When most people think of a destination wedding, they aren’t thinking about having it in the middle of the wilderness. Its one thing to get on a plane and fly to Paris or Hawaii to have your wedding somewhere magical, but it’s another thing all together to hike for several hours to tie the knot. However, there are many advantages to having a wilderness wedding that you can’t get with any other type. There are certain types of beauty on planet Earth that you simply need to walk to in order to truly appreciate, and having a wedding at that site can be truly magical.
Imagine for a minute that you get to say your wedding vows with a glacier that is tens of thousands of years old. Or maybe an ancient lake that is locked in the Rocky Mountains is more your idea of heaven. These places only exist because they are so difficult to reach, so if you want the benefits you need to do the work of hiking out there. Assuming you already are set on having a wilderness wedding, here are some ways you can make it special while staying in touch with nature.
Bride’s Entrance
One of the most important parts of the ceremony is when the bride makes her first appearance. Some brides like to show up in a limo, others in a horse drawn carriage, but none of the traditionally methods are going to work in a wilderness wedding. Instead, consider having the bride arrive via water in a kayak or canoe. If there isn’t water nearby, you can even have here ride up on a mountain bike. It’s really a matter of both preference and what will work in a given area of wilderness, so figure out what works and make sure that it stays in touch with nature.
Wedding Decorations
Even though you’re in the middle of the wilderness and there’s plenty of natural beauty all around you, you can still do a few things to spruce up the area. First off, you probably want to find some rocks or logs for your guests to sit on (if you’re having guests) so they can relax after the long hike in. Additionally, you can use nature’s resources to create a great aisle using leaves and other indigenous plants. If you want to add some more light and keep the insects away, consider sticking some 36 inch wedding sparklers into the ground along your wedding aisle and lighting them. They aren’t technically part of nature, but the smoke they produce will keep the insects away while making your ceremony a little more fun.
Wedding Reception
After any great wedding, the next thing you want to do is have a wedding reception. Since you’re in the middle of the wilderness, you aren’t going to have the open bar, live band, and food buffet like a typical wedding, but you can still make it amazing. Have everyone pitch a tent and light up a campfire and groove to some great conversation under the stars instead of hiring a DJ. Through some meat on a spit to serve to your guests and you have the makings of an unforgettable wilderness wedding excursion.
