The best wedding you ever attended and why?

[momb]

There are lots of awful wedding threads and I thought it might be nice to have a really positive one!
The best wedding I ever attended was a church ceremony followed by a village hall reception that finished at about 9pm. It was lovely because everyone was so happy: there was lots to do, lots of choice to eat and drink and it was very informal so no-one minded if the littlies ran about and there was lots laid on for them. It was beautiful: jars of flowers and homemade bunting etc but the thing that really stuck out in my mind was just that everyone was so happy all day.

I went to a wedding in the summer on Bournemouth beach. It was held in a marque on the beach. After the ceremony we had cocktails on the beach and the DC played in the sand whilst the staff rearranged the marque for dinner (fish and chips). It didn't feel at all like we were waiting at any point. It was very relaxed. After dinner the entire wedding party went for a paddle in the sea (getting some great pictures in the process) and as the sun set everyone jumped in the lift to take us to the cliff top hotel to for more food and dancing. It was great and made me want to get married!

Apart from my own......

DH's cousin 1. The day was well planned, ran smoothly, lovely wedding breakfast, brilliant live band, great buffet in the evening AND it was local & affordable. We'd been put on a mixed table of people we knew & didn't know so the conversation flowed (almost as well as the drink). They had a craft table for the children, children's entertainment & pick n mix 'bar'. It was a really great day.

Some close friends got married at the church in her home village then a garden party at her parents' house with homemade food. It was perfect! Not too much fuss and you could feel how happy everyone was.

I'm another one not keen on the church hall hog roast home brew kind of do's. My favourite was a friends wedding in a beautiful small boutique hotel. They hired the hotel out overnight and paid for everyone to stay over. It was relaxed and informal with a great band, fabulous food and breakfast the next morning.

For me it's any wedding where the wedding is about the couple, friends & family coming together. It doesn't have to be lavish just filled with love. X

It was abroad. The bride and groom had paid for everyone to have 3 nights there and had paid for family flights from the UK.

About 60 of us in total and they had hired the entire resort.

Started at 11am, finished for 12pm. They went off for photos etc and left us all with lunch and drinks. Afternoon in the pools with champagne.

Changed back into our party clothes for 6pm and the sit down meal. Brilliant live band. Everyone jumping into the pools fully clothed.

3am singalongs in the pool with a stupid amount of champagne and pizza.

Everyone got on so well, family and friends all mixed and were just having fun together. You could tell that everyone adored the bride and groom and would go out of their way for them.

The one where the brides dad owned a brewery. I have never seen so much alcohols flowing!

Obviously my own was the best ever wedding that I ever went to.

The next most memorable was over 25 yrs ago and I remember it like yesterday. We all lived in Italy. The couple got married in a vineyard, her uncle was a vicar and married them. The local carpenter lent his horse and cart, myself and a friend plaitted it's mane and tail and we decorated the cart with flowers. The bride rode to the vineyard on it. Afterwards there was food and a fiddle band.

Interesting how so many memorable weddings on here were the simpler ones.