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What is your biggest wedding regret?

139 replies

TeaAndSymumthy · 30/03/2026 15:57

Trying to gather some information on what people regretted most about their weddings (excluding maybe who they married 🤣)

things like, not hiring a videographer, over spending, uncomfortable dress, venue?

what did you regret about your wedding?

OP posts:
CautiousLurker2 · 30/03/2026 16:54

Having a videographer. Never watched the video once and now couldn’t if I wanted to as don’t have a machine!

HennyMcSoon · 30/03/2026 16:54

The best advice, have the wedding you and your fiance want. Not what someone else imagines your wedding should be.

Regrets for mine, being forced nagged by PIL to have Dh's sister as a bridesmaid. I hardly knew her, I think I met her 4 times? My other bridesmaids were my best mate and my two sister who I definitely did want as my bridesmaids. As Dh and I were paying it meant we bore the extra cost of SIL's dress, flowers, shoes, tiara thing.

On pretty much every photo she looks like she is sucking a lemon. Not smiling at all even though everyone else in the photos are smiling or laughing. And then, she got married 3 years later and Dh wasn't even a fucking usher. Luckily it meant no duties for Dh and backfired on PIL who were questioned publicly by relatives on bride's side as to why Dh wasn't an usher. PIL spent a lot of money on the wedding. The divorce was finalised just 4 years later. Very sad as we loved the groom.

Best bits of our wedding, only inviting immediate family, ie parents, siblings (all bridesmaids) and our very close mates. Having 2 photographers, one for the groom getting ready, one with me. Mostly casual shots with a few lines up but because it was very small no one standing around for an hour whilst the photos were taken.

Great food, winter wedding, roast dinner and you could pre-order chicken or beef. Cheap wedding dress, handmade by Mum's friend, beautiful fabric so not cheap looking just not spending £1k on a dress you wear once. Cheap table decor as no one gives a shit. Flowers only for bride, bridesmaids, buttonholes, corsage for the Mums. None in the church, none on the tables.

Having both my Mum and my Dad walk me down the aisle because they both raised me, Dad played an active role.

squashyhat · 30/03/2026 16:56

A close friend offered to make my wedding cake and I agreed. It was lovely (she was a chef) - for those who like fruit cake - but I don't! Why I didn't ask for a chocolate one I will never know. And my hairstyle was a bit severe. Other than that all good.

Interested in this thread?

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Usernamenotfound1 · 30/03/2026 16:56

None. Eloped.

booked a US road trip including vegas, phoned the hotel chapel the night before. Package was fab, evening wedding, flowers, photos, and a limo ride round vegas.

chap who did the service got it spot on. Right amount of religion/romance/commitment- I’m a half arsed Christian so grateful it wasn’t full on “in the eyes of god”, but didn’t ignore it.

wouldn’t change it.

PeacockEyes · 30/03/2026 16:58

Like others have said, I too wish I'd had more photos taken. In particular I wish I'd had at least one photo that showed the entire group of everyone who attended the ceremony in the church and another one of everyone who came to the reception. We only had about 40 people, so it would have been easy to do. I just didn't think of it.

The photographer only had two rolls of film (2 x 24 exposures), or maybe it was just one roll of 36, of which we received proof copies of what they deemed to be the best 30. We then had to narrow that down to 12 photos for the album.
None of the photos are very good. Of course, the photographer couldn't see what the photos looked like until they were developed, so if any were duds that was too bad, they couldn't be edited or retaken.

This was in the 1970s, before "wedding photographers" existed as a species. We just went to the local photographers' studio and booked one of their wedding packages.

Needspaceforlego · 30/03/2026 16:59

Guest list - i have regrets over not inviting someone i probably should have.
And regrets over ILs inviting people I didn't and still don't know.

Zero issues with two tiny guests running down the aisle for a better look 😆their Dad came chasing after them and both parents apologised later but really they are a happy memory. (Someone up thread reminded me of those two)

Keeping top tier of cake - what were we thinking 🤔

7catsisnotenough · 30/03/2026 17:04

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd ones 🤣

elliejjtiny · 30/03/2026 17:07

Not sure. The wedding entrance music, definitely. I'm in two minds about my dress. It looked amazing in the photos but it was really uncomfortable. But I know if I'd had a more practical dress then I would have wished I'd picked something more glamorous. I wish we'd stayed in a hotel that night instead of going home.

JennyChawleigh · 30/03/2026 17:08

At our wedding (a long time ago)the hotel provided a sort of organiser who wore a red tailcoat, so easily recognizable and had a good carrying voice. He announced all the guests as they arrived, introduced the various speakers and made sure everyone was quiet before they started their speech, and generally oversaw that everything went smoothly. He was professional, but friendly and amusing too. I guess a trusted relative or friend could do the same thing - it really worked well.

