What was your wedding like if you got married pre the year 2000?

[Chocolateandcoffeee]

I'm engaged and am currently planning my wedding (will be a small one as we don't have a huge budget) and it got me thinking about weddings in the past. My parents never got married and the only people I really know who are married got married within the last 10-15 years so I've only really heard about recent weddings. Was just wondering if you got married in the 90s, 80s, 70s or 60s- what was your wedding like? Was it a lot simpler than today's weddings and what did you wear, what was your cake like and how did you celebrate? Before getting engaged I never really had an interest or thought about weddings but I'm actually finding learning about it all really interesting and enjoyable. Would love to hear others experiences

Got married in 1999. It was very small (10 people including me and DH), we didn't have a cake. Married in a registry office, went for a meal afterwards.

Married in 1990. Aged 24.

White dress, little bridesmaids, church, about 60 guests with a sit down meal and wedding cake.

I got married in a local barn. My uncle had a fancy company car so that was my wedding car. A very good friend I'd worked for since age 13 did the food and another good friend did the music. Job done. I actually really appreciated it was family and friends involved rather than expensive businesses

@LieutOliviaBenson that's sounds lovely! We are marrying in a registry office as well and are thinking we will have about 10 people too

@AGlinnerOfHope that sounds lovely!

Oh and a family friend made my dress, she does sewing as a hobby. Very simple top and straight long skirt. I paid her for everything, I think it was £60

90s. Daytime only so more or less everyone could do the whole thing in a day without having to shell out for a hotel. Children we knew invited, those we didn't not invited. But again as daytime only, easier for childcare.

We got married in 1997. We got married in Las Vegas,with both sets of parents present,and my sister and DH's youngest sister as bridesmaids. We spent our honeymoon touring the southwest US,then came home and had a big party for all our friends and family. My mum made my dress and the bridesmaids dresses,and the whole thing probably cost less than 5k.
The bizarre thing was,we got married the day of Diana Princess of Wales funeral,and because we were English,people kept saying how sorry they were to us. Very odd. I never saw the funeral and it was only about 20 years later that I realised that I'd picked two of the same pieces of music for our wedding as were played at her funeral.

Church followed by marquee in parents garden, I did my own buffet, brother was dj, friend drove, dress was £100, one child bridesmaid wore own dress.

Things definitely have got complicated I blame American wedding shows. I see it at work (church) as people want their whole wedding party to parade in first whereas prior it was just a bridesmaid or two coming in after the bride and we had never heard the word groomsmen, just best man. Also guest numbers have increased, destination wedding etc

I'm getting married again and this time I've rented the upstairs of a gastro pub (plus church) really simple basically but really good food I'm working with the chef on a menu in a couple of weeks

Church wedding for about 100 people.
I wore a white dress and the men wore morning suits
3 bridesmaids

Sit down meal with speeches
3 tier cake with beautiful sugar flowers

Night time party with an extra 50 or so guests
Cheesey disco and brilliant fun.

We've been married 27 years this year.

I'm just outside that time range but I'll answer anyway! Got married in church in the morning, no bridesmaids and shared flower costs with the afternoon bride! We had about 50 guests and booked out a local restaurant for drinks and long lunch. No evening do! Really nice and relaxing imo. Cake was off the shelf M & S decorated with fresh flowers. I did my own make up. Only downside was the photographer- went out of business before we'd ordered all the photos!

Married 1998

100 guests. Cost 10k, including honeymoon in Turkey.

Mostly adults as guests - some children (all children welcome there just weren't many family children).

Married in 1988. DH was 19 I had my 20th birthday the week before our church wedding. DM organised it all pretty much. Afternoon reception for family and "aunties & uncles" (parents' friends) about 40 people. My "Uncle" had a new work car, so he drove us. Evening do ( disco and buffet) about 80. We were only allowed 8 friends/work colleagues each. Sounds awful but that was normal back then, certainly amongst my family/friends..
(We're still married💪)

I was a bridesmaid in 1989.
The wedding was at a Church and the reception in a hall, like a Scouts or village hall.
We had a sit down meal but you chose from the buffet tables in the middle and then went and sat down, the top table were served by a waitress from the bar.

