Question of The Day. Saturday 9th of November

[Winchester]

I have been married now for 48 years. Ours was an "interesting" wedding. I was 16 and pregnant; Rick was 19. Our parents were so frustrated with us they didn't know what to do. Rick's mother went to her pastor (our minister) in despair that I would never be the kind of wife her son deserved. His father said he wouldn't attend the wedding if Rick didn't shave his mustache; he didn't shave and his dad attended the wedding, but there was a lot of yelling going on about it. My parents were beside themselves and my grandmother refused to go to the wedding, although she did come to the house afterward. I had deeply disappointed her and she never really cared that much for Rick.

Before the ceremony, the music was probably more deserving of a funeral. I didn't know any better and I asked my GF (instead of my sister) to be my maid of honor. THAT went over like a lead balloon.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

FWIW, Rick's mother now considers me her daughter, not her DIL.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

DH and I have been married for 16 years. Neither of us really like to be up in front of people much; but we had a big traditional wedding and enjoyed it. We had a huge wedding party 7 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen and a junior bridesmaid, flower girl, and ring bearer. I think we had 220 on our guest list but I don't remember how many actually came. I have a big family. Just my stepdad; being one of 8 kids, adds a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins.

I did change a few traditions. I didn't want my dad to walk me down the aisle because we weren't close. We're much closer now. So instead I had my dad and DH meet me about 1/4 of the way from the end and I walked with both of them. We changed the candle lighting ceremony to include Moms and Dads; so there were 3 tapers on either side of the unity candle. It was a nice day and quite a few people who were there have now passed away; so I'm glad we did the big wedding. My Grandpa kept loudly sniffling through the ceremony; which I found so adorable. He's loving but old fashion when it comes to showing that kind of emotion; so I know he was really overcome if he couldn't hold it in!

I agree about the marriage being what people should be focusing on; not going into debt for a big party! By today's standards I don't think we spent a lot. Expenses were divided so no one went into debt. But I still got to have a catered reception in a nice ballroom. My mother's very long time friend makes cakes professionally and she came from several states away to do mine as a gift. Mom paid for her hotel and that was still less than what the cake was worth. I had a friend who was a DJ. There was no alcohol but I'd slowly bought bottles of sparkling grape juice for the toasts. I did my own flowers, favors and things like that too. I do regret not having a better photographer and not hiring a videographer. My cousin's then boyfriend (now husband) took a home video on my SIL's camcorder because his was broken. You can hear him talking on the video and he might make you dizzy once or twice. That's what you get when it's free.


The best wedding I've been to was on a train in a gorge along some tracks from the 1800s. There were two open cars that pulled guests up the tracks through a tunnel. On our right side was a huge rock cliff over our heads. On the left there was a drop off into the gorge with a river below. There are a few places where it's wide enough for the bridal party to stand. So the train stopped at one and thats where the ceremony took place. A friend dressed as an old time conductor drove a smaller train cart up with the bride and her dad. They are a musical family and a friend played guitar during the ride up and back. It was probably the happiest wedding I've been to too.

My cousin and his wife had a very elegant wedding. In a very elegant church. At the swankiest hotel in town. With all the booze. There were lots of happy tears; but even that wedding didn't have the joy our friend's train wedding did. They are still a very happy, loving couple too.

 

[jcat]

I replied above, but I should have also said that my own wedding was pretty memorable for what went wrong - almost committing bigamy! Murphy's Law was at work that day.

The civil ceremony in the morning was delayed because I refused to sign the documents. We had discussed everything with the registrar in advance, including the fact that I wanted to keep my maiden name as my middle name. They screwed it up, putting a horrible-sounding overly long hyphenated name on the documents, so I threw a hissy fit until they redid it.

The priest who performed the religious ceremony in the afternoon was elderly and confused my husband with his brother. It wasn't really illogical, since I'm American and my b-i-l was studying in the U.S. at the time. When it came time to ask, "Do you, Patricia, take this man, ......" he used my
b-i-l's name, and my m-i-l was stage whispering my husband's name over and over again, which confused the priest even more. I wouldn't have repeated my b-i-l's name even if she hadn't corrected the priest, but those documents had to be redone, too.

