oh don't we know it....

I read some eyebrow raising things about weddings these days. Bride and Groom charging folk to attend their wedding (i.e. paying for it), wedding lists with no gift costing under £500, brides who won't have pregnant/overweight/spotty bridesmaids (even if it's their own family). My marriage may not have lasted but my wedding day cost £300 including my home made dress and I was the happiest girl alive.

CC

I think mine didn't cost anymore than £150 ! My company gave me money to get a wedding present, so we bought the wedding rings and a pair of curtains !

When invited to a wedding these days, I refuse to cough up cash - to fund this that or the other, they get a gift like it or lump it, then they don't get the option of getting the chance to see how much I've paid.

brissles said:

Back in 1979 I got married 'on the cheap'.

Got my dress - a salmon pink gypsy style from a catalogue. Bought buffet stuff and a couple of gateux from Tescos. Drove myself and my Dad in my clapped out mini to the registry office. A colleague from work was due to arrive to take photographs, but forgot. Had the reception at the cricket club for 20 where my Dad organised a game of cards for the blokes. New mother in law got drunk on sherry and took to her bed for 4 days afterwards. I gave a lift home to some guests and promptly got a puncture - so my wedding night was spent with new hubby and guests changing a wheel while I stood watching in my wilting finery. Was glad to collapse into bed - from exhaustion !!!

Where have the years gone. Hubby passed with a heart attack on New Years Day 2003 just before he was 55, and even his funeral wasn't without incident - but that's another story. He would have loved it.

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Sorry to hear about your husband - far too young to go.

What struck me about your post was the comedy aspect (pls don't be cross) - it reminded me of the funny weddings in the film 4 Weddings....

More weddings should be like yours.

candycane said:

I read some eyebrow raising things about weddings these days. Bride and Groom charging folk to attend their wedding (i.e. paying for it), wedding lists with no gift costing under £500, brides who won't have pregnant/overweight/spotty bridesmaids (even if it's their own family). My marriage may not have lasted but my wedding day cost £300 including my home made dress and I was the happiest girl alive.

CC

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Bride and Groom charging folk to attend their wedding (i.e. paying for it)<<


Whaaaaaaaat????? Really????? :mysmilie_13:

brissles said:

I think mine didn't cost anymore than £150 ! My company gave me money to get a wedding present, so we bought the wedding rings and a pair of curtains !

When invited to a wedding these days, I refuse to cough up cash - to fund this that or the other, they get a gift like it or lump it, then they don't get the option of getting the chance to see how much I've paid.

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In 2013, Hubby's revolting family member got married. The invitations were pamphlets, containing pages of text /banal f**kwittery, clearly intended to be soooooo hilarious' which made for an exhausting read.

Pamphlet also contained some worded piece (copied from internet at #Giveusyermoney/ vulgar/grasping) which amounted to, in essence 'give us cash' & not gifts to fund our Indian Island Honeymoon ! ( This was actually a lie, 'cos her Dad paid for the Honeymoon.)

There was a gift list, but it was extremely short, thereby limiting/forcing their 'guests' to stump up cash.

I know a girl with very well off parents [house and business given to her) arrived and left venue in a helicopter etc yet she asked for money to fund the honeymoon. Since traditionally this was the only thing they had to pay for the lazy gits couldn’t even do that.

Most people have either been living together for years or are joining 2 households together so don’t need wedding presents as this was supposed to set them up in their first home. In these situations I feel it should either be no gifts or a charity donation. I have no intention in paying for someone to go on a holiday I could only dream of.

Friends getting married later in life went to church for a private ceremony came back to their house had a BBQ for their friends (no fancy clothes) no gifts and everyone had a great time with no pressure on anyone. Lovely to think people remember your wedding with fondness rather than stressing over outfits etc.

As for hen and stag dos - a work colleague’s partner has to go to Las Vegas for his mates stag do plus the wedding back home overnight etc which has scuppered their annual holiday savings.

My first wedding in 1974 cost £40 for the daytime sit down meal for just 18 of us and in the evening my Mum rallied my aunties to make a buffet to be set out in the Co-op hall we hired for the nightime reception which more people attended. No proper DJ, just a record player and a stack of records begged and borrowed.
The buffet was laid out on wallpaper pasting tables covered with tablecloths and paper plates and plastic cutlery.
My wedding dress was new and very much in the style of Princess Anne`s who`d got married just a few months previous, I think it cost around £40 including the veil and head dress. I had just one bridesmaid, my niece who was about 8 years old.
We didn`t have a gift list and were given the usual ironing board, pyrex dishes, towels and pans as were common back then. Nor did we have an exotic honeymoon, we had 3 days in Blackpool. We started married life in a one bedroom rented flat with a shared bathroom in an old large terraced property.
My husband passed away in 2005 aged 56 and then I met my second husband in 2009 and we married in 2011. Of course by then I was what you`d call a mature bride, well into my late 50`s and we wanted the day to be a family day for our grown up children and our grandchildren. None of our parents were still alive, we were now the oldies lol but we had a great day and all 5 grand daughters were bridesmaids and they loved being centre stage especially when I insisted they entered the ceremony first and one by one so everybody could see them in their lovely dresses. Nowadays they`ve become stroppy teenagers so would probably be mortified at having to wear such dresses but back then they loved it !

