They had big weddings in the 70s too you know. And there are plenty of low-key weddings nowadays. Weddings are different, depending on what couples want. I don't think things have actually changed much, have they?
I don't think things have changed at all. I went to huge flash weddings in the 80's and I've been to tiny, 1 man and his dog weddings in the last few years. Different strokes and all that has always been the way.
The only thing that does seem to have changed is that stag/hens parties seem to have gotten bigger than the chinese meal and a nightclub hen nights in my day. Now it's weeks in Ibiza and the like
Very true! I always think that there are much better things you can do with that sort of money! It makes more sense to me to have a reasonably priced wedding, then use the rest for your future or something. Think some people forget its the marriage that's the most important thing, not the wedding day.
It's a matter of personal choice what kind of wedding a couple has. I mean you're not being asked to pay for someone else's wedding are you?
Have you never passed a negative opinion on anything? Never said that you don't like a particular film or a genre of book? Never said that something annoys you or offends you? I bet you have.
I'm going to my friends mates wedding tomorrow. It says in the invitation that they would like a small contribution towards their honeymoon, not a gift.
A post box will be located in the main reception room.
Weddings can be very costly for the guests as well. Although you can of course choose not to go.
They can. Once you've got an outfit, booked a hotel for the night, brought a gift and paid for your drinks, the cost of attending a wedding can run into a few hundred pounds.
My heart sinks when we get a wedding invitation. Once upon a time, in the dim and distant past, weddings took place at about 11.00 am in a reasonably nearby church or RO followed by a reception lunch and a few speeches. The bride and groom went of on honey moon at about 3pm in a car adorned with balloons and beer cans .... and that, much to everyone's relief, was that.
Nowadays, you have to travel to some exotic location, stay in some extortionately priced hotel, put up with a whole load of people most of whom you don't know or like for days on end.
You can tell I'm a real bundle of joy at weddings.
Of course there have always been flashy weddings, but not on the industrial scale we see now. The stag/ hen industry has become ridiculous, and often very burdensome for guests. What used to be a party has morphed into some ever more costly and drawn-out holiday, often of a particularly loathesome nature. And the venue - which used to be a choice between a church and a registry office - is now often some lavish stately home - very nice, but far, far more expensive. As with all these industries - the 'school prom' replacing the end of year disco, the 'sweet 16' replacing nothing at all - there is a kind of ratchet effect, whereby no one quite likes to be the first cheapskate in their circle of friends.
I used to help my neighbour man a stall at wedding fairs - he had a wedding car - and the amount of stuff you can waste your money on these days is awe-inspiring. Professional calligraphers to write out the place cards, toast masters, sugared almonds in a fancy case for each guest, extensive beauty packages for bride and bridesmaids, more table accessories in the form of fancy banners and 'centrepieces' and over head decorations than you can imagine if you have never seen them.
I really do feel that no one has EVER come back from a wedding and said, "those packs of bonbons really made the wedding!" The best weddings by far imo are ones where the bride and groom look happy and relaxed, and not in an endless panic in case the bride's expensive new hairdo - one that the groom has never seen or even imagined in his life before - goes limp. I have friends who had their reception in their local church hall, asking guests to bring food to share instead of a gift, and everyone said it was a really lovely wedding.
I agree. That's why me and my partner are getting married in the town hall, having afternoon tea with a few friends and family and then going to lake district for a few days. Nice and simple
What are you talking about? My mother was born in 1953, got married in 1976 and had me in 1983. I know about my parents' wedding day because I've seen the video. Have you got something wrong with you or are you just illiterate and innumerate?
Hands up realwales, I totally screwed up there, a brain fart of massive proportions, I'm not illiterate, but numeracy has never been my long suit, somehow I equated 1976 as your mother's year of birth.
I cannot apologise enough, I feel terrible at making a balls-up of this magnitude, please accept my most humble and sincere apologies.
Were it not for the fact that I live in central London, I would volunteer to be the village idiot, complete with dunce's cap as well.
Some weddings are really flashy. But if someone can afford it and they want to then why not? I think it's a shame that people spend themselves into debt though. It's just one day and the occasion is what's special.
