Wedding planning for the seriously non-traditional wedding - first thoughts.

As a wedding videographer, one would expect me to have a plethora of wedding ideas to choose from after all the ceremonies and receptions I've taped. From my point of view, the way that the events drag on and on during the eight or so hours I'm chronicling this important moment in two people's lives, the less I envision myself in the same situation a year or so from now. I guess our version of celebrating our union is quite different from everyone else's. The idea of a poofy dress, a church, figuring out how to feed 50+ people, and dancing just don't turn me or Matt on. Our visions of a wedding ceremony involve a long motorcycle journey with a scenic view, no church, and a very small group of people, if there is even a group at all. A gown and a tuxedo would be replaced with a pair of custom Aerostitch jackets and somewhere in between we'd travel on some of the most beautiful roads in the northeastern United States, places that we've never ventured and sights we've always wanted to see together.

The challenge in finding any help in this department is that most people would think that we're crazy for not even considering a dress or a church. I can't find a single published book or website that caters to the person who says "no" to the wedding dress, the reception, a wedding party, and all the foo-foo traditions that are only done because every typical wedding expects it to happen. Why does the only unique part of "destination wedding" end at flying somewhere else to perform the same traditions with an exotic flare? As humorous as it may sound, I really don't want a bunch of people seeing Matt's head up my dress. As for the idea of a reception or wedding party would be nice, face it, we've moved too far away from the people that we know. We're already up a creek budget wise even thinking of pulling the ceremony itself off. I still wonder how the weddings I've taped are even pulled off. I bet they have the support of family members; mine has pretty much disowned me for reasons that could take up another blog post.

Now being in Columbus, our plans have changed to focus on our new locale and what may lie ahead in the next year or so. Maybe someday we'll find a way to return to CA to celebrate some part of our wedding, but honestly I'd just go for an afternoon of Daphne's Greek Cafe with friends who'd be willing to eat Greek food.