The world is full of tales of wild and weird weddings. People get married while sky diving, scuba diving or riding on motorcycles. They get married with wedding themes that range from the beautiful and elegant to the bizarre and scary.

A minister friend related this story of a wedding at which he had officiated with a red face and more than a few stutters when we were discussing strange weddings.

A couple came to him asking that he perform their wedding ceremony but with a twist. Both the bride and the groom were blind and they wanted....maybe even needed.....their seeing eye dogs to be their attendants rather than having a maid of honor and a best man as attendants.

The minister had been asked to perform many wedding ceremonies that were less than traditional over the years but he had never been faced with dogs as a major part of the wedding party. However, under the circumstances, he agreed to perform the ceremony and let the couple's seeing-eye dog's act as attendants.

The traditional wedding plans proceeded without a problem and the big day arrived. The couple, the minister and the two seeing-eye dogs were gathered at the alter of the church and the ceremony was in progress.

As the minister related what happened next, his face got redder and his stuttering more pronounce.

It seems that the dogs found each other very....er....attractive and were proceeding to get more than a little affectionate with one another. The young couple were, of course, completely unaware of what was about to take place.

There were nervous twitters among the congregation and some shuffling of feet. The minister knew he had to do something...and do it quick. He leaned forward and whispered to the couple, "I think your dogs are about to start the honeymoon without you."

The bride and groom both tightened their grips on the leashes and issued commands to the dogs. That stopped the action and the ceremony continued without incident. However, the minister friend has vowed to never allow dogs as wedding attendants again.  

She had always wanted a fairytale wedding, as a child she and her sisters had talked about it often.  The groom riding up on his white horse, her arriving at the church in a carriage, the honeymoon in a castle in England, these were all details of the wedding.  The white gown for her walk down the isle, her little sister as the brides-maid and her older sister as the matron of honor, this was the wedding she had dreamed of all her life.  The wedding would be held in the biggest church in town, with hundreds of guests to help them celebrate, they even discussed the invitations they would send out, every detail was often discussed by the little girls as they grew into young women.

Working as often as possible when growing up, she saved towards the day when this fairytale could come true.  Every spare penny she earned went into saving for this special day, she was determined to make it happen, and worked towards that dream.

They met while riding the trails outside of town, his horse of course was white, and there was an immediate attraction, she knew he was the one she would spend her life with.  They spent the rest of the day, together, riding around and just talking.  Later that day he asked her if she would like to have dinner with him the next evening, she accepted and the romance began. 

He was as much of a romantic as she was, frequently sending her flowers; they spoke every day, spending as much time together as possible.  Their love grew, and the young woman was excited about their life together, when he asked her to marry him, she happily said yes.

The wedding was planned for early June, at the biggest church in town; everything she had spoken to her sisters about became a reality on the day of her wedding.

As the ceremony ended, the bride and groom made their way out of the church and had one surprise she had not planned.  The groom had purchase thousands of beautiful white butterflies, and they were being released as they left the church, it was like a cloud of soft feathery wings, and the perfect end to her fairytale!

Beach weddings are very popular today. Couples are opting to say their wedding vows beside the rolling ocean rather than at a church alter more and more frequently now days. It isn't hard to see why.

There probably isn't a more romantic spot on earth than the seashore at sunset with the big round orange sun just above the horizon making the ocean glow with the its last rays. A gentle ocean breeze lifting the veil of the bride and tousling the hair of the groom as they stand barefooted repeating their sacred wedding vows is as romantic as it gets.

There are many real advantages of having a beach wedding. The most obvious, of course, is that it will cost a lot less. There aren't any rules about beach wedding so whatever you choose to do is ?right'. The guests aren't confined to chairs or pews and actually participate in the ceremony if you want them to.

When there are ?pros' there are always ?cons'....it's a rule, I think. You have to take the good with the bad and that is true of beach weddings.

Beach weddings are dependent upon the mood of dear Mother Nature and she has been known to throw a tantrum at the most inopportune time...like wedding days. It's a good idea to always have an alternative wedding site arranged for just in case. 

Candles and candle ceremonies are not a good idea for beach weddings. Those gentle ocean breezes aren't conducive to keeping candles burning....not even in coves that are better protected. Candles are very romantic but you will have to choose between having your wedding on the beach or having candle ceremonies included in your wedding.

Remember, too, that there are bugs on the beach....go prepared and don't forget to provide chairs that won't sink into the sand for your elderly guests.

No, I'm not referring to a member of the Miami football team, this is a real dolphin, the kind that swims around in the ocean, jumps through rings at Sea World, eats other fish, follows ships, etc. etc.etc.!

The well known rock concert producer would travel to Eilat several times a year to spend time with Cindy, a male dolphin that is 35-years old. The bride is a 41 year old millionaire from London, who met her future husband 15 years ago, when she visited the little known resort town of Eilat for the first time.  The groom is a long time resident of the Eilat dolphin reef, where the future bride would spend time a lot of time with her future husband.  She is quoted as saying: "The peace and tranquility underwater, and his love, would calm me down."

