I'm an Atheist and I got married in a church
It was the same one most of my family had got married in, it was a beautiful old fashioned building and as the only people there were our guests I fail to see why anyone was offended. If I even thought for a second that this was somehow wrong it wouldn't make me much of an Atheist would it.

Also the argument about spending all the money etc. Well its personal choice isn't it. Why spend a fortune on a weeks holiday when you can go to a campsite half a mile down the road for cheaper. Its an easy answer, the memories. We did everything on our wedding day from horse and carriage to posh hotel and church, the memories of our wedding day are amazing and I have never thought it was a waste of money, I had an awesome time. For us there would have been no point doing a quick in and out in a registry office, we wanted a celebration, we'd already made a lifelong commitment to each other long before I stuck a ring on her finger. I say each to there own and I see some points in what you are saying but I don't think there was any hypocrisy in what we did.

The points I agree on though.

Week Days. My Sister did this and when people didn't show up and she got upset. I told her to suck it up she shouldn't have had her wedding on a Wednesday to save money. Saturday or fuck off.

Overlong planning or engagements that last forever. We got engaged and then got married 9 months later. I have a friend who has been engaged for 8 years. what's the fucking point?

Invites, we invited close friends and family up to our grandparents and down to our nieces and nephews no second cousin twice removed or great aunts you only see once every ten years.
( Peej, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 14:29, 1 reply)

I would not expect to be married in a church..
.. any more than I would expect my friends to hold a church service in my sitting room - or indeed insist on saying grace when eating in my house.

You may, quite rightly in my opinion, consider it just to be another nice old building but the church-goers consider it to be special. I can respect that without agreeing with it.

I'm amazed you managed to get a vicar to not begin with "we are gathered here in the sight of God...etc". I don't think many will sanction that.
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Fri 1 Apr 2011, 16:55, closed)