I love reading this whole thread. I don't have the same story as you, but, I also have a story if you will bare with me.
When I was 17, I thought I met the man of my dreams - I ended up getting pregnant. We got married and we had a baby girl in July. He took off just before I delivered and it was just my mom and I in the delivery room. He eventually came back and we got an apartment together. I left for work one night and our newborn was sitting in the swing. We did not have 2 nickles to scrape together but I left money to get diapers. When I got home 8 hours later, she was sitting in her swing where I had left her, soaking wet, him fast asleep with an empty 6 pack next to him. I called my mother to come get us and I left him.
I moved into my parents house and enrolled in college. I traveled on 2 buses each way with my young daughter each day to go to school. It was a little rough - back then my Dad worked for the steel plant and they closed. We made due. I placed an ad in the paper and people donated baby furniture and clothing.
When my daughter was 4, I joined a church and was getting a bit lonely and was wondering if I would ever meet anyone who would want to marry someone who had a child. When she was 5, I met my husband, who was also a single father with a young daughter a year older than mine. It must have been fate - he asked me to marry him after only 5 days.
Our wedding was simple - our minister picked the date. My dress cost $40. He wore a suit he had. A friend played music. Another friend made our cake. Our rings cost $14 and $25. My mother-in-law (whom I a had not met yet) sent 2 dresses for our girls. Our flowers cost $20. We went home and danced in our living room and I started my new job the next day. We lived close to Niagara Falls so we went there for the day and then came home beause we could not afford to stay there. Then we did it again the next day.
We struggled financially and lived pay check to pay check. Years later, I went to nursing school and then when I graduated, my husband went to college full time.
I always dreamed of having a nice wedding and we were going to renew our vows on our 20th anniversary, but, my mother-in-law became gravely ill and we put it off. We went to a nice restaurant and exchanged rings.
We celebrated our 25th in October. We renewed our vows on a Celebrity Cruise. It was only the 2 of us. Wished our girls could have been there. Our oldest just delivered our first grandson in July and was on maternity leave. Our youngest lives up in Maine and has a great summer job she could not leave.
I ordered a tea length dress and then saw a long gown at Nordstrom that was beautiful. My shoes had pearls on them. I wore diamond earrings. My DH wore his first tux. We had a beautiful cake and a professional photographer. It was truly a beautiful day and I felt like a bride.
Best of luck. I will keep looking at your thread. Looking forward to more pictures and updates. There are pictures on Kodak Gallery page 4.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/photoPicker/albums.jsp
) is a picture of the hanger from the brilliant Etsy seller. It actually looks a lot better in real life as in the picture, it looks a bit bent in the middle, and it doesn't at all in person!! Please excuse the garish red background!! DD took the photo- heaven knows what she was thinking 
!!
Maybe I'll look at doing one at home!