A one year, long distance romance was torture for the future bride, and unwilling to wait for him to ask for her hand, she took the plunge herself.  Going to his trainer, she made her extraordinary proposition; she wanted to tie the knot with her deep sea sweetheart.  The trainer talked the idea over with the prospective groom and he accepted, according to the trainer.

The bride wearing a white dress, and in front of hundreds of astonished visitors, walked down the dock, a child in the crowd was heard to ask, "What kind of children would they have?"  Waiting patiently for his bride, accompanied by his dolphin best-men was the groom; she kneeled down, whispered sweet nothings to him, hugged him and kissed him to the uproarious cheers of the crowd!  Mackerels sealed the vows, and she was thrown into the water so the newlyweds could swim together.

She is quoted as saying these things, "I'm the happiest girl on earth, and I am not a pervert! We will probably spend our wedding night bowling."  Again she specified that she "was not a pervert", but had "made a dream come true."

It seemed like the logical thing to do for Don and Carmen Mullenix. They started out planning a military wedding but both of them just got overwhelmed with the details. Carmen suggested that they simply elope and be done with it but they both had friends and family that would have been very disappointed not to have been included in their wedding plans so they opted for the next best thing. They just jumped into it....from an airplane.....from 13,000 feet.

Carmen had to wear a chin strap to keep her veil from flying off when she jumped and Don wore a little bow tie...but no tuxedo. Tuxedos don't lend themselves well to sky diving. Both wore sky diving jumpsuits. After they safely landed at the Brown Field drop zone they were saying, "I do".

There is a framed photograph of them cutting their wedding cake dressed in Sky diving jumpsuits sitting on their mantle.

Both Don and Carmen are avid sky divers. They each belong to different sky diving teams but they sometimes even compete against each other as they did in the 2005 National Skydiving Championships at Perris Valley Skydiving, just north of Temecula.

The couple sky dive almost every weekend and from their back yard in Chula Vista, California you can see the Skydive San Diego drop zone in Jamul. Carmen says, "It's hard to do the household chores sometimes when you hear and see the planes in the air."

Both Don and Carmen work for the Department of Transportation. Many but not all of their friends are sky divers. They both agree that sky diving isn't for everybody....but it something that both of them love to do. Maybe that's why jumping out of a plane and into their marriage seemed like the best way to begin their life together.

Here a petal, there a petal

The excitement and enthusiasm that a child expends can wear an adult clean out, during the extended process of planning a wedding, it can get to even the most patient of people!

The six year old had been chosen as the flower girl because she always acted like a little angel, polite, considerate and always clean.  With her blond curls, and beautiful blue eyes she even looked the part.  The women planning the wedding felt it would be a real plus not to have to worry about her getting dirty just before the walk down the isle.

She practiced her walk, and they told her that on the day of the wedding she would be expected to carry a basket of flower petals, and sprinkle them in front of the bride for her to walk on.   The little blond was thrilled at the prospect, and ask so many questions, it nearly drove everyone crazy trying to keep up with her. 

She was taken to buy her new dress, shoes, and all the other beautiful things a little girl gets to wear when she is in a wedding.  She felt so grown up, and wanted to do an especially good job of giving the bride flower petals to walk on.

The day of the wedding, she dressed in her beautiful clothes, put on her new shoes, and with flowers in her hair, patiently waited to do her part.  Just before they started the wedding ceremony she was given a basket of beautiful flower petals to sprinkle in the isle.  As she took her first step, she took out a handful of flower petals and threw them down, it was beautiful and she was thrilled, she continued this until she was almost at the alter and ran out of petals, what to do now?  She decided quickly that she must have put too many down somewhere else along her journey and going back began to gather them up, shortly she went back and finished her job, there were beautiful petals for the bride to walk on right up to the alter.

This couple had everything they needed, they lived in New York, and had both established their own homes.  They didn't need another toaster, or sheets or anything else, as a matter of fact, they were having the problem of reducing the amount of things they had to be able to live in only one home.  Not an easy process to be sure!

They decided that instead of receiving gifts themselves, they would rather have their guests make donations to their favorite charity; this allowed the less fortunate to benefit from their good fortune.  When invitations were sent out the bride and groom notified the guests that they would like to have donations made rather than receive gifts.  They had contacted their favorite charities and set it up, but this was only the start of their giving attitudes!

The wedding gown and all of the brides' accessories were purchased at second hand stores, specifically the Goodwill and Salvation Army; this was so the money would go to those in need.  They purchased as many items as they possibly could used, down to decorations and gifts for each other and the attendants.

When it was time to reduce their households, they found a women's shelter, and donated everything to the shelter.  This amounted to a full household of items including beds, dishes and linens, everything a person would need to set up a home.  Somewhere a young lady that was getting out of a bad relationship was building a new home with their access, and that felt pretty good!

This couple sidetracked the normal element of self indulgence that accompanies most wedding, in every way they could think of they provided for those less fortunate than themselves during the preparation and completion of their wedding plans.  Their friends and family were so pleased with their attitudes of giving, and the charities they worked with would remember their generosity.  Because generosity is contagious, their guests donated much more than they would have if they had purchased gifts for the couple.

