What's the coolest wedding you've ever been to?

[Jacaranda75]

Whilst I thoroughly enjoy all the bitchy threads about child-free weddings, expensive hen nights and money poems, it does get a bit tedious. So I thought I'd ask about the coolest wedding you've been to.

When I was little, my friend from school was a bridesmaid at her aunty's wedding. It was 1975 when the Bay City Rollers were huge. Most bridesmaids at the time wore purple polyester bridesmaids dresses, but my friend's aunty had all the little bridemaids dressed up as Bay City Rollers! They had the trousers and the scarves around their wrists... it was so cool at the time and I've never forgotten it.

I am sure there are some more recent examples of cool weddings, so over to you, Mumsnetters!

I've been to loads of lovely weddings, some big, some small but they all felt personal to the couple.
The little one in the Scottish Highlands with mountain ceremony and chilled games night in the evening.
Village halls
Barns with picnic spreads
Registry office and restaurant
Even some hotels!

Generally it's when timings have been clear so you know how to use the time, good food, space to be (forced to stand around or being shunted in and out of rooms as they are repurposed is a killer). Good summer weather often helps if there's pleasant outdoor space and things don't get uncomfortable for photos, but a good indoor venue can mean that you don't need it.

When you know couples have made choices that they love and suit them rather than spunking a load of money on things because that's what you do. Also when couples have clearly thought about who's coming and their guests' needs. We put lots of Shloer on the tables so that or teatotal/ non-drinking guests could have a pleasant drink with their meal too.

Registry office, with coaches outside to whisk everyone off to a "festival" in big field in a beauty spot outside of town, told to bring a tent & change of clothes.

The field had big marquees for several bands with full sound systems, free wine & beer & several food, cocktails & ice cream/kids old fashioned sweets vans. Tables chairs & umbrellas scattered around the fields.

It went on for 2 days & was absolutely glorious, probably the best festival I've been to, let alone wedding

My sister's was definitely the coolest. It was in the 90s and she was in the music industry so it was full of very cool people.

They hired an 18th century tower near Southampton with a tunnel going down to a beautiful beach. They had a big marquee in the grounds and it was a sunny day in August, so most people spent all day and night outside while DJs played until the early hours, and then everyone went swimming.

My parent's recollection is a bit different though as they hated it. The buffet wasn't big enough and their friends found the guests rather alarming - at one point my mum used the bathroom in the tower and walked in on a man smoking a spliff in a bubble bath!

I had a much more traditional, parent-pleasing wedding a decade later to make up for it!

I went to an Indian wedding - unfortunately I was employed to chase after an extremely lively 2 year old so couldn’t experience it as fully as I would have liked but it was still amazing & oh my goodness the food…..!

The ones that stand out

a) full on, uniformed posh at Sandhurst - just amazing!

b) village wedding - service in the church then everyone walked to the pub (free bar for an hour) then reception and dancing in a marquee in the field next door

c) wedding of colleagues, where one of the happy couple tipped off their friends early where the (hotel) reception would be, and we colonised it for the weekend and had a great time!

d) family wedding, where lots of people chipped in to help with the arrangements, to make it affordable for the whole extended family to be there. Including sister of the groom bringing her ceilidh band to play for the dancing

It's usually all about the people, and having a good time. I don't remember a single thing about colour schemes, or flowers, or what we ate. Just that there was a happy atmosphere, enough to eat and drink and a sense of joy and celebration

One was in a beautiful country hotel where the bride and groom took over the hotel, had about 50 guests and paid for everyone to stay

One was an incredible warehouse in docklands with wonderful food and a great band

one was a very casual stand up canapes and champagne and a brilliant band in a gentlemans club

I'm afraid that a tent in a field would have me suddenly already busy that weekend

Italian Irish wedding of friends - Catholic service but followed with everyone getting in old double decker busses to the reception where nearly everyone was staying over.
Partied hard until about 4am when I dropped. Woke up for breakfast to find a bunch of people still at the bar.
Fun times, great craic!

