We all know the score. The wedding day's all but over, you've escaped the reception and retired to your bedroom. There's just one more thing on the agenda. Will the earth move for you in a spiritual sex-is-so-different-now-we're-wed way, or will the only earth movement be the room spinning due to the copious amounts of champagne you've both consumed? While we'd all ideally love to have passionate, fulfilling sex on our first night as a married couple, often the reality is far from that. So is first night sex essential? Should we be disappointed if we don't do the deed, or relieved that we waited until a) we could remember it or b) in the words of Billie Piper, it was ‘because we want to' not because we felt we had to? We asked real life brides to share tales of passion from their first night....
The Couples Who Did....
"John and I had resolved we wouldn't be ‘one of the ones who didn't' and were determined to consummate our marriage properly. We left our reception at full swing right on the dot of midnight and headed up to our sumptuous hotel suite where we dived on the bed in darkness, only to discover John's best man had covered the bed in condoms. Undeterred, we continued and were actually very grateful they were so close to hand!"
Sarah, 31, Reading
"Having stayed till the very end of our reception (3am, in the hotel bar with the last of our guests!) but determined to ‘do the deed' on our big day, we had very athletic, noisy sex, that unfortunately neither of us can recall... but a few of our guests could, and did at breakfast the next day!"
Fiona, 34, Birmingham
The Couples Who Didn't...
"After months of planning, organising, worrying and, of course, looking forward to our big day we both felt the evening was the time for us to let our hair down. And we certainly did that! When we got back to our beautiful bridal suite, a little the worse for wear, we cracked open a bottle of bubbly and were looking forward to ‘spending quality time' together. Unfortunately I can't remember anything after the first sip of champers until I woke up next to Johnny the following morning. As I opened my eyes, Johnny's opened too and he said ‘Good morning Mrs Davey." Needless to say we didn't waste any more time before consummating our marriage!"
Melanie, 31, Lowestoft
"Rob had been pre-warned by a male friend of the family not to expect anything much on his wedding night, as his friend in question had spent his wedding night taking the pins out of his wife's hair as she lay snoring on the bed. Lo and behold, by the time James carried me up to our room, I was fast asleep and he spent the next hour..,. taking the pins out of my hair. Oops!"
Laura, 29, North London
Will you, or won't you?
I DO: Making love on your special day could well be the best, most memorable sex of your life!
I DON'T: Conversely, it could be that the next morning you don't remember a thing due to being ‘tired and emotional'. Ahem.
I DO: You're staying in a beautiful honeymoon suite, why wouldn't you take advantage of your romantic surroundings...
I DON'T: Er, because most of your extended family and friends are staying in the rooms next to yours.
I DO: You only have one wedding night, why not start as you want the marriage to go on...passionately.
I DON'T: You've got the rest of your lives to have sex, so why hurry?
I DO: You've spent all that money on sexy underwear and you want it to be appreciated...
I DON'T... But not during a drunken fumble!
