You're in love and want to get married again. This time you are going to right all the wrongs and have the wedding you really wanted – not the one that got hijacked by his, her or your family because they were paying for it, but the one you both have always dreamed of.
And why not?
Good things are worth celebrating and boomers, you have got a lot going for you:
- You've got the money to throw a big party;
- The kids have grown up and left home so you're probably not heading down the rocky road of blended families;
- Without pushing the boat out too much, odds are you now recognise your role in past mistakes and have put some earnest effort into trying to learn from them;
- You know the value of honesty and communication (and a pre-nup);
- And are clear about what you want from life and the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.
Back in time, the shame of divorce lingered for decades. If you were lucky enough to find love again, your marriage nuptials were expected to be subdued, no-fuss affairs with just close friends and family. Now that second marriages and wedding vow renewals account for just under a third of all weddings in the US alone, all that, thank goodness, is completely passé.
Mature newly betrotheds are now free to be as exuberant or as intimate as they want to be. Weddings can even be themed like the recent third wedding celebrations of Richard O'Brien, the 71-year old Rocky Horror show creator, to his long-time partner Sabrina Graf, aged 36, who asked guests to wear white. The bride wore scarlet and vows were kept brief.
In terms of who walks you down the aisle and the general structure of the service, the only limits are those of your imagination. You can walk down the aisle alone or with your children, a brother, sister or friend. Jewish tradition has both sets of grandparents and parents walk their children down the aisle which is a rather lovely way of acknowledging the linking generations, but you really are now free to create your own tradition. The world is your oyster.