What’s the best wedding you’ve ever been to?

[Underthewillowtree1]

Location, things that made it great, number of guests

Theres so much choice and I haven’t really been to that many weddings myself!

A friend had an amazing barn wedding that was so much fun. They had a room set up for children if anyone needed to duck out with young kids- had things like space hoppers and other toys in- they hired lots of weird and wonderful bicycles and we went for a short wedding procession ride together for those who wanted it in the afternoon- they'd home made quirky decorations for the venue itself, and then we had a ceilidh on the night. It was so much fun. Plus they had hired some mini buses to take guests back at the end of the night as the venue was difficult to get taxis to. I loved the personal touches they put into it, and the consideration and welcome for all their guests.

A small church wedding followed by meal in a pub. Lovely and friendly.

My nieces was the most lovely wedding. As we walked in there was a board telling us to sit wherever we liked (no bride and groom side) as they both loved us all.

The ceremony has white candles and gypsofellia as it's decoration. Each bridesmaid walked down the aisle alone, to show off their beautiful dresses, each dress was different, to suite the maid, but all were the same colour.

After that there was a large garden that the children could run around in, and the guests had small snacks and drinks while the bride and groom had their pictures taken.

We had a lovely sit down meal, followed by short but expressive speeches from the best man and father of the bride.

There was plenty of seating for us old ones after the ceremony. It was altogether a fabulous day.

Toss up between 2 -

Indian wedding , absolutely beautiful and the food was amazing!

A "second time round" wedding, couple in their late 40's getting married, blending two families with teenagers. Nothing particularly fancy, but it just had such a lovely feel about it. Ended with the most amazing Thunder storm!

I think what these lovely weddings have in common is that they're authentic. The concern isn't for the optics, the social media, but to celebrate and have a genuinely happy day. Good hosting and consideration for the guests as well.

Best friend got married in our local register office. We all then went to the pub to toast. Off to our community centre for the evening. Lots of guests. Homemade buffet supplied by her new mil and sil. Cheesy disco. It was simple, cost hardly anything and everyone had the best time.

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My favourite weddings have been low budget, village halls and back garden parties where we as guests had to get stuck in with helping out. They felt authentic to the couples and the vibe was very much "we're here because we love you and want to support and celebrate your love".

Having said that, my own wedding was a country house with paid staff for all those jobs. We married slightly later when most of our friends and family had small children, so wouldn't have been able to help out in the same way.

There's nothing wrong with that! I'm sure you made your guests feel at ease and everyone shared your day. You probably didn't spend hours posing for photos or making speeches, or kick them out after the ceremony and telll them to come back for the "evening do".

Apart from our own wedding I have 2 favourite weddings, one was in the local church and the meal and reception were in the village hall. Amazing day, with a band playing ceilidh music, we danced all night long.

2nd favourite was at the church for a 6.30pm service and straight to the reception for a dance and a buffet. No hassle, no hanging about , just an amazing night.

We had lots of comments on our wedding because it was so simple and people loved it.
Married in our parish church and had the reception at the local club that was a 5 minute walk away. Buffet food on arrival and then curry again later that evening. Dj all day and night. No seating plan. Cheap bar. Garden for the kids to play in.

Late in the day (4pm I think?) lovely personal service, no waiting, straight into reception at the same venue, then a big ceilidh with a band assembled from family members. Free bar.

Ours, no guests, no witnesses, $50 after we queued at Orlando court house. Love to be social but find many weddings aren't and given some of the tales of woe on MN, think they are often more grief than joy. Made us happy, job done. Been to some good 'uns, but been to some not so much... drunk relatives, demonic kids, cake collapse after kids ran into it, fight over parking, in-laws at war and even a bride than slapped her hubby who was chatting up a guest. You can see why weddings make good films!!!!

😂You realise advertising your business is not allowed on here...

Claridges- beautiful food wine etc, beautiful venue, relaxed and special.

indian (Sikh) wedding just because of how incredibly well taken care of you were- cocktail bars, 10 courses, food and booze coming out of your ears (was actually in quite a horrible conference centre but that’s just due to how many people it needed to accommodate)

village hall/ marquee in the garden is really not my vibe

A quite low key wedding that was my step nephew. They got married in a castle with a few guests, not fancy but absolutely them, then there was a disco in their village hall - by the sea on a glorious evening. The food was sausage rolls and baps and some veggie options. One very brief speech. There wasn't a lot of boozing and a couple of runs were made to the local coop for some more beer. But you could feel the absolute love in the room for the nephew and real feeling of everyone wanting it to work out well for him. It was all people he knew well and had known for years.

ETA - Also no photos,or wedding lines or bridesmaids/groomsmen.

30ish people in an historic pub with a nice garden, and a magician/children's entertainer. A lovely family day.

I find most English weddings a bore if I’m honest. They’re all the same. I’ve been to a few Irish ones too which have all been sloppy piss ups.

We have been to many in the USA, and although they follow patterns, I enjoy them much more.

They start late, black tie is standard, always an open bar plus a cocktail hour, the aesthetics - always a ‘wow’ moment when you enter the venue. I just find them much classier and celebratory. Even the invitations are an experience.

I think this is true. It reminds me of the favour gyweth Paltrow quote on British birthday parties being shit- you could have the richest man in London and he’d still have his kids party in some damp community centre 😂

My auntie's civil partnership -- registry office ceremony, short and to the point, and then on to the local community centre where there was a buffet, a fantastic dj and a disco that went on all afternoon an evening. I normally hate weddings but this was just a huge fun party.

Venue, flowers, speeches, music, none of that is really memorable.

The best wedding I ever went to had amazing food. The worst wedding I ever went to had dire food. It’s all about what you feed your guests.

After leaving the church service, all guests handed a half bottle of Veuve C and a straw to drink on a karaoke bus around London (more booze on the bus). We arrived at the reception 45 mins later, legless (hadn't eaten) and then had a slap up meal/dance.
Yes, it did have a large budget, but you could do something similar with less I'm sure.

The weddings I remember from my youth were nice. Local church where the people mean something to the family, community hall reception or a nice dinner, maybe with a dancefloor, if the family were better off, where the emphasis was on everyone having a good time, and the B&G left to "go away" fairly early in the evening, so you're not hanging on until it's polite to leave.

Now it's all about the B&G and the photos, rather than the guests. I realise the modern view is that it should be all about the B&G but I don't think that's how it used to be, it used to be a celebration of joining two families, with the emphasis on the guests.

Ceremony near the Tor in Glastonbury . Buses took us there and back . Reception afterwards in local pub , wonderful vegan food , live band , then disco .

Barn wedding with adjoining field for guest camping, stunning setting beside a lake and mountain. Live band, hog roast & a firepit to sit around. Loads of fun but I was much younger and would struggle with the camping part now! Assume older guest were bussed off to a hotel.