RaraRachael · 30/03/2026 17:09

I fought against tradition and didn't keep the top tier of the cake for the christening.

1 It was 6 years before I had my daughter so it would have been disgusting

2 I didn't have her christened because my church did adult baptisms rather than showy christening for people who never attend

RampantIvy · 30/03/2026 17:10

Parky04 · 30/03/2026 15:59

Paying for a professional photographer. The guests took better pictures!

Not paying for a professional photographer.

My uncle took the photos, and they are nice, but not professional.

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 30/03/2026 17:11

Getting married!

NovemberMorn · 30/03/2026 17:13

Not having a white wedding, or more to the point, not having a gorgeous white wedding dress.
Decades later, I still look at them and decide which one I would have looked lovely in.
It's my main marriage regret.

Lovelynames123 · 30/03/2026 17:14

Parky04 · 30/03/2026 15:59

Paying for a professional photographer. The guests took better pictures!

Agreed, wasn't going to bother with a professional photographer as a friend is an amateur photographer and said he'd do it. Changed my mind at the last minute and wasted £700, friend's photos were 100% better, in hindsight I should have complained as the colours didn't even come out accurately in the professional ones!

Therescathairinmybath · 30/03/2026 17:15

The only thing I regret from my second wedding was buying budget white gold engagement and wedding rings instead of spending a bit more on platinum ones. I have hyperhidrosis and my sweaty hands rotted the gold plating away! 😊

Hiemal · 30/03/2026 17:16

Nothing! A ten-minute quickie in jeans with two witnesses and a wondrous lunch afterwards. It was lovely, low-key and cost a couple of hundred pounds plus the lunch.

I’m saying this not to be smug, but because people are always asking on here whether people regretted ‘eloping’ or having very stripped-down weddings. No is certainly my answer, fourteen years on.

GoBazGo · 30/03/2026 17:19

We spent too long having our photo taken together around the venue after the ceremony. This wasn’t my choice I was guided by the photographer and really wasn’t into wedding planning at all. Wish we’d just joined the guests getting pissed and photographers had done natural social shots.

Missohnoyoubetterdont · 30/03/2026 17:20

Had the best wedding, over three days. This was my favourite bit as everyone got to spend all weekend together. Hated the dress. We didn’t have much money so i scrimped on it. Regret it now.

SeaGardening · 30/03/2026 17:21

Upsetbetty · 30/03/2026 15:58

The groom 🤣🤣🤣🤣

😂😂😂

livelyparsnip · 30/03/2026 17:23

Not going with my gut and just having something simple. I had a big venue with a bit white dress and I wish I I hadn’t. It blows my mind that we all still do the expensive traditional bollocks still and blow 1000s on it. Absolutely insane

TheChicDreamer · 30/03/2026 17:25

Dh and I had a lovely, simple, country marquee wedding and I loved every minute of the planning and build up and of course the day itself.

The only thing I look back on with some regret is letting my FIL persuade us to have a Master of Ceremonies- it was a friend of his and he paid for him etc and I couldn’t really say no as I felt very much that the whole affair was the brainchild of my mum and me, so I let FIL have that one. But it was naff, and a bit cringey, and not at all ‘us’. But hey ho, dh and I are still together so ultimately it doesn’t matter…

Listlostlast · 30/03/2026 17:27

I chose a dress purely on looks, like it was beautiful and suited me perfectly BUT I didn’t think about the season. I married end of July 2019 and it was sooo hot. Like way too hot for the dress I chose, plus I run hot anyway. Still very beautiful just absolutely cooking 😅
I didn’t have a videographer but kind of wish I did.

Otherwise no regrets. It was such a wonderful day 🥰

Worriedmumma2025 · 30/03/2026 17:27

Not allowing kids at our wedding. I followed advice and wish I hadn’t - kids would have only enhanced our day

Nannyfannybanny · 30/03/2026 17:28

Allowing mil to take over! First was a shotgun (pregnant at 18) wanted it to be a bit special. Booked Gretna green for us and the 4 kids. Expensive train journey from Surrey, plus overnight stay. DH mentioned it to his mother (owed her nothing, she walked out when he was 7) ended up changing the date and reception 3 times,to suit. Didn't even get to sit on the same table as DH.. she took over my ds wedding,(he's not DH child) she hadn't even seen him since our wedding. That was it,DH went NC with her and lying siblings.

TheDogsMother · 30/03/2026 17:28

First one, actually going ahead with it. Second one, not having a global pandemic at the same time 🤣