The terms of marriage are changing, and so are the venues. An ordinary temple, church, or banquet hall wedding is so passé. Your parents, their parents and their parents did the same. Will you be that boring? Hell, if you are allowing yourself to choose a life partner, you should definitely choose your own wedding venue.

And there are oh-so-many options out there. Thousands. Rack your brains. Meanwhile, here’s what some others did. Scroll down and you’ll also see what you can do for your wedding.

1. The Nudist Wedding

The original sin

Ahem…it’s like a prelude to what happens after the wedding. Why take the pains to dress up at all? Nude weddings have been in practise for long. Not very popular among the masses but a rage among the naturalists. The best place to have a nude wedding is Hedonism III Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. It holds the record for hosting the biggest nude wedding the world has seen. Twenty nine couples got married here on Valentine’s Day in 2003. That’s 58 nude people getting married at the same time. Just saying.

The pluses:

  1. You save shitloads of money on that wedding dress and sherwani/tux.
  2. Now is the time to make sure you are marrying the right…ahem…man (if you have been prudish enough to not ensure that before).
  3. Many guests might not turn up. :D

The minuses:

  1. It might get a wee bit awkward to stand in the nude in front of your in-laws, right? Your mom-in-law was already critical of the way you looked with your clothes on.
  2. The concept might not find too many takers amongst the elders (not that anybody would particularly like to see them in the buff). Imagine your middle-aged chachi or maami breaking into fits of hysteria when you suggest this.
  3. The worst: you or your spouse might start er…comparing. This is no time to get second thoughts.

Vow: I do. Yes, let’s do.

2. Bungee Jumping

Upside down love

Marriage involves risks. And it requires strength and courage to keep it. This couple decided to test the waters of endurance early on. Sandra Eens and Jeroen Kippers took a big leap of faith and jumped into the marriage bandwagon—from a height of 164 feet—together (wonder if the kiss happened successfully mid-air). Some would think that’s suicide. But then so is marriage, some would opine.

The guests were strapped (yes, the mothers-in-law as well!) to chairs and raised in a platform form where the couple jumped after exchanging rings.

Marriage does pull you down from your imaginary heights sometimes.

 

3.       Mount Everest

Okay so this is straight from the movies. Pem Dorjee and Moni Mulepati were two lovers from Nepal whose love was hidden from all. They endured the treacherous climb of Mt. Everest as members of the Rotary Centennial Everest Expedition. When they reached the top, they announced their love from the highest roof of the world. The wedding ceremony was a quick affair since everybody was breathing through oxygen masks (though the couple did take out their masks to exchange their vows).

Love is invincible and unconquerable, like the mighty Everest. But this couple chose to conquer all odds and climbed the Everest to get married.

Vow: In sickness and health.

4. Garbage Dump

We haven’t shown you the dirtiest part yet

First of all, what? Secondly, whose idea was it? The guy’s. Because that was where he first met his wife. Both of them were recycling in the dump. Three years later they got married at the same place which was the Bethel Transfer Station in Maine, US. This is how the love story of Dave Hart and Rockie Graham flowered. ‘Flowered’ is not exactly the right term here.

What’s astounding is that the wedding was attended by 250 people. All of them close friends of the couple. Really close. And Rockie dared to wear a $7000 white dress. Don’t know if she saved it for keeps.

The only good thing that might come out of it is that you might save a lot of money on food. Not many would turn up for this wedding. Now that can be both good and bad.

Vow: You may kiss the bride, if she can stand the stink.

5. In a Cemetery

My wife is a ghost!

Sitting on other people

The bride arrived in a coffin. Instead of the bridesmaids, four pallbearers wheeled her coffin to the altar. The guests stood next to graves. No, that’s not a funeral. That’s how Kristen & Joe married at Mountain View Cemetery Oakland, CA. The idea was to not see death as something scary, and to begin the marriage from the place where it would eventually end.

As they say: Life can be hell after marriage.

Vow: Till death do us apart.

And then there are these places where they would actually organize wacky weddings for you:

Disney World

The fairytale wedding

Who is what?

What is more fun? Reading your wedding vows in front of 100 guests struggling to stay awake or reading the vows with all the guests dressed as Disney cartoon characters in Disneyland. Don’t shy away from admitting you always dreamed of a fairytale wedding. You may or may not believe in Prince Charming but you can certainly kiss your frog Disney style here.

Live out your dreams here:disneyworld.disney.go.com

In Space!

Flying high

This wedding will literally be out of this world! Virgin Galactic has even made two bookings on their soon-to-take-off tourist space flights.

Vow: Where the stars take us.

Underwater

The mermaid wedding

But what if you don’t have any oxygen left to kiss? Don’t worry, you wouldn’t have to dive in straight to your wedding and return only after the wedding is solemnized. The Jules Undersea Lodge in Florida even has accommodation facilities underwater where the couple can choose to stay for their honeymoon! The guests too can stay in the underwater lodge.

There are so many underwater wedding options available nowadays. You can have a quickie underwater wedding in Bahamas and then stay on for a honeymoon.

Vow: What vow? If you try to speak, you’d be choked. Kidding, you’d even be given an underwater slate to remember your vows. Just get the name right .

Dracula’s Castle, Transylvania, Romania

Wedding venue: Dracula’s Castle. Please RSVP

Some roleplay…

This is one night whose memories will haunt you for the rest of your life. A wedding at Dracula’s Castle can be your best fantasy being played out. They organize private events too so you can have a nice big Dracula party. And if you are a fan of sadomasochism, you can linger on after the guests have left and have some fun of your own.

Website: bran-castle.com/

Vow: In this world and another.

Treehouse at The Lodge, Loch Goil, Scotland

Marry, live, die here

We can’t call it a dream wedding. You couldn’t have possibly fantasized this perfect a scene even in your dreams. The Lodge in Scotland could be what even your dreams wouldn’t have imagined. Yeah baby, your spouse might not be as enchanting as the scene out there at Loch Goil. The treehouse overlooking the scenic water body amidst misty hills is your wedding venue. It can accommodate 24 guests—just the right number for a small private ceremony.

Vow: I would marry you again and again provided the wedding venue remains the same.

Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, USA

Glam bam!

If you were always the filmi kind, this one’s for you. We have seen over the top Bollywood shaadis, now it’s time to add a dash of Hollywood glamour to your wedding. A Hollywood-themed wedding at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles might cost you millions of bucks but it will also bring a million dollar smile on your bride’s face.

While raising a toast you say: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walked into mine.

Lighthouse, Scotland

A Scottish ballad

Scotland is the land of romance. Imagine yourself getting married in a beautiful lighthouse from yore, overlooking the sea, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks accompanying the soft Gaelic music. The Museum of Scottish lighthouse provides you just the perfect setting for a romantic wedding ceremony.

A fantastic wedding should be followed by an equally amazing honeymoon. What do you think will be a unique way to spend your honeymoon in India or abroad? How weird can someone possibly get?

Nishi Jain

Nishi Jain spent some precious years of her life studying English literature, editing novels, and writing newspaper articles. Then one day, as she was sitting under a tree with no branches, a rotten pancake fell on her head from the window above and she had her Newtonian moment. From then on, all she does is eat pancakes, write, and profess fake love to pastry chefs.

Nishi Jain – who has written posts on WAH Blog.