 

[DreamerRose]

I was married in a church with a simple reception afterwards in the neighborhood community center. It was ordinary for the times and certainly not over the top like so many weddings are today.

The most memorable wedding I've been to was my oldest son's wedding. The ceremony took place in a natural amphitheater in the Rocky Mountains National Park. It was very rocky and rustic. There was a string quartet that played hauntingly beautiful music like "Atoka Farewell," the score from Ken Burn's Civil War. The bride, who served in the Army, walked down the hillside in a beautiful white dress and her combat boots, which were entirely covered by the dress. The next day, my husband and I drove by the amphitheater, and it was filled with a herd of moose.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

The most memorable wedding I've been to was my oldest son's wedding. The ceremony took place in a natural amphitheater in the Rocky Mountains National Park. It was very rocky and rustic. There was a string quartet that played hauntingly beautiful music like "Atoka Farewell," the score from Ken Burn's Civil War. The bride, who served in the Army, walked down the hillside in a beautiful white dress and her combat boots, which were entirely covered by the dress. The next day, my husband and I drove by the amphitheater, and it was filled with a herd of moose.

That sounds gorgeous! My cousin was married a few weeks after me in Wyoming. The ceremony was in a field with the tetons in the background and their 2 dogs wore flowers around their necks. I didn't go since it was so soon after my wedding and far from home; but their pictures were stunning!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I would LOVE to get married to someone someday.

I want a small intimate wedding with 50+ max guest. I think 75 would be pushing it but it depends on his family/friends.

I just really want something small with everyone who is very close to me. I think they're called micro weddings.

I love love so I pray that the odds are in my favour and I meet a nice gentleman and settle down.

 

[NY cat man]

Michele and I were married in a church (she wanted to elope, but her mother wouldn't hear of it) the year after I got home from the service. We are going on 48 years together, now.

 

[sivyaleah]

Married 3x.
First, bigish kind of wedding, about 150 in my late 20's. The whole fancy big dress type of thing in a wedding hall place. Cost way too much money. Meh.
That lasted less than 3 years.

2nd one was a smaller affair, about 85 people. Closest family/friends - more stylized. Bought a dress off the rack and had it doctored up a bit. Held in a Victorian house, with a small jazz band as music. Much nicer, intimate party. Enjoyed myself a lot. Still cost too much but wasn't awful.
That marriage lasted 8 years or so.

Last one (the keeper lol) was in our backyard at 10:00 am 2 years ago, in our late 50's, with only 10 people including us. My siblings, a couple of very close friends. Dress - pink floral off the rack. Took everyone to lunch at a local, small fancy restaurant so early that we were the only people there. It was utterly perfect. Cost only about $3k for everything. Intending for this one to last LOL. We are too old now to start again

 

[DreamerRose]

That sounds gorgeous! My cousin was married a few weeks after me in Wyoming. The ceremony was in a field with the tetons in the background and their 2 dogs wore flowers around their necks. I didn't go since it was so soon after my wedding and far from home; but their pictures were stunning!

Yes, this wedding was stunning, too.

 

[aliceneko]

I'm only 20, so I still have quite some time to go before I get married (or even meet someone for that matter!) but I've always wanted to have a country wedding. I've lived in an urban or suburban area for all my life but have always felt happier and more at home in the countryside. I'd also like to have a more traditional church wedding, but a more modern reception to have an even mix. My mother's goddaughter got married a couple of years ago at the Eden Project and the wedding was held in the Tropical Biome since it was a New Year's wedding (we wore summer clothes, because it was about 40 degrees in the Biome) and it was a pretty neat wedding and the guests got free passes to the Eden Project as a gift for the next day.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I'm only 20, so I still have quite some time to go before I get married (or even meet someone for that matter!) but I've always wanted to have a country wedding. I've lived in an urban or suburban area for all my life but have always felt happier and more at home in the countryside. I'd also like to have a more traditional church wedding, but a more modern reception to have an even mix. My mother's goddaughter got married a couple of years ago at the Eden Project and the wedding was held in the Tropical Biome since it was a New Year's wedding (we wore summer clothes, because it was about 40 degrees in the Biome) and it was a pretty neat wedding and the guests got free passes to the Eden Project as a gift for the next day.

