Did you have a.........

[FourAngelKisses]

Big wedding and still happily married?

Poll coming!

****, stuffed it, lol............can i fix this to add the poll?

[mm85]

i voted saying im not married but wanted to vote cause i love doing the polls hahahaha i am lame ahahha i am getting married in october though but we are eloping.

[FourAngelKisses]

We got married at the courthouse ($120) and had our immediate families present, so 9 guests all up. I wore a dress that my mum brought, which cost $50. Didn't have a reception or anything, but mum made us a chocolate mud cake.

10.5yrs later, we are still very happy together, rarely argue and have never been close to separating or anything.

But my sister............she had a $10 000 wedding and left her husband a year or so later. They got back together and had 2 kids, but they are very unhappy together.

[FourAngelKisses]

i voted saying im not married but wanted to vote cause i love doing the polls hahahaha i am lame ahahha i am getting married in october though but we are eloping.

Oh, how exciting!! I hope it all goes well for you.

[TwoBlue]

My first wedding was BIG and we are now divorced :o What a waste of $$$

My second wedding was medium sized.. I wanted small but my DH hadnt been married before and wanted a decent shindig... fair enough hey !
We are as happy as ever and I still adore the pants off him *literally sometimes* :laughing:

[Oscar's mum]

I had a small wedding and happily married.

[OJandMe]

We had a 'medium wedding' quite a few people at the ceremony but only family and very close friends at the reception. Still cost an arm and a leg though.... although not as much as some... about $8-10k

We're happily married. But I wish we had eloped and saved our money..... I would have LOVED to get married just Carlo and I on a beach in Thailand *dreams*... but unfortuneately it's not reccommended to fly when you're 6 months pregnant with twins..... funny that.

[FourAngelKisses]

Sorry, should have added an option for medium.

[nut]

:laughing: Great question!
We had a big fancy pants wedding and are still crazy for each other 7 years later!!!:kiss:
But neither of us really were after a big wedding- it just sorta happened and my parents paid for it, so they got their big shindig they dreamed of.:)
I have heard of people taking huge loans out to pay for a big wedding and then divorcing before the loan is paid off. How bad would that be?:thumbsdown:

Awwwww- happy wedding memories!

[Kizmet]

i dont know if you would consider ours big or not. We say intimate because that was what it was, our closest friends and family - 64 people all up so i think we're medium sized going by numbers but managed to do it (full sit down reception) for just over $6000 including everything suits, dress, cake, flowers etc! I am so proud of myself! My mum has started pimping me out to her friends who are getting married as I am a good wedding budgeter :laughing:

Oh forgot the point of this thread :o we are very happily married!

[FourAngelKisses]

:laughing: Great question!

I just HAD to ask...it's something I've been wondering since my sister got married. I could have thought of better things to have my parents and inlaws spend 10 grand on than an unhappy marriage.....KWIM??

[Melo]

Not married yet, getting married in Jan 09.

It will be a medium'ish wedding on an Island off QLD.

[Mariposa]

we had a fairly big wedding, and still very happily married (even though we have some minor arguements!)
(think Italian style wedding)

will be 8yrs this year :D

[Angelmist♥]

We didn't want a big shindig:laughing: We had a lot of people there but very minimal in cost IYKWIM. Celebrant on the beach in boardies and shirts and then reception in our backyard.I think it cost us $2000 all up and we got most of that back in the wishing well:o

Still very happily married:thumbsup:

[LittleBoysRock]

Big wedding, very happily married. :)

[BubbaLicious]

We had a medium sized wedding with about 80 guests and cost $10,000.
It is our 5th wedding anniversary this comming Saturday :smiliedance:
Sill very very very much :kiss: inlove!!!

[dreamer80]

Depends what you define as ‘big’ we had approximately 70 guests at our wedding and from what I read in The Australian a few months back our wedding cost were what is now considered average. We haven’t celebrated our first year anniversary, however have been together 6 years and we are more in love and happier than ever before!!Valentine

[Seekrit]

about 70 people at our wedding, I said that was small (only because I think of those 100+ weddings as big)
still very happily married :D

[dormouse]

We had a $17 000 wedding with 100 guests. Was a beautiful day & I don't regret a thing.