Their wedding was beautiful, and the estimated amount that they gave to charities through their generosity was $10,000.00.  Now that is a good way to start a new life with the one you love!

People often wonder at the wisdom of having children in the bridal party, following is a story that will help you understand their concerns.

While planning the wedding to the man she loved, the young woman decided that it would be exciting and fun to have her nephew act as the ring bearer.  Talking to others she received differing opinions about this decision, finally deciding that it would be great to have the 4 year old participate.

For many months they practiced with him, showing him how to carry the pillow, he would always lay it down carefully when he was done.  During this time they taught him everything that would be expected of him, during the ceremony.  Excited and enthusiastic, he learned quickly and everyone decided that yes, this little boy would be wonderful as the ring bearer. 

His little tuxedo was made by grandma, and he looked so cute with his hair slicked down, his black tie in place, they were all thrilled as he waited his turn to walk down the isle.  He was such a handsome little gentleman, and knew everything he was supposed to do. 

His first step into the isle, things looked great, the second and third steps, he started to wiggle a little and started walking a little funny, sidestepping every once in a while.  About half way down the isle, he carefully laid down the pillow with the precious rings tied carefully in the center, and began to remove his shoes.  The socks came next, finally the pants were removed, at which time he carefully picked up the pillow, and proceeded to complete this all important journey in his little white briefs with his ruffled white shirt, tuxedo jacket and his tie all still in perfect order.

A few giggled at this, but he was so solemn, they just let him continue, the wedding went off without another hitch.  Grandma snuck out into the isle to pick up his pants, while folding them, she noticed that she had accidentally left a pin in the hem of one of the pant legs, evidentially he had felt it, and not sure what else to do, he had removed the pants and just carried on. 

Some people consider 10 or 20 thousand dollars to be outrageous for the price of a wedding, well, hold onto your checkbook, because these two can beat that hands down!

Included in the outrageous expense:

¯     Silver boxes were sent out containing 20 page invitations.

¯     The affair took place in Paris, France.

¯     A five star Paris hotel was paid to put up 1,000 guests for the five-day celebration.

¯     Versailles hosted one party, while another was going on in a wooden castle, especially constructed in Parc de Saint-Cloud.

¯     Kylie Minogue, a pop singer performed at the party.

¯     An estimated 1.5 million was spent on wine alone.

¯     (Oh to be one of the guests!) Ladies were given luxury surprise bags of jewels, and wore special henna decorations.

This billionaire wedding topped another billionaire wedding that was held in January which included:

¯     There were 10,000 flowers used at this wedding.

¯     A reception dinner prepared by 45 chefs.

¯     The wedding cake weighed in at an amazing 200 pounds (wonder what they did with the leftovers?)

¯     Crystal was tossed by the guests instead of much cheaper glass.

¯     Two of the live performers were Billy Joel and Tony Bennett.

¯     The wedding dress weighed 60 pounds (she must have worked out in advance) made of satin, the train was 13 feet long, and was decorated with 1,500 pearls and rhinestones.

Want to know who these people were, you know how they were able to spend millions of dollars on their weddings!

The first was steel tycoon LN Mittal; he spent an amazing $60 million dollars on his daughter Vanisha's wedding.

The second was Donald Trump when he wedded Melania Knauss in January 2005,

Now you know how a billionaire spends money on their weddings!

Nearly every culture participates in marriage one way of the other! Polygamy, commonly know to most people, involves multiples wives for the same man.  Most people don't know there are also cultures where they practice Polyandry; you got it ladies, more than one husband!  Regardless of the culture, there are some pretty strange customs out there!

Here are just a few of the simpler ones:

¯     In Tanzania, the Hadza people have a straightforward approach, after the family goes to bed, the lady invites the gentleman in, if the family finds him there in the morning, you got it, they are married, no trouble, no hassle; just straightforward, get it done!

¯     In French Polynesia, specifically the Gambier Islands, believe it or not they have shortened it even more!  The couples dance together and for each other, disappear into the surrounding bushes for 30 minutes and they are married.

You guess it, there was a reason why a said a few, there are only a few that are simple, the rest get increasingly more complicated!

¯     In Tanzania, the weddings of the Chagga people are extremely complicated, it all begins (but does not end,) with an extended series of parties, rituals and feasts, in which there is so much drinking that no one is really sure when the ceremony happens, and they probably don't care!

¯     While western-style wedding are becoming more popular, there are still odd, unusual and distinct local customs, which are still practices.

o       Edo brides of Benin get a cash bonus from mom if they are virginal on the wedding night.

o       A cow is slaughtered in a traditional Madagascar ceremony, and the guests all drink the blood.

o       The priest in a Bali ceremony files the teeth of the bride and groom.

o       South African families of the bride and groom take turns singing insulting songs to each other.

o       The bride in Burkina Faso is welcomed into her new village by having milk spit on her.

¯     In Marquesasian weddings, which are still colorful, the relatives of the bride lay face down in a row, while the bride and groom make their exi over their prone bodies!

Now that is memorable!