Background:
Been with DP for nearly 4 years. Adore the bones of him. Properly the love of my life and an all round good bloke.
I'm divorced. Got married youngish, had two kids, stuck it out through all kinds of crap because I genuinely thought I loved him and that marriage was forever and we could overcome. This did not include the colleague he had an intense emotional affair with and to whom he was engaged before she'd even left her husband (yeah. pick the bones out of that). So. End of 15 year relationship.
Anyyyywayyyyy...
Recently engaged. Absolutely want to marry DP, despite my previous experience. My kids adore him, kept asking when we'd get married, we're a family as much as we can be when they still have a good relationship with their dad etc.
DP is keen to do a 'big' wedding. It's not huge, sub 100 people, but in order to do that we'd still have to hire a venue (the cheapest option is a hotel nearby) have a ceremony, get dressed up. I feel foolish. Stupid. Like everyone will be looking at me making this huge fuss, like I didn't already do it once and expect it to be the one and only time that time.
I think I'd feel different about something a little more relaxed and 'us' (barn, village hall etc) but the problem is that those options either cost way more money in total than the hotel and/or require the kind of time that neither of us can spend on prepping the damn thing, co-ordinating suppliers etc.
I just feel so uncomfortable about the more formal hotel wedding. It feels like wearing somebody else's clothes and putting myself up for mockery.
Would appreciate some good old fashioned Mumsnet talking-to. But be a little bit nice - I have epic PMT and am rather tearful!