We are very happily married 2 & a half years later & hopefully for many many years to come.

[dreamer80]

about 70 people at our wedding, I said that was small (only because I think of those 100+ weddings as big)
still very happily married :D

That what I was thinking,:detective: I would consider 100 or more guests a large wedding. We had just fewer than 70 people and it costs just under $40,000, which from what I have read and seen is average in Australia.

My mum always says the larger the wedding the shorter the marriage…:laughing:

[TeamAwesome]

For us it wasn't small enough LOL we were talked into the wedding by my PIL's We ended up with about 60 or so people at the ceremony and about 50 at the reception (couldn't squeeze any more in.)

I think sometimes there is too much focus on the event of the wedding and not enough focus on the actual marriage. I sometimes wonder if some couples put half as much effort into their relationships as their big weddings then maybe it would have lasted?

That being said I know quite a number of people who did the bi wedding and are very happy but then they had put more thought into after the wedding.

[FourAngelKisses]

I think sometimes there is too much focus on the event of the wedding and not enough focus on the actual marriage. I sometimes wonder if some couples put half as much effort into their relationships as their big weddings then maybe it would have lasted?

I could have written that myself.

[Aquamarine]

BIG Wedding (250 people) Happily Married.

I would have been happy with any sized wedding but my hubby is Samoan so I had no choice.

I am still meeting people that were at my wedding and we got married in 2000:laughing: :rolleyes:

[Hokey Pokey]

Small wedding (50ppl) and happily married so far!

[Oscar's mum]

We had just fewer than 70 people and it costs just under $40,000, which from what I have read and seen is average in Australia.

Wow thats the average!!!! We spent $5000 for 40 ppl and that included everything including the honeymoon for 2 weeks at the Whitsundays!

[Seekrit]

:laughing: we're so cheap we spent $5000 on 70 people :p lol

[DQ]

Very small wedding here, nice and intimate - well would have been nice if the family didn't whinge about every aspect of it. :banghead:

We are happy though Valentine . Broke, behind in some repayments, living as best we can on one income and 4 3/4 kids. :D

[Gumby]

I am getting married in august yay :smiliedance:

[Mahjong]

Small wedding, happily married for 3yrs now. $3000 and that was including the honeymoon.

My Bro had a huge wedding, sadly, he's getting divorced and they only had just been married 2 years :( Stupid cow took off with another bloke and he's still paying off the wedding debt!.

[Mybabble]

We had a fairly big wedding. There were 100 people and all up it cost about $10,000,but we had to pay for the honeymoon on top of that.
When Dh and i first got engaged my dad said he would either pay for the wedding or give us $10,000 for a house deposit. I wanted the wedding,and im still glad we did it that way. We will have been happily married on the 26th of june and we still managed to buy a house,(Thanks anyway dad:p)

I feel very lucky to have a great dh, a cheeky ds,another bubba due in October and a roof over our heads!

[kymmy]

Hubby and I dicussed a quiet wedding and eloping. But cos of family we had a small wedding. My mil organised the recption, we paid for dress and suits and that is it really. We didn't even have to pay for the certificate (Our church doesn't think it should cost a cent to get married - we were offered the opportunity to marry in the Bishop's office)

[dreamer80]

Wow thats the average!!!! We spent $5000 for 40 ppl and that included everything including the honeymoon for 2 weeks at the Whitsundays!


Wow! You did well. :yelclap: That costs did include a two-week honeymoon in the Maldives and a few nights in Singapore.

[Oscar's mum]

That costs did include a two-week honeymoon in the Maldives and a few nights in Singapore.


Ooh Maldives nice:thumbsup:

[FourAngelKisses]

Not for me, no. I have never wanted a big wedding and I wouldn't change one thing abot my day. It was still special, I married the man of my dreams, what more could I have asked for?
I didn't need to spend big bucks and have lots of people present for that.

ETA: I started this thread out of curiosity, not to debate whether or not bigger or more expensive weddings were a waste of money of if it meant they were more likely to fail. It was just simple, pure curiosity, nothing else.

