Unusual Weddings, Unique Settings

Lots of people get married in chapels and churches, gardens and parks, beaches, hotels and country clubs.

But what if what you want is something more memorable? A bit (or a lot) unusual?

Here are some ideas for you, based on things that other people have done:

Mystery Tours

In England, "mystery tours" have long been a cultural phenomenon. A group of planners there help couples plan mystery weddings. People are told a place and time to meet. Then, they're taken by bus to another location for the wedding ceremony. Afterward, they're loaded on the bus again and whisked away to the reception location. After the fun — and sometimes even fireworks — they're returned to the original location.

Enthusiast Weddings

People often incorporate their hobbies into their weddings. Scuba divers have tied the knot underwater. Amusement park enthusiasts have wed on roller coasters. Movie lovers have even rented movie theaters for their nuptials. Skydivers have married in mid-air. Hikers and campers often turn to National Forest shelters.

Work Weddings

Those people lucky enough to love their jobs sometimes marry at the workplace. 7-Eleven employees, people who work at grocery stores, medical personnel: all have gotten married "on the job." Think how much the person who works in a garden shop could save on flowers!

Surprise Weddings

Celebrities are well known for inviting friends to a "party" which turns out to be a wedding. This works equally well for non-celebrities! For instance, have a masquerade party. Everyone comes in costume. The couple comes, of course, as a bride and groom. Have the officiant come in full clerical regalia, if desired.

Announce at the right time that a real wedding is about to take place. Have your ceremony, bring out the cake and champagne, and party on! Or, for very informal fun, sneak your wedding into the middle of a barbeque or picnic. (Of course, you'd want to let immediate family, and anyone else whose attendance you wanted to insure, in on the secret.)

Old-World Weddings

Have your own "Renaissance Festival," with strolling minstrels, flower sellers, face painting, and whatever suits your fancy.

Say "I Do" to More Fresh Ideas

Other unique venues and ideas could include baseball fields or basketball courts, lighthouses, tops of tall buildings, or a myriad other places. Think of places that are significant to you, or activities you love, and weave them into your wedding to make something fun, unique, and completely your own!

33 Responses to Unusual Weddings, Unique Settings  Add a New Comment »

  1. Carolyn

    Hi, I need HELP!!! My fiance and I want to do a “biker” themed wedding for our love of riding on our Harley Davidson motorcycle. Any ideas? We want classy biker not trashy biker. Thanks!
    ~Carolyn

  2. Patty

    Ladies I need a little help. Got alot of time before my wedding but I’ve come to a dilemma. Second marriage and he wants camo in the ceremony. Trying to find a way to add it in without looking tacky and too over-the-top redneck. It is a wedding after all and I’d still like it to be elegant. Im willing to work with white, browns, and maybe some pretty orange/coral flowers for colors. Just trying to see how to best incorporate the camo without it looking bad and taking away from the wedding itself….help :cry:

  3. jayme

    I am planning a winter wedding and this has been the biggest challenge for me. we live in wyoming and entering our town it says “welcome to the icebox of the nation” I am trying to put together a very elegant snow camo wedding. dresses and colors are the only thing i have accomplished. inside/outside ceremony? our sunsets here are breath taking. the reception will be inside but i am just lost. I am up for any ideas…………..

  4. Stacey@FavorIdeas

    Brides,
    Here is a board I made with a circus theme wedding.

  5. William Gormady

    My wife and I had a cool wedding. We both worked at McDonald’s in Bradenton, Fla. and the Boss let us close the side lobby and have the justice of the piece come and marry us. When it was over and we headed out the other entrance the people that were eating there threw french fries. We new each other for only 2 weeks and have been together now for 29 years….
    Mr. & Mrs. William Gormady….

  6. Dawn

    I’m looking for a unique wedding theme, maybe with the car theme of some sort. My fiance asked me out when I was working@Advance Auto parts, we now both work there and we love cars. Any suggstions on decorating into that more? :thinking:

    • Stacey@FavorIdeas

      Dawn,
      Wasn’t sure if you were wanting classic, muscle, street/drift ( like Tokyo Drift) etc. My brother used to build classic muscle cars.
      * found this

  7. Rebecca

    My Fiance and I have been trying to figure out a theme where we could have it on a historical riverboat with very formal attire. Well atleast we agreed at one point that the groom would be in top hat and tails. I found a few lace dresses i like. but i want to do candy favor/centerpieces mixing old and new candies to allow for the variety of tastbuds there. I also have been battling the idea of not having chidren at the wedding. I’m just not sure what to do.

    • stacey

      rebecca,
      i am thinking civil war era theme. think gone with the wind or you could have a titanic era theme.( victorian era for both) it is really hard for me to say if you should invite children. are you wanting a more adult affair, if you are afraid of the lil’ ones crying or possible running about, then i say no. i am pro children at weddings, i believe they add to the happiness and lightheartedness of the day. i do understand if youwnated a quiet evening withadults. you could #1 opt for a babysitter on hand.

