to be thrilled that my friend has very politely requested that folk don't bring kids to his wedding.

[WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat]

i love dd but quite excited at possiblity of a weekend sans children.

blondes, I didn't when BF no.

However we have a wedding coming up in a couple of months when DD will be about 21 months. I'm not BF any more and back at work and DH's mum will have her (DD is used to being looked after by people in the day now I am back at work and so I feel OK about it). It will still be a long haul though, the longest she's been not with us.

In fact if you plan it right you needn't turn up at all

Keep going, this sounds better by the minute.

Boffin - for £100 I'll drive over to Oxford and look after all your kids if you throw in a pizza

No ironing though

PerArdua, all of our other friends are very nice about the kids, because frankly the kids are very good at things like this and very cheerful and polite. Their idea of a decadent time and a good wedding is to have a second coca cola from the bar while we are not looking.

But if I was about to spend £100 on babysitting then you would be the first to be invited.

it does get exp adding childcare costs as well as pressie,new dress etc

Easy there, boffin's bound to take you up on that

Now to think how thunderduck can manage to avoid her entire wedding, whilst simultaneously having a wonderful meaningful day...

LMAO. If you can think of how we avoid paying for it that would be great.

I am rather dreading it, my huge working class/lower middle Irish Scots Catholic family meeting a Orange walk going offset of our family, then introducing dp's boarding school educated upper middle/upper class family into that mix.

Those two groups will get on like a house on fire

Thunderduck - maybe you should finance it by selling viewer's tickets?

I assume you will have to have a free bar....

Deffo looking at a few bob.

Mind you with DH's credentials won't his family be paying

My sister's wedding had to be halted whilst they rounded up BIL's wild Irish family from the bookies. Our much tamer Scottish family were - it was hysterical!

LMAO. I'm sure we'd be sold out within minutes. Dp's family are English too. This will be fun. I'll need the riot police on standby.

It would be rather nice if they paid for that.

Dp's father is a master of hounds and goes shooting, so if anyone isn't into politics then there's no need for them to feel left out, if they're anti hunting there's still someone for them to fight with.

Honestly they will get on excellently. Both groups of people who like to drink and hold forth on all manner of subjects, with less social unease than your bog standard middle class english type.

Of which I am one, before anyone jumps on me

Or Middle Class British type

I hope you're right. DP's mother is a judge, but hopefully we won't have to make use of her.grin]

Ah well I don't claim to know enough scots or welsh or even northern irish to comment

TBH with two such different families you are probably better off with a big free for all bunfight than a small intimate thing where they will have to make small talk for ages...

That's probably true.

Weddings are such a minefield, trying to please everyone.

you CANT please everyone

so you do whatever YOU and DH want

You'll never please everyone, no matter how hard you try - there will always be someone who isn't happy with something. Just remember it's your day, and have a lovely time when it comes

thunderduck it will be wonderful whatever you do. The feeling of being married is so brilliant that a horde of toddlers could be sick all over you while a throng of drunken relatives sang folk songs and your in-laws jumped up and down yelling hunting calls and you would still feel like everything was perfect.

Have fun whenever and whatever you decide to do

I will do, ty all for the advice and kind wishes.