Credit: SUPPLIED<\/span><\/figcaption>Sarah married her first husband – Nick, a factory worker, now 60 – in 1985, aged just 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met working in the same factory in Portsmouth,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe started dating and wanted to live together first.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut our parents were very traditional. They were horrified and demanded a wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah had eight bridesmaids who all wore a different pastel colour to form a rainbow.<\/p>\n
She says: \u201cI wore a white loose fitting wedding dress, a short shoulder length veil and tiara. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a church wedding and I had the reception in the Church Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent months planning the event and believed it was my forever wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Over 80 guests enjoyed a hot buffet and a free bar. It cost \u00a38k in total. <\/p>\n
Sarah says: \u201cLooking back, the fact that the icing started to melt early and the tiers had to be propped up using 5p pieces should have been an omen.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair welcomed their son Daniel, now 37, in December 1986, but their happiness was short-lived and they divorced in 1989.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter four-and-a-half years together we realised we\u2019d married too young and had walked down the aisle to please other people,\u201d says Sarah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
'Whirlwind romance'<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
One year later Sarah met Paul – who has sadly now passed away – who owned a convenience store across the road from her house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMost weeks I\u2019d pop in to buy wedding magazines and the local paper,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been obsessed with weddings and knew I\u2019d want to wed again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair started dating and enjoyed a whirlwind romance – just three weeks after meeting Paul proposed.<\/p>\n
Four months later Sarah fell pregnant with their daughter, Zoe, now 31.<\/p>\n
In 1992, they tied the knot at a Portsmouth Registry Office in front of 40 guests. It was a low-key budget wedding and the reception was at their house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t fancy,\u201d she recalls. \u201cWe went to Tesco and got sausage rolls, dips and cake but it still set us back about \u00a36,500 in total.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wore a two-piece wedding dress from Marks and Spencer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day my husband moved in, my parents – who were living with me at the time – moved out. They didn\u2019t approve of Paul, and I quickly realised I should have listened to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six months later Sarah called time on their marriage and the divorce came through in 1993, costing her \u00a32,600.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was sad to be divorced again so soon but I was so busy being a mum to two kids, I didn\u2019t have time to wallow," she says.<\/p>\n
Despite her heartbreak, Sarah was determined her doomed marriages would not put her off marrying again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third time lucky<\/h2>\n
\n<\/p>\n
In May 1996 her friend put an ad in a lonely hearts column of a local paper saying Sarah was looking for love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She got 52 replies and met husband number three, taxi driver Mark, now 65.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was 29 at the time and he was 10 years older than me,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe was a gentleman and hardworking and I thought he was definitely my prince.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time I went totally casual and the wedding cost around \u00a36K. Some friends rolled their eyes when I gave them their wedding invitations.<\/p>\n
They married at the Portsmouth Registry office.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople asked me if they could recycle the last wedding gift they gave me, and others asked if they could wear the same dress they wore to wedding number two," she says.<\/p>\n
People asked me if they could recycle the last wedding gift they gave me, and others asked if they could wear the same dress they wore to wedding number two<\/p>\n
\u201cI laughed off the jokes, but it did hurt a little.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah was happily married for 10 years before they started to grow apart.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t smiling anymore and I realised I was making my husband happy rather than making me happy,\u201d she continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended the marriage and we divorced in 2006, costing me \u00a33K. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut I was still obsessed with finding my perfect man and having the perfect wedding. I couldn\u2019t walk past a wedding shop without trying on a dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved looking through bridal magazines, tearing out ideas for what I hoped would be for wedding number four.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fourth time's a charm<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
In 2006, five months after her divorce, she met husband number four – electrical engineer Sean, now 54 – through online dating. <\/p>\n
Three months later they married in September 2007.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never been one for long engagements,\u201d she laughs. \u201cFor wedding number four I opted for a white off-the-shoulder two-piece full skirted wedding gown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had flowers in my hair and gold and white was my colour scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent \u00a38,500 on my big day and it was beautiful. I was back at the Portsmouth Registry office for the third time and the staff recognised me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was back at the Portsmouth Registry office for the third time and the staff recognised me<\/p>\n
\u201cI opted for wedding photos in a lovely garden nearby and we celebrated with a two tier wedding cake in front of 60 guests at the local Red Lion Hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cFriends said they hoped wedding number four would be The One.<\/p>\n
"We honeymooned in Italy and then moved to Dorset. But I struggled being away from my support network.\u00a0I felt isolated and alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 10 years I couldn\u2019t take it anymore and rang my best friend saying that I felt like a failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe helped me get a divorce and get my new life in Swindon started.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy \u00a31,500 divorce came through in 2017 and my mates told me I had to continue in my search for Mr Right.\u201d<\/p>\n
'Soulmates'<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
One year later, in August 2018, she met Ashley online.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time we met we clicked and after our date we spent seven hours on the phone," she recalls. \u201cThat night I knew I\u2019d finally found my Prince.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was so excited about the connection that I broke out my collection of wedding magazines.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe proposed with a sapphire ring in December that year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
"We planned a September 2020 wedding but that was cancelled due to Covid.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead we held the registry office wedding in November 2021 and had an intimate wedding breakfast. Then we had a big wedding reception six months later in May 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cPredictably there were multi-married jokes at the reception because between us we had seven weddings under our belts."<\/p>\n
Predictably there were multi-married jokes at the reception because between us we had seven weddings under our belts<\/p>\n
Even the sign on the couple\u2019s wedding cake was a nod to how many times Sarah had been married, reading: \u201cFinally, Mr and Mrs Comley."<\/p>\n
\u201cThe colour scheme was pink and blue and, having been married so many times, I used my money saving tips and arranged the flowers myself. I also found my princess wedding dress on Facebook marketplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to wear my dress twice which was an absolute dream.\u00a0It cost us about \u00a38K for both weddings but was worth every penny.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it will finally be my last. We are soulmates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah has kept all the photos from her previous weddings because they are a reminder of her marital missteps.<\/p>\n
She says: \u201cI sold three of my engagement rings and my ex pawned the fourth one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t keep any of the wedding dresses. I wanted to start afresh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah says how she never set out to have multiple weddings and admits it's an "expensive habit".\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spent about \u00a337k on weddings, 3k on honeymoons and nearly \u00a310k on divorces," she says.<\/p>\n