I got married yesterday and it couldn't have been less flashy! £45 at the registry office and then we took our two witnesses for a Greek lunch and then spent the afternoon in the pub. I bought a lovely fifties style summer dress for £40 from my favourite shop. I'll wear it through the summer and I simply put a petticoat underneath it to add some wow factor. I made a bouquet to match using fake flowers from Ikea and stuck a flower hairband in my hair. Our witness took some snapshots on his digital camera and that's that. We did spend a bit on the rings as we had them made, but we decided that they were the things that would last forever. Food gets eaten, wine gets drunk, the day finishes but the rings are the everlasting symbol. But excluding those, we probably spent about £250 including my dress, lunch for the four of us and a few drinks.
We had a fabulous day! And luckily family etc all understood. We told our parents but other than that, we kept it a secret from everyone and we loved it.
I'm at an age (30) where I get invited to a lot of weddings. I think they've become WAY too big and flashy, and the true meaning of them has been lost.
I've seen footage of my parents' wedding in 1976 on some primitive home video technology. They had a wedding at the city's main registry office, attended by family and a small number of close family friends. Then, they returned to my grandmother's house for pictures outside, then a buffet in her front room, and they put the record player on for signing and dancing. The following day, they went on honeymoon for a week or two at some British seaside town (I'm not sure which one).
Nowadays, it seems as though I'm expected to go on an incredibly stupid 'stag do' with a group of people I hardly ever see and in some cases don't know at all. I'm expected to take part in some 'activity' I have no interest in, then dress in a stupid costume for silly antics on a drunken night out, which usually involves somebody going too far.
The weddings themselves are more like making the bride a Disney princess for the day than a meaningful ceremony in which the couple make a life-long commitment to each other. It's normally held in some out-of-the-way location that'll mean staying overnight in a hotel, or face a long journey home.
I don't know what it is - I suspect it's a combination of three things: 1. A 'wedding industry' has grown over the last 20 years or so with companies brainwashing couples into buying an expensive wedding package. 2. People are subtly trying to out-do their friends. 3. Celebrity culture/ celebrity magazines puts ideas into women's heads.
Look, anyone can put on a flashy wedding do. Making a life-long marriage work is far more important.
Rant over!
It's up to the couple how they want their wedding, don't see why it bothers you so much
i heard on the grapevine that many of such woman are having it off with men on hen nights thinking that it is not cheating
That's been going on for years.
Hen nights are as bad, if not worse, than stag nights. It's just an excuse to cheat on partners and do things they really shouldn't be doing.
The other day, I saw some photos of a hen night that someone posted on Facebook. Several of the women, including the bride-to-be, were licking cream off a stripper's chest and erect penis.
Funnily enough, they were removed within hours; presumably at the request of the various slags in the pictures who were terrified of their husbands and boyfriends seeing them or getting wind of them.
What are you talking about? My mother was born in 1953, got married in 1976 and had me in 1983. I know about my parents' wedding day because I've seen the video. Have you got something wrong with you or are you just illiterate and innumerate?
The only problem I can see in your post is that you put signing instead of singing, which is a very easy thing to do
I agree with you post though, in this day and age the wedding is important, in the past it was the person you were marrying and the marriage. Just because people can afford £12,000 for a wedding does not make it right.
I think they have. I knew of no 70s wedding that was anything like as extravagant and costly as some weddings now. A huge wedding industry has sprung up that simply did not exist 30 or 40 years ago.
The use of credit cards and loans was not as widespread as it is now either.
Comments
I don't think things have changed at all. I went to huge flash weddings in the 80's and I've been to tiny, 1 man and his dog weddings in the last few years. Different strokes and all that has always been the way.
The only thing that does seem to have changed is that stag/hens parties seem to have gotten bigger than the chinese meal and a nightclub hen nights in my day. Now it's weeks in Ibiza and the like
Have you never passed a negative opinion on anything? Never said that you don't like a particular film or a genre of book? Never said that something annoys you or offends you? I bet you have.
