h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

1. I got married.

2. ... in a church.

Just curious.

Well, my gast is certainly flabbered; but congratulations

Recently?

I'm quite surprised, H. The marriage doesn't surprise me. But I would have thought you would not want a church wedding. I'm just as atheistic as you but I'm generally content to let other people believe what they want, so getting married in a church wouldn't worry me. In my experience you've always been more determined to impress your ideas on others. I thought you'd insist on sticking up for your principles.

What could be a better place for a wedding than a church? If the building has stained glass windows and a good-sounding organ, so much the better.

Getting married is a personal choice. It's really up to you whether you want it. As I get older, it gets harder and harder for the world to surprise me. After all, Henry Kissinger won the Nobel peace Prize, abortion became legal in Italy and Ireland, The Catholic Church got a Polish Pope, the U.S. got an African-American president, gay marriage became legal in an expanding number of countries. Even Boston Harbor got cleaned up!

Congratulations Hoo.

This church ... Still standing?

Sorry paulh. Abortion is not legal in Ireland yet.

How abut divorce? I might have been mixed up....

Yes divorce is legal, as is gay marriage.

Gotta love h2g2 - post numbers aren't even in double figures and already topic drift means the "two facts" you might be surprised about are that divorce and gay marriage are both legal in Ireland, although abortion isn't.

Some answers: eight months ago, and to someone upon whom I find myself unable to impress many of my ideas (although I have converted her from previous indifference into a Doctor Who fan...) and for whom I'd be prepared to be ordained if it would make her happy. Some principles are worth standing by, some I can take or leave. And it was a beautiful building.

The only reason I ask is that I posted a video of the speech I gave at the reception on Youtube, and a former hootooer popped by to assume it wasn't a church wedding, and on being corrected said you guys would be surprised. So I thought I'd Ask.

Thanks for explaining.

Soooo... Are we more surprised by :
a) divorce and gay marriage in Ireland,
or
b) Hoo getting married in a church ?


You have four hours.
No calculators.


Seriously though :
First of all, congratulations.
Secondly ,I am slightly surprised by your revelations, Hoo, but as paulh said, a lot of churches are beautiful buildings, and make for a nice ceremony, whether you believe the words or not.
Also, making your other half happy is a rather important part of being a couple, isn't it ?
(By the way, I don't think you answered Swl's question : *is* it still standing? The public wants to know )


Now, does anyone know if 2legs is getting married in a church ?

2legs had a civil service because afaik he's not allowed to actually marry in the UK.

Very surprised at Hoo - although more about the marriage than the church. My reason: because I assumed that Hoo wouldn't be much in favour of marriage, and that if he was that much in love (and it certainly sounds as though he is) that there might have been an element of compromise.

If you'd care to share your twitter handle, Hoo, I'd be interested in the speech.


(unfortunately when it comes to Ireland and women's reproductive rights I'm rarely surprised)

I am surprised but delighted for you, and I wish you and your bride much happiness.

I have also been married in a church (twice, both different churches, to different men). The second time I was made to feel like a scarlet woman (because I was divorced) by the vicar when we applied to my local church, who relented and married us due to my fiancé's "tragic marriage which lasted 24 years until his wife died of cancer and left him alone to bring up their young son". Lies, lies, lies. I only attend church now for other people's weddings, Christenings and funerals.

You live and learn. If I ever were to marry again I'd hitch up my skirts and head for Gretna Green.

GB

>>Some principles are worth standing by, some I can take or leave.

Don't be surprised if over time, most of those from the first category get transferred into the second.

Some of us mellow in old age, while others become increasingly cantankerous old gits. There is no third way.

I lost my 'religion' when I was about 12 or so. I am not averse to the matter like some, but it just isn't for me. In any case, both times that I married were in churches as that is what my brides wanted. It didn't seem like a detail to get upset about - there were usually enough other things to be annoyed at.

About the only times that I find myself in any church is for weddings, funerals and christenings/baptisms. Again, because it pleases those 'celebrating' something and just isn't big enough to make a fuss about.

So to the subject matter? There is thought to be a partner for everyone, and if Hoo has found his and cares enough about her to accept a church service - I am not surprised. Congratulations and I wish you a good life.

Really surprised you weren't married in mid-air with hang-gliding bridesmaids, a parachuting vicar and the best man delivering the ring in a wingsuit.

Congratulations! Married... not especially surprised, church more so... but for some reason my impression of you has always been that you're a bit of a romantic underneath your cold engineerish exterior....

And, by the way, I'll be *very* disappointed in you if you didn't write a line-by-line "Fisking" rebuttal of everything in your best man's speech....

I had three no-compromise stipulations for the wedding:

1. There must be a ceremony in the UK.
None of that flying off to get married on a beach in the Bahamas nonsense. I wanted all my friends (and all her friends) to be there. And our parents, especially. Beach weddings are great, I'm sure, but I wanted everyone there.

2. There must be speeches. The bride's mother made a lovely one, although she said at first she didn't want to. I *quite* wanted to do one. But most of all, having seen my best man already deliver what I considered the best Best Man's speech I'd ever seen at another friend's wedding years ago, I wanted to see what he'd come up with for me. He didn't disappoint. And I couldn't rebut any of the points in his speech because it was all absolutely devastatingly true - except the bits that were lies.

3. There must be a bouncy castle.
Which there was. It was great.
(subordinate to this stipulation was that ours was to be a child-friendly wedding - there were about 40 guests under the age of 13. Which was excellent.)

Once those three stipulations were met, all else I was happy to have what she wanted, including a church.