Wow. All this time I thought you were significantly older than me for some reason... but we are the same age!

 

[rgwanner]

I have been married 30 years. (We were together 10 years before that). We had a very small wedding. Maybe 30 people. We got married in the chapel of a local university since neither of us go to church. My father was a retired minister at that point and my sister was a minister. So my dad got to walk me down the aisle and still do part of the service. - a traditional protestant one.

I bought a "clearance" dress from David's and altered it myself (about $100). The flowers were a gift from a good friend - she went to the Farmer's Market and made the bouquets. The husband of one of my 2 bridesmaids did a video of the ceremony.. We put instant cameras on the table and asked guests to take pics.

We were living in an apt at the time so we had the reception at the clubhouse. I bought food from the grocery store - sandwich makings, fruit, etc.

The different thing about the wedding was that the invitations were victorian cat stationary that my husband printed on the computer. And I had a cat bride and groom (which I already had) on top of the cake, which was made by a friend.

The most interesting wedding I went to was that of a daughter of a good friend. My friend is Christian but her husband is Jewish and so the daughter wanted to honor both traditions. They had a minister and a rabbi and combined elements - they stepped on the wineglass and had both Christian and Jewish prayers. It was very beautiful..And the bride was a vet student (now a vet) so she had dog dishes on her wedding registry! .

 

[Sidewinder]

Been shacked up a few times, but never married... doubt it'll ever happen, but living near Tombstone as I do, any wedding of mine would have to be a shotgun wedding, LOL.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Never married. I used to want a big wedding, but now if I were to get married I would go very small. There haven't been any prospects though, so who knows if I ever will get married.

The most fun wedding I went to (and was in) was my friend Sarah's. It was a Halloween wedding and I was a bridesmaid and went as Mary Poppins. Here's a picture of me with the bride (middle) and my sister (left, and who was also a bridesmaid).

 

[misty8723]

Been married for 39 years, first and only. We had a very simple ceremony in a church with family and a few friends. Did not spend a lot of money, and I would never spend as much or take as long planning as most people do. Our honeymoon was one night in a hotel in a city a few miles away.

 

[Talien]

Never been married and don't plan to be. I've been to a few weddings but I never saw the point in something extravagant, to me it just seems unnecessary.

 

[lizzie]

We have been married 49 years...got married just a few months after he was discharged from the Army.March 7,1970 was the day of the big eclipse in back east.Small wedding...close family and a few friends...the sun was shining when we went into the church and pitch black when we came out.They said it would never last...fooled ya'll!

 

[NY cat man]

We have been married 49 years...got married just a few months after he was discharged from the Army.March 7,1970 was the day of the big eclipse in back east.Small wedding...close family and a few friends...the sun was shining when we went into the church and pitch black when we came out.They said it would never last...fooled ya'll!

It's funny you should say that. A guy I worked with at the time- Michele's cousin, in fact- said we wouldn't last 6 months. I guess we fooled him, too.

 

[VinceL]

Our 41st wedding anniversary was a few weeks ago. We had a pretty traditional wedding and reception. My late father-in-law wanted to control everything about the wedding and reception. My wife and I told him that we would handle all the arrangements; so, we paid for everything ourselves.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

I've never been married, but I've wanted to since I was little.

My dream wedding would be by a lake. Very small and intimate. Only our closest family and friends. The youngest of my four older brothers would walk me down the aisle. The second oldest would marry us because he's a pastor and has experience in that area. I would rather me and my future husband read our personally written vows (if we have them) to each other in private on our wedding night (he is welcome to read his at the wedding if prefered for him, obviously). I'm just not a fan of pouring my heart out in front of people and if I'm marrying a man he will understand and respect that.

If my next house has a nicer backyard I might want the wedding there instead to cut costs. Maybe everyone can make a dish to bring, and I'd look in thrift stores for a wedding dress before going to more expensive places. I like both wedding ideas.

In the end, whatever happens, will happen, whether it will be like either of the two scenarios above or something completely different.


As for memorable weddings, I remember my second oldest brother's wedding because I had so many bobby pins in my hair that my head hurt so bad. Third older brother got married in a courthouse so that was kinda memorable.