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

I would love to have attended - partly to see the UK and parts there-of again.

But mostly for the bouncey castle !!!

I love those stipulations - especially the children. I always think that weddings without children, while they can be spiffy and fun, miss a little bit of the family feel. Likewise not having a pair of old grannies sitting in a corner drinking drambuie and being devastatingly hilarious

I think the way forward is to combine the church and bouncy castle, so that the ceremony takes place inside a giant bouncy church. Seeing the bride walking down the aisle would certainly be much more fun

<BB<

The bouncy castle must have been a great inducement for the under-13 attendees.

*wanders in late*

Meh, a church is a nice building and if the other half wants it ... wth.

So no not surprised at either.


Many congratulations

>(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.)<

Absolutely - when I got married in late 2014 (one could date it, we got married in Cardiff and our view was obscured by the fences put up for the darn UN conference being held in ...er.... Newport ) I was most adamant about children being allowed - but then so was my wife. Why *wouldn't* you want kids there

But many people - especially those with kids - did remark upon it and thank us specifically. Umm, they're just as much family and friends as everyone else and a wedding reception wouldn't be complete without kids sliding along the dance floor.

because unfortunately, these days, there are so many people who get married before having children (or maybe they don't want any, can't have them - whatever reason) who get really really horrible about it.

To the point that a friend of mine couldn't go to a sibling's wedding because she had a 2 month old baby and it was made extremely clear that there were to be no exceptions. And then her new s-i-l didn't talk to her for 10 years because "she made no effort to come to our wedding". It's an unfortunate trend, imo, because weddings really should be about family and friends. But then, everyone should have the wedding they want, I suppose.

Sounds like the silent treatment should have gone the other way there. Wow.

I could say what I think of that really, but we'll pretend we're still at the BBC

It's really hard to not offend people at weddings mind you. I managed to pee of my wife's family a little at mine by having all the tables for my family at the front near the main table and all her's at the back.

This was completely and utterly inadvertent - and it would have helped if she had double checked on this. I was focussed on the fact that an Aunt and Uncle of mine don't talk as they'd fallen out in the last three or so years prior to this and I had a special request from my Uncle to make sure they weren't at the same table at the reception. So I built it all around that and paid no attention at all to who was sat where otherwise until I got a complaint after the reception that all the wife family could barely hear the best man's speech (mine was OK as I'm loud ).

Doh.

Ironically said Uncle and Aunt made it all up at the reception

oh there's no pleasing wedding guests - and that is a really good example of why both should be involved in planning everything, or at least casting an eye over arrangements before they're finalised.

's youngest sister got married on the day of a Boro home game, and most of the guests disappeared to Ayersome park. they came back and got bladdered afterwards

and our wedding suffered from a "if she's coming, then the rest of us aren't" (with that same sister) which meant that I didn't meet her for yonks (I left the decision to about it all) and she was very resistant to my charms for about a decade because of it. (mind you - 31 years later they're all still not speaking to her, referring to her or anything.

Wow your family hold grudges. Though I suppose my Mum gets on similarly with her sister.

Many years ago, before accurate records were kept, weddings required the attendance of some young boys, who were subsequently punished enough that they would remember the day for the rest of their lives, thus ensuring that the day would be recorded. ,groan>

A little drastic....

The nuclear option of course is to bang their heads together and say Gretna Green it is and the lot of you. Then have a nice bash with your mates

Well I'm a bit surprised, Hoo, but I've been off hootoo for ages so maybe you've mellowed in my absence. Congratulations, of course!

And churches can be beautiful, regardless your beliefs. I don't mind attending the odd christening or wedding. Older churches are actually quite fascinating.

So long as I don't burst into flame at the door, I'm fine.

I have, in fact, attended a number of affairs at the chapel on our local air base. And nothing cataclysmic has happened.

But then, my name is on 90% of the electrical and communications distribution drawings.

I don;t know about the electrical schematics, but I hope your affairs were discreet.

You´ve worn here many different disguises. I find quite coherent with your style to get married in a church.

As someone who doesn't particularly like children, but will one day likely be a wedding photographer, kids make weddings. They are just so photogenic and they make adults react with them providing for many opportunities for great shots.

Also, this convo introduced me to the connotation regarding Gretna Green. I'd heard of Gretna Green before, but never knew the implied context. (I just looked it up on that other website but the article here A301942 tells me all I really needed to know.)

Gretna Green sounds like someone who would be good with plants.

I've learnt from experience of family get-togethers that the best photos are taken by children. People react differently to a child pointing a camera at them so you get some lovely natural smiles rather than posed & self-conscious ones.

Also, they photograph things from weird angles such as looking down into a gift bag or a view of people from floor level.

Deb