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[Elly]

Mine too and despite some people saying that they will go to hell I have no regrets on that score.

They'll be amongst friends.  hehe (and I'm kidding)  I don't see any way forward in teaching your kids to be scared of going out there, and making mistakes, and making their own minds about the stuff that's important to them.  Despite all you can do as a parent, your children are individuals.  Both of my kids are spiritual...  they're not shallow.  That'll do for me.   I find it rewarding that they can talk to me about sex, life and how they are feeling.  

Show respect, and you get the same back, I feel.   

[Aileen]

No, I don't think my dad was too happy, but I have 2 younger sisters (1 of which has married in a church) for him to walk down the isle.  And I do find church weddings to be a bit showy and I'm not a showy type of person.  My hubby's sister has managed it twice in a church (so far )

Unfortunately, I'm the one and only, and I know my mother was upset because I never gave her any grandchildren.  My marriage was creaking noticeably after two years, and I didn't want to bring children into that sort of environment, having experienced the volatility of my parents' marriage, and divorce became inevitable - which made me feel a bit better about not taking my vows in a church.

Incidentally, weddings do not have to be showy.  My eldest cousin got married in the vestry, wearing a simple, short blue dress, with only the bridesmaid, best man and immediate family present.  True, the minister of my parents' church did offer to marry me, or at least bless the marriage, in the hotel where the reception was held, but, as I was a stranger to him, I turned the offer down.

In case anybody's wondering, in the Church of Scotland it's always been possible to get married just about anywhere, provided a minister can be found who's willing to conduct the ceremony - and the result has been some very odd places ... underwater and the top of a mountain being two that spring to mind!  My parents were obliged to get married in a hotel because my mother's father was very ill and couldn't cope with attending church.     

[Aileen]

What a pervert. No wonder you turned him down. And he offered to do it in the middle of the reception?

Not quite sure what you mean by a pervert here - basically he was trying to keep my parents happy.  And, no, the marriage ceremony would have taken place before the reception in a room at the hotel.  That's what my parents had to do (in the then posh Grosvenor Hotel, Glasgow - believe it has another name now).  In fact hotel weddings weren't unusual in my parents' day, so much so that certainly large hotels had a "wedding suite" set aside for that purpose.

[Aileen]

'Twas a joke. You said the minister of your parents' church offered to marry you and "bless" the marriage in the hotel.

I was turning an innocent anecdote into something dirty.

Have to admit my choice of words did make them a little open to being misconstrued by those of a certain turn of mind.  Now go away and prowl the streets or something   I'm about to play my nightly game of online Scrabble before I go to bed - oh what excitement us oldies turn to!

[Hazybear]

Nice that there is always the exception to the norm

While I'll obviously want a church wedding if I ever find someone I could deal with for the rest of my life it would be low key...couldn't be bothered with the effort and money involved in something big and fancy

[Bevc]

Wedding dresses are a complete waste of money - worn once and that's it.  Mind you, when I was a bridesmaid at another cousin's wedding, we wore handmade rose-coloured dresses in some sort of satin fabric.  They were beautiful and designed so that the sleeves could be removed and we could wear them again as evening dresses.  Trouble was that, at the reception, I made the mistake of lifting up her sister's baby son and the wretched infant puked all down the front of it.  Dress totally ruined!

My wedding outfit was something that I could (and did) wear at other times.  

While I'll obviously want a church wedding if I ever find someone I could deal with for the rest of my life it would be low key...couldn't be bothered with the effort and money involved in something big and fancy

Obviously!  I never did want a church wedding for some reason, low key or not.

All things come to those that wait

[Daisy]

probably not I'd love to find the right guy someday, but I'm also okay with the thought of being single...sure there would be times when I really wanted the companionship or kids, but I'd rather be happy with myself than unhappy with the wrong person

yes, yes and yes 

[Mark]

Life would be a lot simpler and more enjoyable if we didn't have marriage.