54 years ago, today.

[Peter Butler]

It was 54 years ago, today, when I went to my first wedding. I was 21 and Diane 16..... (Don't jump to conclusions!)
By that I don't mean I have been married more than once, rather that I had never previously attended a wedding at all.
I have no siblings and only two cousins, one too young at the time and one abroad.

The plan was to have a quiet register office affair with few guests, but mum-in-law had other ideas. We ended up with a lavish church ceremony and at least 100 guests for the following meal and subsequent party.
Having no previous experience, I was well out of my depth when the rituals of the occasion were enforced upon me and it wasn't a polished performance by any means. It was a proper 'Black Country' affair and outsiders might well have thought a foreign language was being spoken.
I'm not a churchgoer, so that was all new to me, also, the after dinner speeches were noticeable by their absence.... No-one told me!!!

At least we had a flat to move into and jobs to keep us alive. Children didn't appear for 11 and 16 years respectively (by choice) so we had time to enjoy new life experiences and travel much of the UK.
Fortunately, we made the right lifestyle choice and have now decided we might just as well stick it out to the end!

[drewzero1]

Congratulations! It's such an amazing feeling when you can look back and know that you made the right choice the first time.

I had been to two or three weddings before my own, but we did it our way (which is to say, on the cheap because we were paying for it all). I wouldn't go back to change anything if I could, and I'm sure never doing it again.

[ge_rik]

Wow - and Diane looks so young.....
Congratulations to you both.

Rik

[gilfachphil]

Many congratulations to you both.

I celebrated my 40th wedding anniversary a few years back though for the last 20 of them I had been single! Slap wrist.

Phil

[asherjackson]

Congratulations, I also wish to have a beautiful love like yours. So admirable.

[gregh]

Congratulations Peter and Diane. May you have many more Happy Anniversaries.

[Peter Butler]

Many thanks for your best wishes, you have made a happy man feel very old!

[georgesheppard]

It was 54 years ago, today, when I went to my first wedding. I was 21 and Diane 16..... (Don't jump to conclusions!)
By that I don't mean I have been married more than once, rather that I had never previously attended a wedding at all.
I have no siblings and only two cousins, one too young at the time and one abroad.

The plan was to have a quiet register office affair with few guests, but mum-in-law had other ideas. We ended up with a lavish church ceremony and at least 100 guests for the following meal and subsequent party.
Having no previous experience, I was well out of my depth when the rituals of the occasion were enforced upon me and it wasn't a polished performance by any means. It was a proper 'Black Country' affair and outsiders might well have thought a foreign language was being spoken.
I'm not a churchgoer, so that was all new to me, also, the after dinner speeches were noticeable by their absence.... No-one told me!!!

At least we had a flat to move into and jobs to keep us alive. Children didn't appear for 11 and 16 years respectively (by choice) so we had time to enjoy new life experiences and travel much of the UK.
Fortunately, we made the right lifestyle choice and have now decided we might just as well stick it out to the end!

Congratulations! Are you from the Black Country originally?

[Peter Butler]

Yes George, a Black Country Boy, surrounded by beautiful factories, chimneys, canals and industrial railways. Now all I have are trees, fields and sheep!

[georgesheppard]

Yes George, a Black Country Boy, surrounded by beautiful factories, chimneys, canals and industrial railways. Now all I have are trees, fields and sheep!

What part? I grew up in Kingswinford.

[Peter Butler]

George, ar wuz born un bred in Wedgbury (Wednesbury) nowed uz toobtarn in the day, wen it wuz commun to watch cock fitin, bull beartin uz well uz gooin ta merkit ta sell ya missus..... ah, those were the days!

I don't really speak like that but 25 years of working in Birmingham has left a slight Brummie accent when I am not concentrating.

Wednesbury is best known for its main visitor attraction, the viewing platform overlooking the merging of the M5 with the M6 where five lanes of traffic suddenly become three.... Hours of fun! As an add-on, the sound of that traffic, combined with the frequent emergency vehicle alarms, drifts gently across the town 24 hours a day.... That's entertainment!