[Lil X-men]

We bought a house with our savings and had a small wedding. We are practical people so didn't want to waste precious savings on some big wedding that neither of us wanted anyway!
We are very happy nearly two years later:thumbsup:
If someone else was willing to pay for our fancy wedding, then sure I'd do it, but I just couldn't justify the expense when we ar etrying to set ourselves up in life.
My Bro and Sil spent their entire savings, well over 20grand on their wedding (which left them in big financial hardship with 40grand in loans to pay off and no savings to back them up) and they divorced a year later, but then that is not neccessarily because they had a big wedding they just weren't meant to be I guess.

[dreamer80]

My Bro and Sil spent their entire savings, well over 20grand on their wedding (which left them in big financial hardship with 40grand in loans to pay off and no savings to back them up) and they divorced a year later, but then that is not neccessarily because they had a big wedding they just weren't meant to be I guess.

Oh, that terrible. I think a marriage should never begin in debt! :no: It will only put unnecessary strain on a marriage, would isn't good so early on! We ensured we only used a part of our savings…not all of our savings for our wedding!:thumbsup: We also brought a house together just before we got married!:yes:

[shed]

I was supposed to be getting married in May, um well its like the 21st May now and we are still living in sin.

We made out a list and then went and looked at a few reception venues and I even went to a dress designer and got a sketch done.

Then I lost interest in the whole thing. Now I want to have it in the backyard when we move, which will be soon. Invitations will go out a couple of weeks before, very cas-u-al just a bit of a knees up with a ceremony by the celebrant beforehand. We will feed our friends and then all get p!ssed.

Wedding planning is nearly as boring as expressing breastmilk. Nearly - (expressing is very boring).

I still want a nice dress and flowers and nice food, just not the DRAMA.

[mumchristy23]

Im not married but couldnt resist to vote :D

Am getting married in January 2008 tho. My DF and I have been together for 5 years and are very happy. We are also having a big wedding... can't wait :smiliedance:

[PunkyDiva]

Biggish Wedding(70 odd guests), Still together and going strong after 16.5 years.

Prob 6 of us that married around the same time and had the big wedding only half of us are still together, rest only lasted 5-6 years.

[SammiJane]

First marriage..... divorced after 3 years but 2 wonderful gorgeous boys!!.....Large expensive church wedding.

Second Marriage.... Very much in love and the happiest i have ever been in my life. I have found the man of my dreams....:yes:
Our wedding was at home on our 2 acres, very relaxed, about 100 people. We had so many comments on how great they day was as it was so layed back.

I do have to note that it was my boys that found my new hubby....

[*Chels*]

Our wedding was intimate-40 guests and cost $10,000.Been married 2.5 weeks now...going strong!!:laughing:
I cannot believe australians spend an average of $40,000 on a wedding!!To me,thats insane.I wonder where they get that figure from?Im yet to meet somebody who has spent that much!

[Snuffys Mum]

We spent $5000 for 40 ppl

Thats my figures too. :yes:

Small wedding- in the process of divorcing.

[tybella]

We had 100 guests and a casual wedding, and yes we are still very happily married.

[bekkyboo]

Very small...

Another Registry wedding here, and reception at the morrison hotel (J loves their steaks!) - . I think less than 30 guest in the end.

Still very happily married, just over a year later.

[~mia&ryan~]

I am not married yet (we are getting married in September) but we are having a biggish wedding.. We are having 100+ guests and its costing plenty of $$ but its what we want so that is all that matters..

I dont really think how much you spend on your wedding matters in regards to how happy your marriage will be... All that matters is the relationship...

[Mummy2Noah]

We had a big Wedding and still very much happily married!!!

[BaDaBing]

We had about 90 guests and it cost around $7k.

