Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: 10 Weird Places to Tie the Knot
by Stacy Conradt - July 28, 2010 - 4:02 PM

q10

Getting married in a church is nice and all, but it’s awfully expected (I’m not knocking it – I got married in a church). These days, people like to get married in places that have special meaning to them – no matter how bizarre. Here are 10 quite non-traditional places to say “I Do.”

1. in the middle of a marathon. Where else but Vegas, of course. During the Las Vegas Marathon, people can stop at mile five to get married in a quick, three-minute ceremony. The reverend is a runner too, so you won’t even have to break your stride.
2. Garbage Dump. Maybe I’m a bit prissy, but if I had a $7,000 wedding dress, I definitely wouldn’t be dragging it through a garbage dump. But that’s what this bride did. She met her groom because he was the station manager at the place where she took her recycling, so they figured it was the perfect place to cement the relationship. I just can’t get over what it must have smelled like.

3. The 99 Cent Store. What better way to celebrate 9/9/09 than by getting married at the 99 Cent Store in aisle nine? That’s exactly what nine couples did last year at the 99 Cent Store Hollywood branch. The store’s wares were used for everything from cutlery to the bridal gowns.

4. The (fake) Titanic. Call me crazy, but I’m not sure I like the symbolism of getting married on the world’s most famous shipwreck. But some people do – and more than just a few. There’s a whole wedding package offered at the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri (where else?). It includes vows on a replica of the ship’s grand staircase and a ceremony presided over by a Captain Edward Smith lookalike. Iceberg not included.

5. The (real) Titanic. Even worse, in 2001, a couple won the opportunity to take a mini submarine down to check out the remains of the Titanic. While they were there, they figured, why not get married? Despite the controversy – many felt it was deeply disrespectful to the many people who died in the wreck – New Yorkers David Leibowitz and Kimberley Miller tied the knot in the sub resting on the ship’s bow.

6. Walmart. This isn’t that uncommon, actually – Walmart weddings have taken place in New Hampshire, Utah, and California. I met Paul when we both worked at Target in college and I can’t even imagine considering getting married there. And I love Target.

7. At a funeral. This one is sweet, heartbreaking and a bit odd all at the same time. Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatizion had a seven-year-old son who constantly asked his parents to get married. When young Asa was killed in a car accident while riding with his grandfather, the couple decided to honor his wish and get married at his funeral.

8. Burning Man. Enough people do this that Burning Man actually has some tips and tricks for interested couples. l

9. Alcatraz. Kuoni Travel once offered a package for couples to escape to Alcatraz to get married. It’s no longer on their site, although their two other San Francisco wedding packages – City Hall and Golden Gate Park – both include tickets to the Rock. However, at least one wedding has taken place there – the light keeper’s daughter.

10. Mount Everest. This one is going to require a little prep work, but it has been done. In 2005, a Nepalese couple became the first people to ever get married at the peak of the mountain. Other couples had attempted the feat, but in all cases both of them were not able to make the climb.

Did you get married in an unusual place or know anyone who did? I have friends who got married in Xcaret, Mexico, which is not all that unusual. It was the reception that was crazy – it was held in a cave. It was pretty much the most amazing event I have ever been to in my life.

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Comments (23)

  1. My dream wedding has always been to get married by Elvis on the Starship Enterprise… I’m thinking the one place in the world this could happen is Vegas.. :)

    posted by Laurel on 7-28-2010 at 4:10 pm

  2. Nothing too unusual, but I AM totally stoked about the Vegas Marathon Wedding!!! That would be a top choice for me:)

    posted by OkieMelissa on 7-28-2010 at 4:43 pm

  3. Don’t forget Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Malenchenko, who got married whilst on the International Space Station! Somehow, the state of Texas allows people to get married via vodeoconference. Weird, but okay. How’s that for unusual?

    posted by Jennifer on 7-28-2010 at 4:50 pm

  4. Interesting! But, the link in the “Burning Man” section is broken…it gives a 404 error!

    posted by Lissa on 7-28-2010 at 4:53 pm

  5. I live in Branson and I had no clue the Titanic museum did weddings. But the staircase is really pretty.
    And I think it would be awesome to have a star wars/ star trek wedding.

    posted by Kishiki on 7-28-2010 at 7:04 pm

  6. Laurel, you used to be able to get married on the Enterprise at the Las Vegas Hilton. Sadly, the Hilton removed the Star Trek Experience a few years ago.

