h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So far, I've only attended traditional weddings based on one sect of Christianity or another. Some of them have been sweet, others bitter sweet, and a couple were unbearably preachy (in my admittedly biased estimation).

I'd like to hear about non-traditional weddings. Goth weddings? Pagan weddings? Weddings for agnostics and atheists? And to look at another side, how about same-sex weddings? Any weddings with more than two people tying the knot?

Traditional weddings result in divorce about half the time. Are untraditional weddings any more or less successful?

If you've attended or held an unusual wedding, please describe it. And tell me. Are the married people in question still together?

Don't hold an untraditional wedding. If you are so much of and ateist or satan worshipper or whatever that you can't stand a traditional wedding, just sign some papers (BTW: 'You' used as the person getting married)
Untraditional wedding are much more often than not regreted in time. There are som points of your life that you want to be grand, your wedding is one of them.

Are you telling people who aren't straight or Christian to forego any sort of communal ceremony because it won't be "grand" enough? That sounds a bit prejudiced to me.

You're reminding me of the "don't ask; don't tell" policy for gays in the American military. Obviously, there are people for whom traditional weddings aren't entirely an option. Do you honestly feel they should completely give up on the pageantry, family support, and wedding gifts associated with weddings, and quietly sign a piece of paper in private in a fashion that won't so much as notify an ex of the change in status?

Many traditional marriages are also later regretted (too expensive, poor weather outside, vows later recanted). But I would never dream of telling a couple to forego their ceremony. That would be over-stepping outside the bounds of propriety. Why is this different?

I now (a bit to late) realize that I have writen something totally different than I wanted to say.

So to explain:
What I was warning people of, was to get married jumping of a bridge, jumping parachute or riding motorbikes.
Pagan changes of status, have nothing to do with christianity, and therefore i doesn't see them as unusual weddings, I simply doesn't see them as weddings at all.
Now to really show how f**k-up my head is:
I am a ateist, but my disbelieve is so strong that; if my future wife wants a christian wedding, I'm going to church

I may be missunderstanding you but, did you mean that a pagan marriage or ceremony dose not actually exist? I have been to several pagan ceremonies and all of them were real weddings, very special, and very meaningful.

Why do you not see them as weddings? In my opinion (do not take it personally as I said this is my opinion) that is a very norrow minded way to see someone elses choice.

I dunno. Getting married while parachuting is almost guaranteed to garner a media blitz. You have a perfect excuse for limiting the size of the wedding party, and you will almost certainly get free video footage of the event. If you're lucky, you might even get wedding presents from people who saw you on television. What's not to like?

I understand what you are trying to tell me, though. While "novelty" weddings are certainly included in the topic of unusual weddings, I also meant to include other non-traditional weddings of a more serious nature. I thought my original post was fairly clear on this, but perhaps not.

Great! Someone who has attended a few pagan ceremonies. How are they different from the traditional sort?

Pagan ceremonies tend to be different in that they are usually very personal to the couple and the alchohol tends to be pleantful and homemade.
Actually, I have been privledged to attend two pagan ceremonies, both were very different but lots of fun. One was a very small ceremony, just friends and close relatives, held in a private home on Winter Soltice. The other was held outdoors during summer at a pagan festival that drew over 400 people. The wedding was the highlight of the weekend.
Both couples had been together for several years and each was "grand" in it's own way. There was no doubt that were married in every sense of the word.
I think the thing to keep in mind is that a wedding is basically an announcement to the community that you, yes, you are now part of a marriage. It all depends on how you choose to make that announcement.

All of the pagan wedding I have attended have been very small gatherings, close friends and family, and the usual beverage of choice is home-made mead. yummmmy

One held on Beltaine (spring feastival) it was held in the woods next to a spring creek (the high priest or priestess uses spring water to bless the chalise, rings, if used, etc.) it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended.

The receptions held after are incredible, everyone drinking, danceing, and singing and no fighting or arguing.

And my earlier comment was directed at Lewis who said, now I may have interpertaed it wrong but, he doesn't concider pagan weddings at all.

I've been to a number of International weddings.

English/Spanish
English/German
English/Greek
English/Korean

All have their own little excentricities depending on which national identities are being bound in Matrimoney. And it's good to hear the key parts getting translated.

One unusual wedding I went to was a mid 1980s white wedding, in church, with all the trimmings - horse drawn carriage, formal wedding breakfast for approx 200, free bar, reception with disco and huge buffet, hundreds of guests... 4 different kinds of favours, plus wedding cake, cigars and after dinner mints on all the tables... you name it, it was there.

I was later told by the great aunt of the bride (got a lot of cousins twice or more removed) that the cost wast £14,000 (goodness knows how much it'd cost now for the same thing), and the bride & groom stayed together for 3 months. The father of the bride had to just shrug it off as a really good party The bride is now divorced for the second time, having got a very good divorce settlement both times. Make of that what you choose.


My own wedding was small scale (11 guests), in one of the nicer London registry offices, at Beltaine. A friend did the photography, I did the dress, flowers, & favours, partner did the invites on the computer, and there was no reception or meal afterwards. Also wore green, and the rings were silver (made to order, not mass-produced).

After waiting several years for partner's ME to be stable enough to plan this, it was just such a relief to get it done at last. IMHO it was as meaningful (but in a different way) as our handfasting, which we managed to get done several years earlier.

Your wedding sounds very nice.

The other wedding you describe sounds like an investment on the bride's part, only using somebody else's money.

I can't believe I didn't respond to this five years ago! My cousin had 2 weddings - the guy she married was Indian, so they had a traditional Indian ceremony one week, and then a traditional Christian wedding the next.
The Indian wedding seemed from what I can recall a much less structured, more relaxed affair, at least from the point of view of the guests - they were sitting in a corner being married, for a lot of the time, and we were socialising. Some of the groom's family did some traditional dancing, too, but I'm not sure how related to the actual wedding bit that was.
The marriage has lasted - 10 years later they are still very happy, with two darling little boys, one of which I met for the first time a couple of months ago

My wedding concept is to go up to the mountains to a favorite camping spot and hold the wedding at an outcrop overlooking a deep valley.

Hold it at sunset. Invite everyone we know and tell them that if they are willing to pitch a tent and bring their lawnchairs we would love to have them. They are free to wear tuxes/dresses if they want, but I think jeans and a nice shirt would be quite appropriate.

My minister thinks the idea of a ceremony under God's canopy is quite appropriate and is willing to do an abbreviated traditional Anglican service (is that an oxymoron?). If it rains, we'll throw up an few awning for protection.

My youngest sister, a celtic singer, will sing at the appropriate times.

After, its back to the campfire to enjoy steaks and ale (or other beverages of choice) and celebrate under the moon and stars.