More "mature" 1st time brides

Hi

I was wondering how many of you might be over 35 and getting married for the first time. I'll be 40 and my husband to be will be 36. I never really thought I'd get married and I'm thinking that maybe it's keeping it a little less stressful for me since I hadn't been planning for a wedding ever in my life as well as being older (more mature I'm sure is definitely the wrong way to phrase it Haha) as well as going away to have the ceremony.

Any thoughts on how age affects planning?

I wouldn't think age affects planning too much. I was pretty laid back with it all because I really wanted to take advantage of the beauty of a destination wedding- it's as easy as you want it to be.

We do have some older brides as well as those planning vow renewals. Congrats to the both of you. I'm glad you found happiness with another!

I'm not exactly at the age you're asking about, but I'll be just shy of 33 when we tie the knot & I think the older you are, the less focused you are on "the show". The brides on here are more of an exception, because by choosing a destination rather than local wedding you seem to be a bit more relaxed/less into the "pagentry" of the big wedding production.....I don't know if I'm making sense. It just seems Destination brides in general don't focus on the small stuff so much....get carried away by the details that really son't matter in the long run....you know?

I hope I'm making sense.

I'll be just shy of 38 (although no one would EVER call me mature).

I think most of the brides here are pretty laid back about things. I take it to an extreme, in the sense that all I really care about are having my bestest friends and family, my honey, a bit of music, and some booze. Figure in a nice beach and a pretty dress and I'm in total heaven.

But I don't think that's so much a matter of age. More of a different set of priorities, and I think you'll find that lots of destination brides have similar priorities.

Well I have been married before and FI hasn't and he'll be 38 when we get married - he is the driving force behind this I have to admit i'm not lol

I'm 35 edging up on 36 and I was married last July. I was married before so I'm not sure if it's that or my age, but I did not want a big show nor did I want stress. I just wanted to get marrried, be relaxed, and have fun. I also didn't want a long engagement. We were married within 6 months of being engaged. DWs are perfect for that because a lot of the work is done for you by your WC. We basiclly just showed up. So I couldn't tell if I was too old to care about a lot of wedding stuff or if I had the "been there done that" attidude of a 2nd time bride.

I am definitely more 'mature' first time bride. I'm 41 and DH will be 44 and this is the first time for both of us. I think I'm pretty laid back about it all. With me, I think it is something to do with age. I don't think I would have been so laid back as i am now, and I think I would have tried to please everyone then, but now I'm pleasing myself (and DH). We are doing what we want and not feeling guilty about it.

I am getting married for the first time at 37 and the groom is 32. I think one difference is that I don't care about a lot of the traditional things anymore...I just want to be married and have a good time with fam/friends and definitely not into a big princess dress. I think I have more funds to pay for what I want than younger brides would. I never was into the bouquet toss but beyond that another good reason for not doing it with an older crowd is that many "mature" single women do not want attn drawn to the fact that they are single and hate this part of weddings. But probably the biggest difference with mature weddings I see is the angst of starting a family at a late age and the biological clock ticking away. I have many single friends 35-45 who can no longer conceive for various reasons and it scares the heck out of me. We really would have preferred to marry in 2009 when he finished grad school but are doing it this year so we can get started on procreating right away. I hate the anxiety and would prefer to be married with just us for a few years before kids but as with many older newlyweds...time is not on our side.

Yep - FI and I fall into the age your are referring to. Both of us are 36. I have found that our life decisions and circumstances make our situation backwards from the traditional relationship you see with younger couples. We have the 2 kids, house, - we are not "just starting out". I think that as far as the planning goes, I find that I still am a stickler on a lot of the things I want in the wedding - practical or not. I think I have spent the least amount of money from anyone on this forum in that the dresses and shoes for me, MOH, 2 BM's and Flower girl cost less than $200. On the other hand, I would be willing to spend $200 on a cake to feed 30 people and $650 for a mariachi band for 45 minutes!. Go figure!

I guess it just boils down to the fact that everyone has different priorities and wants. DW's are perfect choices for those that want something different. Heck, my life was non-traditional anyway - the DW is just our way to have something different and enjoy time with our families in an awesome location!