As Davidc says, its virtually a mugs game with the vast amounts spent on a wedding, stupidity in fact, far better spending the money wisely, not just a lavish party with all the trimmings etc with nothing to show afterwards.
When I got married, and it was in a church too, My partner, then, made all the dresses, for herself and our daughter as she was a brides maid and a waistcoat for our son to go with his suit, brides boy or whatever you call them, I made all the home made wine, my partners brother in law drove her to the church in his Taxi, a white lada, lol. I went in my own car. I gave £30 to the church for a donation and the organist, the reception was held in the church just behind a screen. Just in case guests did not like my wine, I bought a few cans of beer and a couple of bottles of spirits that morning. There was not even any balloons and all that crap either. Photo's we took ourselves and the guests ttoo. My suit my brother had bought me for his wedding and I still wear it to this day, for every funeral etc that I go to and I'll probably get buried in it too.
And the best bit was, everybody said it was the best wedding they had been too, especially getting legless in a church and everybody loved my wine that much they wanted bottles to take home.
But where it did go wrong was, I forgot about the "honeymoon" and was back at work next day, not that we would have gone anywhere, but she was upset that I did not have a day off work at least.
I actually thought as well that it was made special, by having both our children their as it made it a real family do. I think overall cost probably did not exceed £100 and before you say that would have been a lot of money back in 19 something, it was only in 1996, so planned wisely, you can have a good proper wedding at little cost.
I definitely wouldn't be getting married in a church (his parents are Catholic and he is vaguely, but I'm not religious, so I'm not doing it), I wouldn't change my name, I'd have my mum and my stepdad give me away, and I wouldn't have any vows that say that we're going to stay together forever and ever. While I wouldn't marry him if I thought that we were going to split up, I also think that you can't predict the future and what's the point in promising to stay together when actually, if in 20 years from the date, who can predict what we'll feel? And no vows about obeying, either.