I love my man to bits :p

[kirstyE]

I got married in 2004. We had a smallish wedding with 65ppl on the beach and a sit down reception at a restaurant. We spent around $10kon the wedding itself, $8k on the jewellery (diamond engagement and diamond wedders), and spent about $5k extra on honeymoon and we paied the accomodation for our bridal party and family at the hotel. We had help though from my parents who paid the entire wedding $10k. We spent more on the things that mattered most like the rings we would wear forever, and paying accomodation for our mates as they were either unistudents or young married couples trying to pay their mortgages, rather than a topnotch wedding.
It was a fab wedding, and still hopelessly in love...Valentine

[Niki]

we had a big wedding and we are still happily married, we havent been married for 6months yet thou

[Emma 80]

100 people, $2000. happily married for 9yrs :kiss:

[sugar n spice]

i pick sml wedding and still happily married. We had 60 people though so i dont think its big but not sml either

[MariaO]

Small wedding and still happily married (at least I am). We had around 50 people in a country house hotel in the west of Ireland. Everyone came on Friday night and left on Sunday - a fantastic weekend. I was a bit slack on the organisational front - the hotel owner said he had never come across a more laidback bride. I have no idea what it cost - at least I can not remember.

[SpecialMumma]

I chose - Big wedding, happily married!



About 90 people. We didnt say we wanted big or small, we just wrote out the guest list of important ppl who had to come and it came to about 80.. lol so we figured it was obviously a BIG wedding



It cost us abut $12-13 grand at last tally. that was with NO HONEYMOON (we stayed home because we couldnt afford it:P)

We've had some problems which admittedly almost ended up in divorce, but we realised it was because there was no communication.

Now we are so inlove and so happy :)


I love my DH so much :)

[Peaceangels]

Not sure what you class as a 'big' wedding, but we had around 100 people.
It was alot of stress leading up to it (my parent's had just divorced), but the day was absolutely amazing, wonderful, beautiful and it seem's like yesterday (don't regret having a big wedding), but it was 12 years ago & we are still madly in love Valentine

[pookiesossige]

We had 40 guests and it cost between $5-6000 all up (I think).

That includes a short honeymoon to Adelaide and a beautiful dress by a famous Melbourne courture designer (on the throw-out rack! :eek: She won Australian bridal gown of the year a few years running) Also kilt/full Scottish clothing hire for the blokes- they looked awesome (and DH looked particually hot if I may say so myself! ;) )

Tiny country church wedding and catered reception on my parent's farm.. people still say today how unique, intimate and relaxed it was, just what we wanted!

Oh, and we have been married for 4.5 years, we've had some difficult times but will always work through them- we are together for life :yes: and we love each other Valentine

[FunkyMonkey]

Married ex in 98, had a BIG wedding. 150+ people and it cost my parents and his parents over $35000. And my dad gave us $10000 for a house deposit :o We divorced in 2005.
Don't know what DF and I are going to do wedding wise, but it sure ain't gonna cost ^that^ much.
And living in sin is working just fine for us at the moment. :p :laughing: ;)

[twolittlegirls]

Big wedding 165 people, it was everything I wanted. All the formalities but with a relaxed atmosphere. The ceremony was at my grandparents, reception at the town hall (which is pretty much the only place where I live to have it.) Probably cost $15000 with honeymoon included.

Are we happily married? It gets better everyday we're together. (married 3 years, together 7 years.)

[Chelle123]

We had about 90 people so I guess it was a largish wedding - cost around $10,000, 8.5 years ago. We are still happily married and having our 3rd baby.

Looking back, we should have had a smaller wedding and saved some money - we had to invite every single cousin of DH's - most we have never seen again or been invited to any of their weddings. Had to keep MIL happy.

[MummyCharmzy]

I voted for the 'wanted to vote' option.

We are getting married in 5.5 weeks... we are having quite a large wedding.. :D I'm so excited :D

[brookeme]

:laughing: Big Fat Greek wedding, That would be us!
(Im not greek by the way) The works!!Horse and cart, marquee on my parents property, blah blah, would I do it again..???
NO way.
Big fat waste of money! I would elope!
But we are living happily ever after, we didnt need a big wedding to do that.

[RedPanda]

Big wedding - happily married!

[julz_06]

We had a reasonable sized wedding it wasn't huge but it wasn't small :D and my hubby and I are still happily married

[luckymama]

we had a registry office wedding last nov, and we are still happily married. It was much easier for us to do that, cos our families are so complicated, and it was easier to invite noone. We got married with another couple and we were each others witnesses. Easy :thumbsup: