The Most Unusual Wedding Venues
A wedding invokes a lot of strong emotions. Nearly every element of a wedding has to be planned and carefully selected so that the big day will be as memorable as possible. And for the right reasons, too.
But here’s the thing, though: we get too safe and predictable when it comes to choosing our wedding venues. Sure, that ornate cathedral, rustic barn, or sweeping seaside vista are all great option but everybody and their mothers are picking those for grand lifetime events.
If you want your wedding to be truly memorable, then the only option is to stray right off the beaten path. How do you do that? You pick the most unusual places to have a wedding at. Here are some of them.
Under the Sea
There are wedding/travel packages right now that offer underwater matrimonies. The premise is rather simple: you and your significant other say your vows before a licensed minister and seal the deal with a kiss. The only difference it has to a standard wedding? You are going to do everything a few feet below sea level.
What makes underwater weddings great is that you trade the bland and predictable wedding sights with seemingly otherworldly sights. You’ll be surprised at how beautiful the world beneath the sea can be with its schools of fishes, rays, sharks, coral reefs, and natural rock formations. And if you pick the right package, you might just have a wedding with an underwater shipwreck as the background.
Of course, weddings like these will take planning and preparation. You and your partner will have to be trained on the basics of diving and have to get used to diving gear. Also, this wedding option is only ideal if none of the parties suffer from some form of hydrophobia.
Inside Dracula’s Castle
Here’s a situation: what if you just want a standard wedding but you find your options for wedding chapels to be a bit too tame as far as their architecture and atmosphere are concerned? Let’s say you want something the right kind of brooding and gothic appeal that only a medieval fortress can offer.
If that is what you are looking for, then the Bran Castle of Romania is available for events. Not only has this place the right amount of imposing and spooky vibes, it also happens to be the castle of Prince Vlad Tepes III. You might know him more by his fictional counterpart, the vampire count Dracula.
Nearly every area inside the castle can be rented for a wedding including the castle and the courtyard. Of course, every corner is draped with the typical medieval trappings of old Romania. That includes stone pathways, tall walls, ramparts, and the personal effects of the nobles that have lived through the centuries. The only problem? There are no modern restrooms inside the castle.
Zero Gravity
Having a space wedding is slowly becoming a reality nowadays as there are some airlines that offer trips that will take you and your partner to the upper levels of the atmosphere. The Zero Gravity Corporations Zero G flight, for example, can do maneuvers that simulate a zero gravity environment. They even offer wedding flights where the bride and groom can say their vows to each other while floating freely in a weightless environment.
And if you have the patience and can hold your big day a few years into the future, the Virgin Airlines company is doing some test flights that can take passengers further above. There are even talks of the airline hosting zero gravity weddings with none other than owner Richard Branson as the officiating minister.
Mount Everest
If you want your relationship to be taken to new levels in a literal sense, then you might consider a trek in the highest mountain in the world. In 2005, a Nepalese couple managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest after several grueling days. Once there, they sealed their victory by exchanging wedding vows with each other. This would mark as the first-ever wedding to be held in the world’s highest peak.
And if Mount Everest is too far off and dangerous for your skills, then a trek in the highest peak of your local mountain will do as well. After all, the scenery can make or break a wedding. And there is nothing more breathtaking than saying your wedding vows with the entire landscape beneath you as the background.
A Burger King
This might stand out as the oddball of this selection for how seemingly mundane of a choice it is. In 2022, a couple from Guildford Surrey said their vows to each other at a local Burger King joint. The event was proper and all but topped with the couple wearing plastic crowns and sharing a meal of their favorite item to order there, a Whopper.
As to why they chose Burger King for their wedding venue, the couple explained that it was there where they first met in 2013 and had been the frequent site of their anniversaries ever since. And the couple are not the only ones that chose rather mundane places of business to tie the knot with their significant other. There are reports of couples choosing to say their vows at a CostCo, a Taco Bell, an Apple Store, a doughnut shop and even a 99 cent grocery.
The key here is to pick a place that is most memorable and unique to you and your partner. If you met each other at a local skate park, then perhaps you could have your wedding there. Of course, you might have to adjust your ceremony to fit the overall theme of the place.
An Ice Chapel
In the city of Quebec lies a unique hotel called Hotel de Glace. As the name would imply, this hotel is not made from brick or mortar but by several thousand blocks of ice and thousands of tons of snow.
The hotel does have a chapel that is available for weddings for a few months in the year. And if you worry about the freezing conditions inside, don’t. The hotel can offer rentals of wedding dresses that fit the icy theme and protect your wedding party from the cold. And if things can get too chilly inside, there is always the option to enjoy the nearby hot tub and sauna after the wedding.
A Bus
Stadhampton’s The Crazy Bear offers several unique wedding places for those that want to hold their big day at an unusual place. Out of all the options there, nothing is more unusual than an old red double-decker bus.
The place has been fitted to seat comfortably a party of 40 at both levels. And once the wedding is done, there are numerous places nearby to hold the reception at.
A Spooky Mansion
In South London lies a woodland glade with the ruins of castle in the middle. This is the House of Magic and has made a name for itself as a wedding venue for those that want an eerie atmosphere to their big day.
The guests will be dropped at the outskirts of the glade through limousines and will have to travel a short distance to the mansion proper. Once inside, the wedding party will be treated to magic shows, tours, and other bizarre performances. Also, the place allows for partying until 1 in the morning.
Going Extreme
If you want the term “take the plunge” to take on a literal sense, then perhaps something as extreme as bungee jumping might do for your wedding. A couple in Scotland recently had a wedding where they say their vows to each other……..before taking a 140-feet bungee jump. That’s right: two people in full wedding attire decided to say their vows as they plummeted to the earth below.
This isn’t the only wedding where the couple took a big leap as they said their vows. In 2008, a couple and their minister leap from a plane 1000 feet above the ground and had a wedding in free fall. The sight might have been spectacular but all that rushing wind made the vows a bit too hard to hear for the parties. Fortunately, all three managed to land safely and the wedding was successful.
Of course, as with a lot of extreme wedding concepts, all parties must undergo intense training a few weeks before the big day. At most, it helps them get used to the gear. At least, this helps them calm their nerves with each successive test jump.
To Conclude
When it comes to wedding venues, you are only limited by your creativity and budget. But of you want something truly memorable, you might want to explore all your options first. The point here is to pick a place that is going be memorable for you and your partner and for all the right reasons.
Of course, you can have these options discussed with a wedding planner as well as other experts. After all, the goal of the wedding is to set both of you up for a lifetime of love and companionship. That means both of you have to make it through that day with your bank accounts safe and all your limbs intact.
The crazy bear bus:
Bungee jump wedding in scotland:
Mount everest wedding:
Dracula Castle Wedding:
Crazy Bear Wedding when you want different – Mark Seymour
Couple take the plunge in bungee jump wedding ceremony
Main header picture: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Burger King)
