Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Guerilla or impromptu wedding ceremony?

I'm thinking about possibly doing an impromptu wedding or guerilla wedding and wanted to know if there were any planners or officiants or anyone out there that specialized in this. I'm imagining something different -- like a ceremony in front the Alamo or in front of a painting at the MET or something like that. It would keep costs down, right? Or would security guards shoo us out?

Would love any help with this or people who specialize in helping orchestrate these types of weddings.

Re: Guerilla or impromptu wedding ceremony?

  • I would think twice about doing any wedding ceremony plan named after a war tactic.
    image
  • Absolutely agree with Retread on the Alamo.  That is not an appropriate place to do this at all and I can see those with a miltary background (think my family) being quite offended.

    I think if want to go impromptu/flash mob on this, you need to check requirements, regulations, etc.  There is a reason most places like you are thinking don't host weddings and I would think the majority of the time a permit would be required.

    I have heard girls want to try to sneak a wedding on Disney and while I've never heard of an actual attempt, I am sure it would end badly as Disney charges crazy prices to have weddings there.
  • Are you planning on having guests? It could be a problem once you begin to involve other people... If its just the two of you and your officiant, I think there could be more options as it would be easier to get around and a lot less obvious. I'm getting married on the National Mall without any guests - I couldn't imagine the logistics of a large, or even small wedding there...
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_guerilla-impromptu-wedding-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:e29fed64-e34e-4b92-9b7b-c694ad659b67Post:d7f90179-7026-4f3d-905b-1be6824f7d76">Re: Guerilla or impromptu wedding ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I would think twice about doing any wedding ceremony plan named after a war tactic.
    Posted by Simply Fated[/QUOTE]

    <div>Hahaha!  This.  </div><div>
    </div><div>Also, I fully agree with PP's.  If you must have a guerilla wedding PLEASE do not try to hold it at the Alamo.  You wouldn't try to hold your wedding at a graveyard, would you?  Same basic principle applies here.  People died there.  Try to show some respect.</div>
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I know people who've had wedding ceremonies at cemeteries.

    And people have wedding ceremonies at places where people have died all the time. People get married in Gettysburg all the time. What makes the Alamo any different? It's a tourist trap these days.

    That said, I hate the idea of flash mobs. Kind of right up there with planking, in my opinion. I'd see if the park service gives permits and just do it that way.
  • I think there is something incredibly sad about a war memorial being seen as a tourist trap.  While I think it is wierd to choose a cemetary that is quite different than the Alamo.  People died in battle, in war, at the Alamo.  That should be honored and respected and not just seen as a tourist trap.  Dead people are taken to cemetaries, didn't die there in battle in war.  Big difference.
  • If you must do it illegally it may not be worth it; do you really want your wedding interrupted by security guards escorting you off the premises?

    There is nothing wrong with a little planning and research; you don't have to hire a bunch of vendors or plan an extravagant party for it to be unique.

    If you really want to, just have it in someone's very nice backyard with just you and your fiance. Public areas are just not a good idea unless you truly don't have an issue with being arrested for a "unique" backdrop.
    Vacation White Knot
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_guerilla-impromptu-wedding-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:e29fed64-e34e-4b92-9b7b-c694ad659b67Post:6693818b-d15e-42cb-8ad5-ccfbdb1e1ab9">Re: Guerilla or impromptu wedding ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm a Civil War reenactor, and people do NOT get married at Gettysburg all the time.  That requires a permit from the National Park Service, and they rarely allow  gatherings of any kind there, out of respect for the sacred ground and concern that it and the monuments be damaged.  We are invited each year to Gettysburg to do firing demonstrations for the tourists, and are issued a permit for that.  We're allowed to camp in Pitzer's Woods, but have to observe all sorts of regulations.  We're also not allowed to move out of that space after 8 pm at night. The Alamo is maintained by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and they require that tourists behave in a respectful manner, or they are escorted off the premises.  You'd need to apply to them for permission to host an event there. <strong>Expect to be approached by security if you get married on the Mall in Washington.  They have cameras all over the place, and people everywhere since 9-11.</strong>
    Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]

    I would suggest doing research before making such a statement.  I am quite aware of security cameras and the "people" that are present on the mall, as I go running there several times a week.  With the proper permit, it is possible to hold even a large wedding on the Mall; I therefore do not expect to be approached by security.  I've attached a link to the NPS National Mall and Memorial Parks site for your convienence. 

    <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/permits-faqs.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/permits-faqs.htm</a>
  • My cousin had an "impromptu" ceremony at our family reunion.  The reunion was already planned, she and her fiance were having a hard time coming up with a date that worked for everyone, so they decided to just do it at the family reunion and whoever was there, was there.  About 15 minutes before the wedding the MOB announced that they were going to get married so we all moved chairs around and set up a makeshift aisle.  The FOB officiated, anyone who wanted to be in the wedding was invited to do so.  It was pretty fun, and totally fit them.

    If you're going to do it, I think that's the way to go.  Trying to do it in a public space would be difficult, especially if you want your guests there.  If you're looking at it as an elopement and there are no permit regulations, then go for it.
  • Many public beaches do allow this, but some require a permit, or require a permit if you have over a certain number of people.  Just check first where ever you decide to have it to avoid an embarassing scene with security (so unromantic),
  • If I didn't have to worry about family or friends or anything, I'd defintely have a guerilla wedding at The House on The Rock in Wisconsin. It's this crazy huge house that just kept getting added onto, and it's got all of these bizarre displays, like the room filled with clockwork music machines, or the room with the giant carousel, or the Infinity room, or the room with a maaaassive model of a squid and whale fight...etc, etc. I'd just take my FI, my dress, an officiant, and a photographer.

    They don't do weddings in the actual house, but the house is so huge and there are so few staff, that you could get away with it, I'm sure. And the pictures would be amazeballs.
    image
  • I found some really great guide lines from elopenewyork.com for my day...
    <a href="http://elopenewyork/" rel="nofollow">http://elopenewyork</a>.com/2012/05/flashmob-guerilla-weddings-teh-rulz.html
    Good Luck!


    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_guerilla-impromptu-wedding-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:e29fed64-e34e-4b92-9b7b-c694ad659b67Post:e8fd0f79-3333-4760-ba9f-225c7b40a4e7">Guerilla or impromptu wedding ceremony?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm thinking about possibly doing an impromptu wedding or guerilla wedding and wanted to know if there were any planners or officiants or anyone out there that specialized in this. I'm imagining something different -- like a ceremony in front the Alamo or in front of a painting at the MET or something like that. It would keep costs down, right? Or would security guards shoo us out? Would love any help with this or people who specialize in helping orchestrate these types of weddings.
    Posted by aabkowi[/QUOTE]
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards