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Thursday, June 19, 2008
Extreme Weddings
  “Extreme Weddings”
Think of the word wedding, and most minds think white dresses, tuxedos, church or garden…and of course, money! But for increasing numbers of adventurous couples, the way to go is something unique that matches their shared interests or careers. I’m not talking beach weddings in Bali or, as my friends did, on a rock shelf overlooking the ocean – I mean real adventurous weddings!
For example:
1. A German acrobat couple married on a trapeze high wire. I don’t even want to go there – the details might be a bit unbalanced. J And guests might get a crick in the neck trying to watch…
2. A pair of Nepalese lovers married on top of Mount Everest to avoid interracial and caste/religious problems. While there was only the two of them and the celebrant, and it took days to get there and back, they must have had the best wedding pictures ever!
3. Annually, around 100 couples marry in the Annual Loveland Mountaintop Wedding – a mass ceremony on deep ski slopes in full ski gear. I daresay this kind of ceremony also doesn’t leave much room for guests. Colorado is not alone in this: Lake Tahoe, Whistler Ski Resort or Wildcat Mountain also offer ski slope weddings for the enthusiast. J Another wonderful idea for wedding shots!
4. Several companies cater for skydiving weddings, from Las Vegas to Queensland in my native Australia. Traditionally (okay, does that sound weird to anyone else, a tradition in skydiving weddings? J) the couple do a tandem dive with the celebrant, who marries them wherever they all land. Not sure about the whole helmet hair issue! What really amazed me was that some couples take their vows, and even kiss, mid-air. Some companies even cater for your family to make the jump with you. Shudder…
5. One I did find a fascinating thought, and one my animal-loving son would consider, is the Safari wedding. Kenya and South Africa both have companies such as CC Africa catering to this, entire packages including honeymoon destinations. I’m sure other African nations have similar.
6. In Tanzania they offer traditional wilderness African weddings, including clothing, drums and chanting. They offer rose-petal ceremonies and feasting to the sounds of the wild. I love this idea as well (shame I’ve been married 25 years!)
7. “Murder weddings” are gaining popularity for the mystery enthusiast. Love to know who gets killed and whodunit each time…
8. How’s this for a take on deep history (read my last post on where the word “honeymoon” came from)? “Kidnap weddings” are also gaining popularity. One partner makes every arrangement for a wedding, including all the legalities if they change states or countries, and drives/flies to the destination, and voila! Partner knew they were getting married, just not when…
9. One scary option (at least to me) is the underwater wedding. How deep to go? Snorkeling I could handle, but scuba??? While the views again could be utterly spectacular, the whole making vows thing with your mouth filled with the rubber tubing…nah.
10. One company west of Cairns, Australia, offers sunrise hot air balloon weddings floating over the glorious Atherton Tablelands. Once married you can swim in the lakes inside dormant volcanoes there (I’ve done it, wonderfully exhilarating!) or head back to the Great Barrier Reef and snorkel for the first time as husband and wife. I recommend staying on lovely Green Island, quiet and popular with couples.
Of course the logistics can be and often are even more difficult than in a traditional wedding. More so with who to invite because, frankly, who’d do half these things to watch a wedding? How to surprise your partner with the kidnap wedding while handling the dress issue, relatives not coming, legal issues, accommodation…
While most of these weddings sound, and probably are, incredibly romantic, I think I’m fairly glad I married traditionally. I would have liked a garden or mountain wedding, but the rest, while I wouldn’t mind trying most under normal circumstances, for a wedding? Nope, guess I’m just not adventurous enough. And seeing my darling man turns green looking at roller coasters, I’m guessing no matter how I begged, we’d have just stayed on the ground anyway.
Melissa J
20 Comments:
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Hi. We got married in Zanzibar on a private island (sandbank) last year. It was amazing with the Indian Ocean all around us. Nothing quite as bizarre as some of those mentioned above. However having an island to ourselves (with our family and some of the local organisers), was an event that was truly memorable and one I am unlikely to forget (especially as I nearly fell off the the traditional dhow/sailing boat as I got off!) We booked with a UK based company, Aim 4 Africa, who were fantastic at planning details to suit us. They also organise weddings on safari, Maasai style weddings, and some near Kilimanjaro (not sure if they do one on top of the mountain) - we picked Zanzibar as I love the beach and it was our own island paradise for a while!