loveallthingsitalian said:

I know a girl with very well off parents [house and business given to her) arrived and left venue in a helicopter etc yet she asked for money to fund the honeymoon. Since traditionally this was the only thing they had to pay for the lazy gits couldn’t even do that.

Most people have either been living together for years or are joining 2 households together so don’t need wedding presents as this was supposed to set them up in their first home. In these situations I feel it should either be no gifts or a charity donation. I have no intention in paying for someone to go on a holiday I could only dream of.

Friends getting married later in life went to church for a private ceremony came back to their house had a BBQ for their friends (no fancy clothes) no gifts and everyone had a great time with no pressure on anyone. Lovely to think people remember your wedding with fondness rather than stressing over outfits etc.

As for hen and stag dos - a work colleague’s partner has to go to Las Vegas for his mates stag do plus the wedding back home overnight etc which has scuppered their annual holiday savings.

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Shocking....:mysmilie_5:

Well, this may be controversial, but Julia's waited a long time for this so no wonder she's excited and I for one don't mind hearing about it, in fact I'm quite interested! :happy:

It was her choice to wait this long. I would be tolerant if she had recently met someone and getting married later in life but she has been living as man and wife for nearly 40 bliddy years so I think it is more for practical purposes so she should just get on with it.

I remember years ago during a show she said that when she was young she dreamed of a big white wedding and when the other presenter (forget who) asked her why she hadn't done it then she replied that she'd never been asked, and then added 'oh well maybe one day, you never know'

If it has taken him 40 years to ask I think it would leave a bad taste I my mouth as to why suddenly now.

If she wants the big white wedding then this could be it. Peony flaaarsss, B and W bling necklace, a specially designed stretchy Kim white polyester wedding dress complete with net curtain veil and Ali Young style hair and makeup. Cracked it !

loveallthingsitalian said:

If it has taken him 40 years to ask I think it would leave a bad taste I my mouth as to why suddenly now.

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I think it's OK to be together for 40 years as long as neither side is bothered about getting married but if one side would like to then it's a bit of a long time to wait to be asked.

CC

I was hoping that Kate's wedding dress back in 2011 would put an end to the sleeveless style that's been around for years. But nope, having just watched several weddings officiated in Cyprus (on tv today) I can see they are the style of choice by mainly overweight brides with arms a wrestler would be proud of. Honest to God don't they look in a mirror ? and then think 'hell I look awful', clearly not. Have the evening dress style by all means, but at least wear a lovely lacey shrug to cover shoulders and arms.

The elegance of royal brides has certainly not filtered down to the buying public that's for sure.

having watched say yes to the dress I have to agree...dont forget the back fat to go with the wrestlers arms

boffy said:

having watched say yes to the dress I have to agree...dont forget the back fat to go with the wrestlers arms

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:mysmilie_13: Lots of people show me their daughter/neice/granddaughters wedding photos and the dresses are all of the strapless style with copious amounts of fat boobs/arms/backfat pouring out of the top. As someone who has been fat and thin, can people not see what is in the mirror? Or do the sales people just do an amazing job of selling people what they need to sell and not what actually looks good?

CC

Don't forget the tattoos on these wrestlers arms, or shoulder blade ! :mysmilie_51::mysmilie_15::mysmilie_460:

my mum wore a beautifully cut Jackie Onassis style skirt and jacket with a beautiful felt hat her stilettos and a 60's handbag she looked amazing classy and modern. she was tiny a size 8/10. gorgeous

ERICS MUM said:

Don't forget the tattoos on these wrestlers arms, or shoulder blade ! :mysmilie_51::mysmilie_15::mysmilie_460:

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I wasn't going to mention tattoos, as I know a lot of forumites sport them or don't mind them, and I respect that, but its not a choice I buy into - especially on brides.

Clearly the strapless designs are here to stay, but for elegance those with sleeves suit everyone whether a size 8 or 28.

I am with you on the tattoos Brissles but if someone wants to go there it is their body.I saw a lovely looking girl the other day with tattoos covering her arms, they just looked grubby and horrible IMO.I just think when they get much older will they regret them? The worst is someone in a lovely wedding dress with tattoos, I guess we have benn brought up to think they are not at all classy.

I think "grubby" is a good word to use for some of the tattoos one sees nowadays ..

no offence intended.