Second marriage for over 50s

Hi! Congrats and welcome! There are wedding couple of all ages around here, so hopefully some will chime in to help you. The best advice I've heard about this is to do whatever you think is important and meaningful to both of you.

I’m 45 and first marriage, fiancé is 51 and second marriage. We’re still doing a full traditional wedding, and no one’s batted an eye at it. Second marriages are so common these days. Do what you enjoy!


For your future step-daughter, you could make her a junior bridesmaid or junior maid of honor. You could do some variation of the unity candle or sand ceremony to involve her as well as the two of you. I’ve seen some weddings where the new parents does short vows as a parent and maybe gives something small like a necklace instead of a ring.

Hi!! THIRD time bride here (hubby's 3rd time as well) We are both in our mid 60's. Isn't it wonderful to have found THE one finally?

My best advice is to enjoy every minute of this process and don't let ANYONE tell you that you can't do it up big. I had the white dress, the bridal attendants, DJ, videographer - the works. I did cut out the bouquet and garter toss .... I mean, average age of the guests was 62. We also toned down the reception entrance to be just us - no wedding party announcements, etc. I wore a tea length dress - mainly because the ceremony was on the beach. We invited who we WANTED to be there, not having that "you have to invite great aunt Mary" pressure. My adult son walked me down the 'aisle', my youngest (adult) son was my husband's best man, his daughter (adult) was a groomswoman. We had the BEST time celebrating with friends and the few family that had come.

Go with your gut and what makes you happy.

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I love that you finally found "the one" (that's also the title of a song my fiance wrote and dedicated to me ). My gut says the same - I want to do this our way and screw what anyone else thinks or rules/traditions. We are skipping bachelor/bachelorette parties, showers, etc. as don't see the point, and won't do a garter toss though I might do the bouquet just for fun for the kids. My fiance's daughter will be a bridesmaid then I want to do a sand ceremony with her it will be at the beach as well. I do want an authentic wedding dress but on a budget, I can't imagine spending $1000s on a dress at this age. The hardest thing is going to be not having my dad give me away, or having either of my parents there for the speeches. I don't have any family here to help with planning (or costs!) either, which I need to wrap my head and my heart around.

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Thank you! I love these ideas for my step-daughter, I think a sand ceremony will be nice as we're doing a beach wedding. She helped pick my engagement ring so has been involved from the get go.

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Thank you!

Congratulations on your engagement! As we say here on WW, do all the things-- everything you want to celebrate your commitment. I suggest making your partner's daughter a groomswoman and have her stand on his side. Mixed gender sides are common now. You three can also walk down the aisle altogether-- you and partner arm in arm, his daughter either walking in front or behind. You all walk in together as a family to greet your guests, maybe even to the same song for brevity.

My husband and I were mid-40s for our one-and-done marriage. The annoying part about having a wedding when older is that by then you have an expensive taste level. Still we have no regrets and felt we invested our hard- earned money into celebrating our shared lives. I did skip the registry, bridal shower, bachelorette, WP, and common 1-year engagement. We also wanted a formal party so decided on a child-free wedding. By this time, our friends had 40+ children themselves so no, thank you. Last, though we paid for the wedding ourselves, we listed both sets of parents on our invitations. I think we wanted to see their names. We actually are not the last to get married or even first-time married in our circles and I've seen other large bashes. Maybe because we're old now, we can finally relax with our money. Or maybe because our age makes us appreciate living and loving more. Whatever you choose for your wedding, all will be okay (as long as within your means). Best wishes to you!

CONGRATULATIONS! I am also newly engaged for 2nd marriage (we have been exclusively together for 11 years and living together for 5). I will be 52 and he 55 when we marry in May 2026. I think you can make your wedding celebration what you like as it symbolizes your love for each other and commitment. Including his child is a beautiful way to connect with her more and show your commitment to their relationship and the beginning of the bond you will share with her.

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How wonderful! Thank you for the encouragement!