Good job I am not normal then
Anyhow according to the government stats 42% end in divorce.
Weddings can be very costly for the guests as well. Although you can of course choose not to go.
aye, we'll see, tick tock
A post box will be located in the main reception room.
Is £10 enough to give?
They can. Once you've got an outfit, booked a hotel for the night, brought a gift and paid for your drinks, the cost of attending a wedding can run into a few hundred pounds.
Nowadays, you have to travel to some exotic location, stay in some extortionately priced hotel, put up with a whole load of people most of whom you don't know or like for days on end.
You can tell I'm a real bundle of joy at weddings.
Of course there have always been flashy weddings, but not on the industrial scale we see now. The stag/ hen industry has become ridiculous, and often very burdensome for guests. What used to be a party has morphed into some ever more costly and drawn-out holiday, often of a particularly loathesome nature. And the venue - which used to be a choice between a church and a registry office - is now often some lavish stately home - very nice, but far, far more expensive. As with all these industries - the 'school prom' replacing the end of year disco, the 'sweet 16' replacing nothing at all - there is a kind of ratchet effect, whereby no one quite likes to be the first cheapskate in their circle of friends.
I used to help my neighbour man a stall at wedding fairs - he had a wedding car - and the amount of stuff you can waste your money on these days is awe-inspiring. Professional calligraphers to write out the place cards, toast masters, sugared almonds in a fancy case for each guest, extensive beauty packages for bride and bridesmaids, more table accessories in the form of fancy banners and 'centrepieces' and over head decorations than you can imagine if you have never seen them.
I really do feel that no one has EVER come back from a wedding and said, "those packs of bonbons really made the wedding!" The best weddings by far imo are ones where the bride and groom look happy and relaxed, and not in an endless panic in case the bride's expensive new hairdo - one that the groom has never seen or even imagined in his life before - goes limp. I have friends who had their reception in their local church hall, asking guests to bring food to share instead of a gift, and everyone said it was a really lovely wedding.
Lol
Sounds very nice.
I now wish we had spent 10 grand and it lasted a year >:(
I agree with that.
Hands up realwales, I totally screwed up there, a brain fart of massive proportions, I'm not illiterate, but numeracy has never been my long suit, somehow I equated 1976 as your mother's year of birth.
I cannot apologise enough, I feel terrible at making a balls-up of this magnitude, please accept my most humble and sincere apologies.
Were it not for the fact that I live in central London, I would volunteer to be the village idiot, complete with dunce's cap as well.
I got married yesterday and it couldn't have been less flashy! £45 at the registry office and then we took our two witnesses for a Greek lunch and then spent the afternoon in the pub. I bought a lovely fifties style summer dress for £40 from my favourite shop. I'll wear it through the summer and I simply put a petticoat underneath it to add some wow factor. I made a bouquet to match using fake flowers from Ikea and stuck a flower hairband in my hair. Our witness took some snapshots on his digital camera and that's that. We did spend a bit on the rings as we had them made, but we decided that they were the things that would last forever. Food gets eaten, wine gets drunk, the day finishes but the rings are the everlasting symbol. But excluding those, we probably spent about £250 including my dress, lunch for the four of us and a few drinks.
We had a fabulous day!
It's up to the couple how they want their wedding, don't see why it bothers you so much
The only one who'll marry Miss XYZ is me!
That's been going on for years.
Hen nights are as bad, if not worse, than stag nights. It's just an excuse to cheat on partners and do things they really shouldn't be doing.
The other day, I saw some photos of a hen night that someone posted on Facebook. Several of the women, including the bride-to-be, were licking cream off a stripper's chest and erect penis.
Funnily enough, they were removed within hours; presumably at the request of the various slags in the pictures who were terrified of their husbands and boyfriends seeing them or getting wind of them.
The only problem I can see in your post is that you put signing instead of singing, which is a very easy thing to do
I agree with you post though, in this day and age the wedding is important, in the past it was the person you were marrying and the marriage. Just because people can afford £12,000 for a wedding does not make it right.
The use of credit cards and loans was not as widespread as it is now either.