My Daughter Demanded a Lavish Wedding, a Diamond Ring, and a Hired Land Rover; We and the Groom’s Parents Went Into Debt for It All—And They Divorced Six Months Later

My wife and I were completely taken aback when our daughter Emily announced she was getting married. She was only eighteen, after all. There was no convincing Emily to change her mind.

My mother-in-law put Emily through her paces:

Emily, darling, are you expecting a baby?

No, Gran.

Emilys fiancé was just two years older than she was. We sat down with his parents and came to the agreement that the wedding would be held at our home. Emily was less than pleased.

Thats so old-fashioned! Why cant we do something more up to date?

We argued over it for ages. In the end, we decided to have the wedding reception at a restaurant. Emily picked the most expensive option on offer. Her fiancés parents and we werent particularly happy about it.

Emily burst into tears:

You only get married once.

We took out a loan. Her fiancés parents did the same. They bought Emily the diamond ring she had her heart set on. Together with my wife, Emily picked out a truly stunning wedding dress.

Wed planned to take our battered old car to the registry office, but Emily was having none of it.

Hire a Range Rover!

Her father tried to explain it was far too expensive.

But I really want it.

So we went ahead and hired the Range Rover for Emily and her future husbands big day. By the time the wedding arrived, we were drained in every possible way. The ceremony and all the trimmings cost us a fortune. Yet six months later, Emily and her husband were divorced.

Emily just didnt care for married life. She had all sorts of grievances with her husband.

I thought back to my own wedding day. I wore my best shirt and trousers, my fiancée met me at the registry office with a bouquet. Weve been married twenty years now, had a child together. No grand celebration ever made a difference to our married life.

Im not at all against weddings, but everything in moderation. I just hope that next time, our daughter will be a little more sensible.