Justine W
- June 19, 2008 at 6:37 AM
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Oh, wow, Justine, what a lovely wedding to have. I'd have loved one like that too...think I'll research Aim 4 Africa and see what else I can learn. Thank you! I'd love to see your photos, how amazing must they be? I'm headed to kenya next year with my close friends here, they want to show my family their country. We're so looking forward to it!
Melissa J
- June 19, 2008 at 9:05 AM
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I would never have considered an adventurous wedding. I'd stick to church or maybe a garden or patio.
- June 19, 2008 at 12:13 PM
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I'm not adventurous. But, these sound so special. And the stories these people can tell their children and grandchildren.
- June 19, 2008 at 12:45 PM
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I wouldn't want to go any more extreme than eloping to Vegas. *g*
- June 19, 2008 at 1:38 PM
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I guess if you really have a passion about something and you both have it, it would be worth an extreme wedding. My daughter debated a destiny wedding but because my mom is 86 and couldn't have made the trip, she opted for traditional. The destiny wedding would have been a lot less of a hassle but not as many people would have been able to celebrate with them.
- June 19, 2008 at 2:13 PM
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I guess if you really have a passion about something and you both have it, it would be worth an extreme wedding. My daughter debated a destiny wedding but because my mom is 86 and couldn't have made the trip, she opted for traditional. The destiny wedding would have been a lot less of a hassle but not as many people would have been able to celebrate with them.
- June 19, 2008 at 2:13 PM
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A Wedding underwater... that is just weird!
- June 19, 2008 at 2:47 PM
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I'm with you, Nathalie...not underwater, though I love snorkelling. Catslady, please tell us more about the destiny wedding? I'd love to hear about it!
I wish I had some wedding story to tell my kids and grandkids when they come. But I was very traditional. I loved it then, still love it now, but hearing of the wedding in Zanzibar...my friends who eloped to Fiji...sigh...
Melissa J
- June 19, 2008 at 10:40 PM
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In my Yahoo mailbox today a story appeared about a Ben Franklin impersonator marrying a Betsy Ross impersonator.
It isn't "extreme" in a dangerous sense, but I think it's extreme on other levels.
- June 20, 2008 at 6:29 AM
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LOL, Cathy, what a great story! Love it...did they impersonate a wedding while they were at it?
Melissa J
- June 20, 2008 at 7:36 AM
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This must be the month for wedding oddities.
I just saw a Yahoo news video about someone who won a bridal gown design contest sponsored by Charmin. The gown is made of toilet paper, but it was gorgeous. Even had flowers like we used to make from tissue paper.
The designer said making it was "tedious." Ya think?
She wet some of it down to make designs in it and some had to be reinforced with tape. This fits an "extreme" in dresses, I guess.
- June 20, 2008 at 8:12 AM
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Good. Grief.
I have nothing else to say. Toilet paper dress. Um....okay. Definitely fits the extreme theme...
Melissa J
- June 20, 2008 at 9:19 AM
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They were going to try for a destiny wedding in Punta Conta but I think there are lots of places that offer them now. Pretty much all the plans are made at the resort - a lot less hassle and you're there for the honeymoon. It's definitely a different way to go but would have lots of perks - just not a lot of people would be able to attend but we were going to have a small reception/party afterwards.
- June 20, 2008 at 2:28 PM
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If one is going to wear a gown made from toilet paper, one better pray REALLY HARD for it not to rain. *g*
- June 20, 2008 at 2:36 PM
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Friends of mine married in Fiji at a resort, and loved it even though it hurt their family and friends. There's good and bad to it, I guess. Sad part is, they're divorced now.
I'm with you on the toilet paper... No Rain, No Rain!
Melissa J
- June 21, 2008 at 2:12 AM
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Some "extreme" weddings seem to be more about the stunt than the relationship and committment of the couple.
- June 22, 2008 at 12:06 PM
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A wedding by the beach is great... but the whole underwater thing is a bit bizarre.
- June 22, 2008 at 2:53 PM
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I'm with you, Cheri. We had a low cost, simple wedding with family and friends 25 years ago, and three kids on we're still together, our idea of a good time is being together, whether it's a walk by our local river, or taking a day trip while we're still living in Europe.
Funny that: we were so poor when we married going to Europe was a pipe dream. Now we live here...
Melissa
- June 24, 2008 at 5:32 AM
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One of my friends is planning to make her wedding as Extreme wedding. Will you favor the “wedding in a rainy day “as an extreme celebration? Share your views.
Wedding venues in Las Vegas
- October 1, 2014 at 4:00 AM
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