What were some of the best, most memorable weddings you have been to?

[SweetD]

My fiance and I are planning a wedding a budget. We live in a major city and so prices are very high and budgets are hard to follow. At this point I'm willing to throw caution (and tradition) to the wind for the sake of not blowing a house down payment on one day of our lives.

 

On to the question, what were some of the most memorable moments you all have from other weddings? I am hoping that if we can create a certain sentiment in the atmosphere that all the flash and bang won't be as important.

 

So what do you all think, what were some of the best, most creative and/or memorable experiences you have had at other peoples weddings? I haven't been to many myself so all suggestions are welcome!

[Eeyore79]

This website has loads of alternative (and cheap!) wedding ideas:

 

http://offbeatbride.com/

[johan]

I hated them all.

[westernxer]

I hated them all.

 

You stole what I wanted to say! LOL

[Stung]

Well, I loved my own wedding. I didn't see the point in spending a fortune just to be stressed out, either--my best friend had gotten married the year before and turned into the stereotypical bridezilla, and I did not want that to be me. We couldn't elope because we had children involved, and my mom would have been hurt also. We ended up renting three little cabins on a private beach in a national forest. My favorite cousin was deputized by the state and he married us for free, I wrote the ceremony myself and kept it pretty short and sweet. The ceremony was on a weathered deck right over the bay, with the woods and mountains behind us, just before sunset. My stepdaughter was "best girl," both best man and maid-of-honor, and we gave her a bracelet at the same time that we exchanged rings. There was nobody there but immediate family, and after the ceremony we fired up the BBQ and had a picnic on the beach, with tons of cheesecake and champagne. We spent a week there, my husband and myself in the cabin right on the water, our parents and kids in the two other cabins. We got to spend time alone going winetasting, getting couples massages, cuddling in front of the fireplace while the grandparents babysat our kids, and we also spent time as a family hiking in the woods, beachcombing, picnicking, playing board games.

 

I also went to a wedding where the couple rented a boat and cruised around for a couple hours, everything was taken care of by the boat company and crew and people could just relax and eat and dance (as long as they didn't get seasick), and you couldn't beat the scenery. Another great one: my friend is a playwright and writes a lot of material for a specific theater troupe, and had her wedding on their stage. They made her some really fantastic fantasy backdrops and props, and acted out a really cute skit for her and did dramatic readings of some poetry, all for free out of love.

 

I have two friends who eloped, one big sci fi fan who thinks cheesy/kitschy things are hilarious got married in the Star Trek chapel in Vegas, and another ran off to the wine country in Napa and got a simple, elegant elopement package from a B&B on a vineyard.

 

Most of the traditional church weddings I have been to were kind of---boring--IMO. But then I have never cared about things like place settings and yards of lace.

 

I agree that Offbeatbride is a good website, I spent a lot of time on there when I was trying to decide what kind of wedding to have.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Stung

[reservoirdog1]

The most enjoyable wedding I ever attended was six years ago. Out in the suburbs, in the groom's parents' backyard on a beautiful July afternoon/evening. Barbecued steaks, followed by karaoke. The karaoke involved the obligatory "Do Wah Diddy" and "Brown Eyed Girl" until somebody did "Killing In The Name" by Rage Against The Machine. Then half an hour of Black Sabbath.

 

Fantastic time, until the wedding got shut down by the cops at 8:30 (still daylight) due to one a s s hole neighbour's noise complaint.

[Tayla]

Most charming was attended to at an Abbey maintained by retired nuns. THey only asked for a contribution to the upkeep of the chapel. They paid $100 for the chapel and a little less the 400$ for the food prepared by the nuns and served us cocktails. The band was a gift from the parents so overall the country scene with the tranquil environment added to the overall low key yet well done event. The couple are now 12 years married with two lovely sons. They have lived their marriage as they entered into it, with tranquil thoughts and a lovingness for all who attended. The countryside wildflowers were a gift from above so that was the topping of the event.