The big question

Sarah Harris, 28, who married at Union Chapel in Islington, left her outfit to the last minute.

"A friend, Miche, made my dress. It's yellow; I wanted something bright and sunny that I could wear again. Everyone should love their wedding dress, but I thought mine was gorgeous. It's now been vacuum packed.

"The day before the wedding I decided I wanted some jewellery. I didn't want anything too flash, and I phoned Slim Barrett and said I wanted a tiara. My wedding was the next day at 12pm. I jumped into a taxi that morning with Miche and my dress and got to Slim Barratt at 11.15am. I'd already been to the gym in the morning. I chose the tiara. It's really lovely - gold, with drop pearls and a high crown with a fleur-de-lis design. I left them a blank cheque, said I'd settle up after my honeymoon, and caught a taxi with just 15 minutes to spare. I got the shoes the day before when I went shopping with my mum. I went for a bra fitting at Fenwicks, too. It was all sort of last minute, but it was fun and it worked.

Harry didn't have a clue what I'd wear, but then I didn't know until the week before, either. He really loved it; I knew he would because we have similar taste. He thought the tiara was genius. It was fun to swank around in. I felt like a queen.

Dress, pounds 400; shoes, pounds 120; tiara, about pounds 500.

Harry Harris, 33

"I wore a traditional tail coat and a cravat with a diamond tie pin. I hired it, along with five others for the ushers.

I had no idea what Sarah was going to wear - I didn't want to see the dress before the wedding. I was amazed. She looked sensational. She had her hair in pre-Raphaelite ringlets, with the tiara on top.

The tiara is sitting in a box on the top shelf at home. We get it down occasionally to look at our most expensive possession. We got the rings three days before the wedding. We had a fantasy of looking for them down Burlington Arcade, until we realised we had about 67p between us.

My dad is a minister and he married us. It was incredibly emotional. It was a fantastic wedding. I wish I could relive it because I was a bit phased at the time.

Morning suit: hired for about pounds 65.

Jeanette Mousicos, 25, married her husband in a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony.

"I had always imagined myself wearing a Fifties-style wedding dress like Priscilla Presley's, but I realised that I wanted Chris to see me as the traditional fairy-tale bride. It took me just 45 minutes to buy the dress. It's bright white, with a fitted waist, an off-the-shoulder sweetheart top of beaded lace, pearls and transparent sequins and a skirt of sequined organza, with a medium train and a hoop. I thought of wearing suspenders, but I was scared they'd fall down so I opted for hold-ups. I'm now dyeing my white satin shoes black to make them less 'Essex girl'. My headdress was my sister's ivory-coloured beaded Alice band, the "something borrowed". My step-mum gave me the "something new"', an imitation pearl necklace. The "something old" was my mum's gold cross, which I pinned to my blue garter together with a Greek blue eye to ward off evil.

We both wore the traditional Greek pearl wreaths called stefana, attached to each other with ribbons signed by the guests. The most emotional part was when the guests pinned money all over us. They chose the strangest places, like the front of Chris's trousers.

Dress, pounds 600, plus pounds 30 alterations, pounds 20 hoop hire; veil, pounds 25; shoes, pounds 40; gloves, pounds 19.50, bra, pounds 19; knickers, pounds 9; stockings, pounds 6.

Chris Mousicos, 25

1 didn't want to go as far as a top hat and tails. I don't like bow ties or trendy suits, but I've always wanted to wear a black frock coat. I hired the whole outfit. The coat was black, with shiny trims and a fine textile ribbing. My best man wore the same coat and trousers but a different waistcoat. The family tried to get me to follow the bride's colour code for my waistcoat, but I insisted on beige, with thin, floral stripes in burgundy and white, matched with a fat, burgundy silk cravat. I felt like a king. My shoes were ankle-high, black patent leather. I'm a barber so my hair is important. My ex-boss cut it into a number four. My beard was cut into a goatee. As for Jeanette, she looked like an angel.

Total hire cost: pounds 85, including waistcoat, pounds 15; shirt, pounds 7; cravat, pounds 7; and suit, pounds 55. Shoes, from Geoffrey West, pounds 150.

Tracy Harrington Bowie, 29, aimed at an off-white, classic, Grace Kelly look for her wedding.

"I chose a creaseless Jasper Conran dress with a satin bodice, a silk organza skirt and a strapless jacket to match, with see-through fitted sleeves.

"The assistant said, 'I can tell you feel good because you are standing properly in it.' The veil was a cathedral-length, two-tier affair. I didn't want to splash out because I knew the little bridesmaids might rip it. Underneath I wore a diamante tiara from Liberty.

"I chose shoes with a sturdy heel that wouldn't get stuck in the mud: Cinderella slippers with big satin bows and long tongues.

"My underwear was the best of everything: the bra from a bridal underwear shop, and satin-and-lace French knickers. "Something borrowed" was my mother's gold bangle with a diamond. I forgot about the blue until the morning, so I tied a blue ribbon to my knickers. I wish I could wear my dress again. A friend of mine held a ball where the women wore their wedding dresses; a lovely idea.

Dress, pounds 2,000; veil, pounds 76; tiara, pounds 35; shoes, pounds 80; stockings, pounds 19.

Sheridan Bowie, 31

I looked forward to getting my outfit. It seemed symbolic that my tailor should make my morning suit. I wanted something I could wear to other people's weddings. The suit was ever so easy; he just sent me the swatches, I chose a wide stripe and that was it. But we had a bit of a disagreement about the waistcoat: he made a classic wedding "snooker player" design; I wanted a higher cut. I won, so he had to remake them.

The fabric was the family's McDonald of the Isle tartan, in silk. I'll definitely wear mine again.

The red silk tie I left to Tracy, because I am colourblind. I was supposed to wear a top hat, but I forgot it on the day.

I hadn't a clue what Tracy would wear; everyone thought she would go modern, and she was terribly worried that I would see her dress and she'd get "that disapproving look", But when I turned around to see her come into the church she looked gorgeous, just like Audrey Hepburn.

Silk tartan for three waistcoats, pounds 800, pounds 400 each for tailoring; suit, pounds 550; shoes, from Russell and Bromley,: pounds 170; Shirt, from Llewyn, pounds 45- 50n