Twenty years ago today, I walked down the aisle to marry my beloved. He was and still is, the love of my life. We have three beautiful children together, and many memories; some happy, some not so happy.

As I reflect on the preparations that we made for our wedding day over twenty years ago, many things have changed since then. We live in a very different world today. Back then, there was no Internet, there were no mobile phones and no text messages. To find wedding suppliers, you had to look up the yellow pages or flick through wedding magazines, make lots of phone calls to inquire about store opening hours or make an appointment, and then drive all over town to find just the thing that you were looking for.

Brides of today have everything they need to plan their wedding at their fingertips. All you need to do is Google any product or service that you need for your wedding, and waa-lah! You can find it with ease.

Here is a brief comparison of weddings back then, and now:

Twenty years ago, planning a wedding involved lots of phone calls and driving around to find suppliers. Today you can find loads of information on the Internet and save time driving around.

Twenty years ago, brides wore white on their wedding day. Any other colour was unheard of. Today brides wear the colour of their choice.

Twenty years ago, brides wore veils and ornate headpieces, and wedding gowns had sleeves. Today some brides wear veils and some don’t, headpieces are dainty or subtle, and most wedding gowns are sleeveless or strapless.

Twenty years ago, couples chose yellow gold for their rings. Today many choose white gold.

Twenty years ago, the bridal party consisted of several bridesmaids, a flower girl, several groomsmen, and a page boy. Today this hasn’t changed all that much, although many brides opt for one or two bridesmaids, keeping the bridal party quite small.

Twenty years ago, wedding photos were more like still life photography, where everyone posed and smiled for the camera. Today wedding photography is more like art, where photographers explore their creativity and offer bridal couples a world of creative options for their photos.

Twenty years ago, you could have your wedding recorded on video, with some editing. Today you can have your wedding recorded on DVD, with sound effects, detailed editing and super duper features, such as chapters and highlights of the day.

Twenty years ago, most weddings were quite formal with a church ceremony followed by reception. Today many couples are breaking away from this and opting for a less formal affair, such as a relaxed garden wedding or beach wedding.

Twenty years ago, weddings were very structured and ordered. Today there is still order, but with greater flexibility to be different and make your big day unique.

Twenty years ago, weddings were quite different to today!

What was your wedding day like? Did you have a formal church wedding and reception, or was it a less formal affair? If you’re in the planning stages, what sort of wedding have you planned?