport was in my maiden name. The marriage licence was in my mother-in-law's handbag! Fortunately the airline were very understanding and we were allowed to fly. Sorrento was beautiful, if a bit cold. It was April, but when we went on a trip to Capri it snowed, we were frozen having only taken spring/summer clothes. We have been very happily married now for nearly 35 years.

These stories are so romantic, and how adventurous some of you are. It is so strange the things that stick in your mind. I hired my wedding dress for £23 from a shop in the West End. My mum thought it was outrageous as my SIL had bought hers a few months earlier for £21.

My going away outfit was a pale blue dress with a navy lace coat and a big floppy Navy hat.

My wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life.
When I look back I know how lucky we were that it all went to plan and even the weather behaved for a February day.
Just one thing spoilt the first day of our honeymoon
We were going to Paris and no channel tunnel then so went on the cross channel ferry and I was dreadfully seasick.
This was followed five months later by morning sickness.
What a start for DH.Couldn't have put him off as we had fifty four years together.

First wedding a white one in 1970 but not expensive as my parents weren't well off and neither were we. My aunt made my dress as a present (white broderie anglais, victorian-style) and my "borrowed" was a cousin's veil. We'd only known each other for a short time and it really was a "marry in haste, repent at leisure" situation, we were divorced in 1983. And I definitely was never getting married again.

Second wedding in 2009 was a delightful one at our local registry - we were married by the lovely lady who also "did" Charles & Camilla.
Lots of friends there and we had a garden party with posh afternoon tea rather than a full-blown meal, with a chocolate gateau from Waitrose as our wedding cake. Weather was great, I wore an oatmeal-coloured skirt & top outfit which had little sequins & pearls round the scalloped edges and a knock-em-dead hat (hired, didn't want to take it back). DH was in cream summer suit, guests in summery clothes, it was just exactly what we wanted.

I'm loving reading all your touching stories. Thank you for sharing.

I never liked the idea of being married but reluctantly agreed when my partner was diagnosed with cancer. We got married in the Registry office in Bath and went for afternoon tea in a nearby hotel with just immediate family. This was only 3 years ago and he's in remission, so touch wood, all's good.

From a very young age I could imagine nothing worse than being the bride at a big wedding dressed like a lampshade. My ideal wedding was a registry office, bride and groom and two bystanders as witnesses. However I loved my parents dearly and to them only a church wedding was acceptable so we arrived at an agreement, church wedding but very low key. Needless to say I have limited myself to one wedding only.

Our wedding date was decide by the best man. He was in the Navy and had leave allocated to him He informed us that he had been allocated leave in February and July and as he intended to get married in July... so we got married on a very cold day in February. We had 20 guests, immediate family, god parents. Best man and Best woman. Even the celebrant was a family member. After the wedding we went to a nearby pub for a sit down meal, very welcome on a cold day. I wore a short white mini-dress (to my mother white was essential) but no veil and my bouquet was a small Victorian posy of snowdrops.

We were tight for money and decided it was pointless to go away for a honeymoon in February, anywhere sunny would have cost a fortune, so we delayed our honeymoon until the summer and a package tour we could afford.

I married first in 1971, traditional white wedding in church with around 50 guests, some being people my mother wanted. My Mother made the wedding dress and 3 bridesmaids dresses. The material came from John Lewis and cost £5, the same amount as my going away outfit. (Do brides still have a going away outfit?). We had a formal meal after with an evening party for more friends.
Second wedding in 1999 was register office, I had a bride's mother style outfit. We had lots of people there, then a meal at a local restaurant for around 25 with a party in a local hall in the evening for around 200. It was all very informal.

Incidentally our honeymoon was a series of train journeys, starting from Calais. Hop on hop off as it were. Good fun but got a bit tiring in the end. Rail travel was quite cheap back then.

We met Brussels where we both worked. We got engaged. We married in my local church, long-sleeved white dress, traditional tails and hats for the men. Reception at a local hotel. Honeymoon In France and Italy. Back home, and we both took up posts in Rome six weeks later. Stayed there for two years and both came back to London. Stayed a short while with my parents till we got our own home. Forgot, first baby had been born, but I came back home for the birth. Second baby two years later in our new home. Ten years ago, when Mum died, we came back to live in the house where I grew up. He is now 83 and in poor health, but in typical Italian style often tells me how much he loves me. It will be our 48th anniversary later this month.

He was 30, I was 20. I and my 2 bridesmaids (my sisters) made our own dresses. In fact one sister was still sewing her hem while the bridal car stood outside! All 4 parents look nervous in the photos probably due to the gap in our ages and wordliness. After the service I whispered to him "thank goodness that's over" and he replied "oh, but it's just starting". Ooer!
Now he's 71 and I'm 61 and the bond is stronger than ever. 2 sons, 2 GC.

It's my wedding anniversary today and the weather is similar, brilliant sunshine.

We got married at relatively short notice, six weeks, because we were unexpectedly given a married quarters allowance and were able to rent a flat. The wedding was in a village church in Kent and the reception was at my parents' house. My mum did the catering. I think there were about 30 guests in all. We didn't have big families so really it was just parents, siblings and a few friends. We honeymooned in Somerset. In November! Thank goodness love keeps you warm!

I'm interested that so many of you made, or had made, your wedding dresses. A talented friend was making mine from a beautiful cream crepe but she was suddenly taken ill with rheumatic fever and couldn't finish it. I had to rush out and buy a dress off the shelf at the last minute! I still have it, a long sleeved, high necked satin, with a small train. It's absolutely minuscule, even my size 6/8 daughter can't get into it.

Anyway here we will still are, 44 years and four children on, even though my mother gave us six months at most!

I met my future husband when I was just 16, we married 6 months later, I was then 17...we had a double wedding with my brother marrying DH's sister! We both had our first child (both girls) within 2 weeks of each other, and we both then went on to have 2 more children. We have been married for 54 years, but unfortunately my DB and SIL's marriage ended about 10 years ago. We paid for everything ourselves as our parents couldn't afford to pay. My wedding present from my parents was a bedding bale but we didn't expect anything more. We borrowed a car to go on honeymoon for a week 'down south' and had to borrow a couple of quid of my dad when we got back because we were broke....Happy Days

We were married in '65. Both just 20 and me 4 months pregnant. We had a small registry office wedding, but a proper reception with a cake etc. Our parents once the shock was over were supportive. We are still together and we have had a good life. In January we will have been married 52 years. I would do it all again.