    My husband and I got married on a beach in Hawaii. Not unique, but entirely awesome.

    posted by Sara on 7-28-2010 at 7:43 pm

  7. One of the CSM’s in the Danville Ky Walmat got married in the store. She was so well liked and respected the store covered it. Of course it was also used to sell wedding inspired merch

    posted by Kristi on 7-28-2010 at 9:25 pm

  8. @ Laurel:
    I’m not a big Elvis fan, but married on the Enterprise? Sign me up! The only trick would be decided what part of the Enterprise to hold the ceremony in…for me it’s a toss-up between the bridge & 10-Forward :)

    posted by sammylee on 7-28-2010 at 10:58 pm

  9. So… I got married at San Francisco city hall. And it was lovely, it really was (it also may have been the most San Francisco of weddings – a lesbian couple before, a gay couple after, and us – a mixed race couple – in the middle). But I live a half hour away! I can’t imagine flying halfway around the world to get married there! Unless that travel company has worked out something that offers a private ceremony, the minister takes 3 couples at a time and each couple’s ceremony lasts about 15-20 minutes tops. Not exactly worth upwards of $2000 in my book, especially since the packages didn’t seem to include flight or hotel.

    posted by Katie on 7-28-2010 at 11:06 pm

  10. Years ago I worked at Howe Caverns in upstate NY. We had a place inside the cave where people could (and did) get married. There’s even a heart-shaped, backlit piece of calcite embedded in the floor. Of course, legend has it that the daughter of Lester Howe (who discovered the cave) was the first to tie the knot there.

    posted by Matt on 7-28-2010 at 11:35 pm

  11. There was a couple that got married during RAGBRAI yesterday, it’s a huge week-long bike ride across the state of Iowa.

    posted by Laura on 7-29-2010 at 12:06 am

  12. I used to work at Six Flags in New Jersey, and on 07-07-07, 7 couples were married on 7 different roller coasters simultaneously.

    posted by John on 7-29-2010 at 1:38 am

  13. I had a traditional wedding myself. But a friend of mine from work got married on his lunch break down at city hall. They both worked together, so they took an hour for lunch, went down to city hall, tied the knot and went back to work. 17 years and 2 kids later, they are still going strong. I love the guy, and I think the world of him, but I thought that was funny and a bit weird.

    posted by Eric on 7-29-2010 at 9:25 am

  14. I also met my husband when we both worked at Target. Would never, ever want to be married there though! We actually got married in an old-fashioned Soda Shoppe. It was much cheaper than all the other venues we looked at, and the food was amazing! :)

    posted by Sandimonium on 7-29-2010 at 9:38 am

  15. I was wedding photographer (and site paramedic) for a couple from the volunteer fire department who got married in front of the station – fire truck and ambulance in the background, fire chief standing in as best man.Since most of the groom’s party (and a couple of the bridesmades) were all members they all wore dress blues (uniform) instead of tuxedos.

    posted by LawnDartCatcher on 7-29-2010 at 9:56 am

  16. We are getting married on 10-10-10 on the front steps of my aunts house. The New Orleans saints play at 3pm that day so there will be a tailgate party immidiatly following the very short ceremony!

    posted by jo on 7-29-2010 at 10:18 am

  17. I’m getting married in September on a ship in the middle of Loch Linnhe in Scotland, in the shadow of Ben Nevis. I’m travelling from Alabama, and my groom from England for it. We met there on vacation and are getting married on the anniversary of the day we met.

    posted by Ava on 7-29-2010 at 10:33 am

  18. My cousin got married this year minutes before he and his new wife ran in the Boston Marathon….

    posted by J-me on 7-29-2010 at 1:35 pm

  19. We were at the wedding at the funeral. It was a surprise for everyone. Very odd, but very touching at the same time.

    I’m planning a wedding AND a marathon for next year, seemslike it would be so much easier to combine… except I’d have to get the groom to run 26.2 miles too!

    posted by Shawn on 7-29-2010 at 2:08 pm

  20. I also live in Branson, although I knew they did weddings at Titanic.

    I work at the local amusement park, Silver Dollar City, and one of the women I’ve worked with was married there. She and her husband both worked there, so they got a deal on having a wedding there. She was very proud of the fact that the whole thing cost only a couple hundred dollars, which was great if it made her happy, but I think I would rather not get married at the same place I work. I guess I’m just a traditionalist, although I do want to have a lightsaber duel at my wedding, and I’m going to order a pair of Converse in my wedding colors to wear at the reception.

    posted by Kate on 7-30-2010 at 1:11 am

  21. There’s a couple from Brooklyn who got married in zero gravity aboard a/the vomit comet. (I was super jealous that they beat me to it.) http://bit.ly/oKuEe

    posted by Stephanie on 7-30-2010 at 10:30 am

  22. That’s great to see that the Titanic Museum in Branson made the list!

    Even if you’re not getting married there, it’s a really cool place to check out while you’re in town.

    posted by Branson Traveler on 1-15-2011 at 2:01 pm

  23. There is a cave in MN that is called Niagara Cave that has a chapel in it.

    posted by Ozma88 on 9-13-2011 at 12:45 pm

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