      *victorian wedding theme
      *gone with the wind wedding theme
      *southern wedding theme

      if i had to choose between the 2, even though i am southern, i would choose the titanic theme, for the top hat and tails. or just a ritzy cocktail theme. dont worry about a theme just glitz it up and you will have it made! :clapclap:

      here is a take on a great gatsby wedding without all the “theme”i am IN LOVE with this wedding!! this could work for your wedding sooooo well!! yet be so easy to do. it exudes class!!
      *real wedding
      *real wedding ( i would choose this one hands down!!)

  8. krista

    we are having a realtree wedding and im aviga hard time with ideas on the cake… any ideas? :thinking:

    • stacey

      krista,
      google image and google search camo wedding cake also try hunting theme wedding cakes. i truly love the bride pulling the groom out of the woods. cute!

      *Hunter’s Wedding

    • sam

      heres an idea, instead of looking for a camo cake, try to choose a wedding cake that will have the flair of a hunting/camo theme with cute caketopper, and possibly have burnt orange and yellow flowers, etc. thats what my fiance and i are loooking at doing. good luck! :thinking:

  9. jamie

    hello, i am looking for a wedding theme that is different. this is my second wedding and i want to wear a white dress and my groom wants to wear an informal siut. im having a hard time finding a theme that is unique and fun that will go with our attire. any suggestions??

    • stacey

      jamie, can you tell me a bit about what you both love and your venue. themes usually are born out of the couples hobbies or interests. one idea i think is great is the travel/honeymoon theme wedding. it takes a location you both love or where you will honeymoon and makes it come to life locally. it is a real treat for guests because you recreate it and it transports them into a instant vacation. his informal suit and your destination style wedding dress would make for a prefect tropical paradise!! orientaltrading.com has the most amazing decor for such a thing! for their invites have them resembling plane tickets or passports. actually google search travel theme wedding. remember a theme can start with a love for a certain type food also (example: bbq=picnic; chinese=asian inspired; mexican=spanish influenced; soul food=southern inspired) it could be you both love to travel then consider elements from each of the places you have been or are going. instant global theme. if you google search.. unique wedding themes… it will pull up results that will offer advice and tips. also google image wedding boards…lots of ideas there. stylemepretty.com has an array of ideas too. check out real weddings they are beautiful!

  10. amber

    i am having a camo wedding and all of your ideas are really great

  11. Susan Jacobson

    We are looking for some high heel shoe (stiletto) containers for flowers for a centerpiece. Would you be able to let me know if there is a vendor for that?
    Thank you,
    Susan
    928 951-4983

  12. Dawn P.

    Oh, I just had another camo-style decorating idea! Check out ebay for naturally-shed mule or whitetail deer antlers … no deer harmed, you know, the kind found in the woods. They’re not too expensive … like right now I see a group of 13 nice antlers for $80 which is quite a lot of antlers.

    Then google image for deer antler centerpieces and you’ll find some amazing decorating ideas. People make beautiful candle holders, chandeliers, frames, centerpieces … you can fasten them in a ring and lay a glass panel on top for an amazing little table (like a cake stand or a pastry stand) … lots of ideas that could make your cake or head table POP!

  13. Dawn P.

    Momma, some ideas for you — definitely check out flickr, you’ll find some camo weddings and touches on there!

    Here are just a few cute inspiration pics for you to start: a camo kilt (I love this!), a "shotgun wedding," a cake with camo bands around the layers and a personalized camo topper, and of course the obligatory camo garter … all these are from flickr.

    But the wedding you really have to see is this one, Misty’s Wedding. This couple totally had fun! The ceremony was pretty traditional, but after that, gloves off! The bride changed into some personalized camo during the reception. And the decor was great!

    Basically I think you can start most camo weddings with traditional, natural fall decor: autumn leaves, raffia, moss, natural fabrics like burlap. I’ve seen centerpieces and even bouquets bring in things like bare branches, turkey feathers, pussy willow branches.

    Misty’s wedding uses most of those things. They even managed to find camo overlays for their key tables (like the head table) which they tied at the corners with raffia bows and placed over palomino linens — it looks great. Check out the head table: camo overlay, taper candles tucked in beer bottles (ha ha!), and a really nice moss table runner with a few small rose arrangements tucked in. The cake is quite sweet with ivory hydrangeas, autumn leaves and raffia. Next to it, they’ve got camo plates and cocktail napkins and a fishing theme groom’s cake.

    Then there’s the more outrageous stuff: don’t miss the beer can towers and the beer can chandeliers! Or the eleven cans of cheez whiz and ritz crackers at the snack table … this wedding is great for ideas, no matter how crazy (or not) you want to get. Hope that gets you started! Look at some of the fall/autumn theme pages and that should also give you more ideas.

    • ellioja

      Some of the formal wear companies are starting to carry mossyoak tuxes. Just a thought… I was surprised to see them the other day in a book I was looking through!

  14. momma8281

    ok my wedding is going to be in camo colors my dress is a cream color and the guys are wearing camo of course . we are geting married outside but i need help with creative or unique decorations for the wedding and reception. plas i am stuck….

  15. Anne

    How about some little army men with parachutes and tying something to their body? Like candle of another small favor. I know if you shop around they come in different colors, too. Just spread out their little chutes and put them on the table holding their “air delivery!”

  16. mandi

    we are looking to have a skydiving wedding with a normal reception to follow, but I am having the hardest time with favors…any ideas?


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