Am enjoying this thread, and hoping to hear about more cool weddings!

One, thirty years ago- on an Italian vineyard. No frills, bride arrived on a local carpenter’s horse and cart (which we plaited and garnished with flowers). There was a buffet and fiddler band. Very relaxing and fun.

Two- evening reception at the Pump House in Bath. For the first hour we had exclusive access to the Roman baths and guides. We were allowed to wander around with a glass of champagne while the guides told us whatever we needed to know. It was all beautifully lit with candles. Must have cost a fortune but was amazing.

Love this thread!

Isn't it so telling that the majority are more laid back, relaxing days!

Gone are the days of stuffy hotel weddings, hopefully!!

Other than ours, which was with two witnesses, in jeans, and followed by champagne and tapas, it’s mostly been musician friends having casual festival type things in fields where people are still playing around the fire at 4 am, or deeply grand weddings where you discover that someone ordinary you knew at university is decayed Indian royalty or marrying into Portuguese aristocracy.

Probably one at an old mill in northern Ireland. Very cool crowd and cool venue etc. I didn't have the best time but that was because my dh was being a twat.

The most fun wedding I ever went to was at my friend's stately home. It was really fun and not stuffy at all. Knew loads of people and laughed and danced a lot.

Oh, one in the V and A! That was amazing, and had a sexy dancing rabbi, and had people waving the bride and groom around on chairs.

A lot of our guests said how lovely & relaxed our wedding was. It was in a hotel but definitely not stuffy!

Sorry to say the best weddings I’ve been to are the ones where they’ve thrown money at it. Personal trainer for the bride to get in shape before the big day, spa treatments, hen night abroad, hair and makeup for her and the whole bridal party, expensive photography team to make sure she looks good. Beautiful venue decked with tons of flowers, live music throughout the whole day, free champagne, good food, fireworks, amazing hire cars and buses for guests, and a super expensive honeymoon somewhere nice. They’ve all cost at least £40-50k.

When I got married I spent £5k including rings and clothes and everything. I had no bridesmaids because dresses cost too much. Church at 4pm followed by evening reception only, cheap buffet and disco. No cake. I drove myself to church and got an Uber home from the reception. No flowers except my bouquet. Did my own hair and makeup. No hen party. No honeymoon. Photographer was crap and I wish I’d spent more just so I had some decent photos, they were so bad I never even got them printed. It was absolutely shit and to be honest I looked awful and I didn’t even want to attend myself. But we didn’t have the money for anything better. I’m super jealous of people who have nice weddings.

In contrast the best weddings I've been to were the smallest - registry office followed by walking to the pub or restaurant. No waiting around no endless photos, lots of alcohol and good food as not such big catering numbers.
I think if you want dancing or have a big family that's when it starts getting more complicated

Friend got married in a UK beach-front hotel. Most of the guests arrived a couple of days early and stayed for a couple of days afterwards (some in the hotel, some elsewhere in the town) as it was hundreds of miles from where most of us lived. For me it felt like a holiday with friends that happened to have a wedding in the middle. The B&G had arranged activities, group meals etc for the day before the wedding too. The ceremony was short and sweet and everyone just spend the day eating and drinking together in the hotel or on the beach (it was a really warm sunny day).

As a guest in my 20s with no DC, plenty of disposable income and loads if friends there as well it was brilliant. Looking back now though I can see that friends and family with DC etc would not have seen it quite the same way as it was a child free wedding (no exceptions), the best part of a day's journey each way and a pretty expensive place to stay.

@Pyriah

Sorry to say the best weddings I’ve been to are the ones where they’ve thrown money at it. Personal trainer for the bride to get in shape before the big day, spa treatments, hen night abroad, hair and makeup for her and the whole bridal party, expensive photography team to make sure she looks good. Beautiful venue decked with tons of flowers, live music throughout the whole day, free champagne, good food, fireworks, amazing hire cars and buses for guests, and a super expensive honeymoon somewhere nice. They’ve all cost at least £40-50k.