There was a disco in the evening and the bride and groom left early (after the bride changed into a 'going away outfit', they walked through all of the guests forming a tunnel with their arms. When they left, their car had been decorated with tin cans dragging behind, balloons and ribbons and a 'just married' sign.

My beautiful, salmon pink satin, bridesmaid dress was made by my clever Mum after the bride, Mum and I had been shopping to Allders to choose the material and pattern together.

Very simple, by choice. We used the money as deposit for our first house instead and never regretted it. No engagement ring, 9Ct gold simple bands.

90s. It was the early days of venues being able to host weddings so we could choose a hotel rather than a church or registry office. 100 people and quite a posh wedding. I like that things are more varied and simpler now - I wish we hadn’t spent so much!

Got married in 95 (before you could get married in hotels etc) at local church
Me , in a tulle meringue with a bow the size of the UK on my arse from Pronuptua.
DH in a kilt (family tartan).
My DSIS 1& 2 were bridesmaids and DH 2 neices were flower girls. Dresses made at local fabric shop.
Cars - friend worked in car hire so DH , best man, ushers ferried in people carrier. Then friend picked up DM , bridesmaids and flower girls. Dad and I travelled by black cab.
Cake made by colleagues of DH .
Local radio station did wedding disco. (You could hire them for private functions).

I got married in 97. 90 odd guests in the day, another 50 or so (all work colleagues, we married where we lived) in the evening.
Had the ceremony at the hotel, photos in local park, back to hotel for reception. A friends dad drove me there in their car, I had an ivory crepe dress, mum made my veil and the bridesmaids dresses. I made a 3 tier fruit cake and the guys in the engineering workshop at work made the stand for it. We went on honeymoon the next day to Italy

Should add that my Mum wrote everything down and I still have that piece of paper somewhere- total cost on list £1025 (however, DH's parents offered to pay for the night do, then backed out after the day, so my parents had to stump up that as well)

Sil got married in the late 90s, they had 100 people to the local church then held the meal and the reception in the village hall, hiring in caterers, a bar, ceilidh band . It was one of the best weddings we have been to, we still talk about it all here years later,

we were 2000 married in a local hotel with 40 people(all family) we invited extended family, friends and colleague for a party at night. An amazing day.

both days were quite plain and simple, not much fuss and both couples still married.

1995 - about 80 odd people to the day, church wedding, bridesmaids, car, photographer etc reception at local leisure centre function room with evening disco + more guests ☺️ most people in my family tended to have registry office so I felt quite different choosing a church 😂

Got married in 1994, church wedding then hotel reception with sit down meal for 80ish and then another 70 came to the evening reception. 3 Tier wedding cake
Traditional white dress from House of Fraser, 3 bridesmaids, 1 flower girl.
Fresh flowers for headdresses.
Had professional photos, video, and piper.
Didn't have favours as nobody advised me they were a thing 🫣
Had a live band for the reception.
Had a scramble when I left the house, I don't think they do that now

It was 1987, got married in church and had our reception at a local hotel. Three course meal, wedding cake made by a friend of my mums, three tier with pink roses on the corners (to match bridesmaid dresses), and a dj for entertainment. It was a small wedding only 60 people, almost all family and a couple of close friends. We had lots of friends, workmates and neighbours for the afters. I wore a white off the shoulder dress it was about 100 pounds, and had 3 bridesmaids in hired dresses. It was all very simple really, a traditional white wedding with hired cars, professionally done bouquets etc but there was none of the extras you get now, no wedding favours on the table, photo booths or any of that sort of stuff. Hen party was just an evening in the pub, stag do the same. We didn't have a honeymoon, we had just bought our first home and didn't have any spare money. Videoing the wedding had become popular but we didn't fancy it, even posing for the photos at the time seemed like an awful chore, but they are such a lovely keepsake, especially now many of the guests are no longer with us.

Married in church in 1988. 70 guests. Had a reception but no evening party, instead we few off on out honeymoon. My dress was vintage, and friends provided the cars.
Hen night was in a local pub. No weekend away, or destination wedding. Total cost = £2000.

Still married, 36 years this year

Flew off !