When I got married I spent £5k including rings and clothes and everything. I had no bridesmaids because dresses cost too much. Church at 4pm followed by evening reception only, cheap buffet and disco. No cake. I drove myself to church and got an Uber home from the reception. No flowers except my bouquet. Did my own hair and makeup. No hen party. No honeymoon. Photographer was crap and I wish I’d spent more just so I had some decent photos, they were so bad I never even got them printed. It was absolutely shit and to be honest I looked awful and I didn’t even want to attend myself. But we didn’t have the money for anything better. I’m super jealous of people who have nice weddings.

But what possible difference could it possibly make to you as a guest whether the bride had a personal trainer before the wedding, or the honeymoon was somewhere glamorous?

My favourite was a (no children) Cypriot wedding in a lovely hotel with loads of dancing and food. The ceremony was really interesting as well.
Childcare was a bit patched together, but we had such a good time and wouldn’t have done with the small ones there.

We’ve also attended and our door one in a field. I popped down to help the bride with a few last minute things that morning and it looked amazing, flower garlands everywhere, hay bales, food stands etc…but it rained torrentially for most of the day and was basically ruined as they didn’t have room in the tent for all the guests.
I’m not sure outdoor weddings work in the U.K.

There were alpacas at my brother's wedding and little bags of haribos in the toilets.

@Pyriah

Sorry to say the best weddings I’ve been to are the ones where they’ve thrown money at it. Personal trainer for the bride to get in shape before the big day, spa treatments, hen night abroad, hair and makeup for her and the whole bridal party, expensive photography team to make sure she looks good. Beautiful venue decked with tons of flowers, live music throughout the whole day, free champagne, good food, fireworks, amazing hire cars and buses for guests, and a super expensive honeymoon somewhere nice. They’ve all cost at least £40-50k.

When I got married I spent £5k including rings and clothes and everything. I had no bridesmaids because dresses cost too much. Church at 4pm followed by evening reception only, cheap buffet and disco. No cake. I drove myself to church and got an Uber home from the reception. No flowers except my bouquet. Did my own hair and makeup. No hen party. No honeymoon. Photographer was crap and I wish I’d spent more just so I had some decent photos, they were so bad I never even got them printed. It was absolutely shit and to be honest I looked awful and I didn’t even want to attend myself. But we didn’t have the money for anything better. I’m super jealous of people who have nice weddings.

Some of this I agree with, I do love fireworks! But I'm baffled by the "personal trainer to help the bride get in shape" How on Earth does the shape of the bride affect your enjoyment of the wedding?

I suspect though, you're so disappointed with your own wedding that the coolest wedding is just the complete opposite of that.
That's really sad, especially since your "awful" wedding sounds lovely to me🤷‍♂️
Low key, relaxed and unfussy.

@GruffaloSolja

There were alpacas at my brother's wedding and little bags of haribos in the toilets.

Alpacas and Haribo I would love, but sweets in the toilet seems a bit odd. You'd get kids and some adults failing to wash their hands then pawing through them.

On a farm in Somerset, DC, dogs, everyone was invited. Local sixth form kids acted as the waiting staff. Sit where you want and large sharing platter of food were provided followed by an amazing creative pudding. A really good corner with DC’s activities was laid on. Photos were fun, we all got in one and stood where we wanted.
The tables and decorated are sort of shabby chic mix and match style which really worked. Evening entertainment was leaning how to do old fashioned dancing which was a real laugh.

I love weddings, never been to a bad one, and don't get the hate on here.
I would love to say the one with circus tent and a pie and mash van or the one on the brides parents farm with sharing boards and a barn dance but, reluctantly, obviously it was the Mayfair wedding, amazing service with senior church leaders and musicians, exclusive use of a fabulous venue, food by a Michelin starred kitchen and two chart topping bands. It was a once in a lifetime experience with a young couple truly in love - a perfect day.

My friends wedding by the beach. Photos and drinks on the beach and then a party afterwards. Lovely.