A Professional Bridesmaid's Observations on Unique, Romantic Wedding Events

If you look at the wedding photos, I'm usually the one on the end, clenching my bouquet, focused on my smile and not locking my knees. My nana sighs at the pictures, "Always a bridesmaid, never the bride." I've thought about opening a used bridesmaid dress shop, as my guestroom closet, a rainbow of colors pinched together, is full of old bridesmaid dresses. I have all kinds of dresses, some with spaghetti straps and, unfortunately, some with spaghetti stains. But beyond the dresses, along my wedding-way, I have also collected my favorite, uniquely romantic wedding highlights from all these events. I paid careful attention as each bride walked down the aisle, so you could say I've become an expert of creative ideas for the bride and groom. Of all the weddings I've been a part of, three in particular took the cake, so to speak, and are my most romantic memories.

Bill and Lanie, married last summer, added an intriguing component of audience participation to their outdoor ceremony. They had thoughtfully arranged all the details, but the clincher at this wedding was the hand-carved box that was passed through the entire crowd during the ceremony. Inside the smooth box, the officiator explained at the beginning, were the bride and groom's wedding bands, elegantly tied with ribbon, that were to be passed around for loved one's personal blessings and well-wishes. The box, at nearly perfect timing, ended up in the young ring bearer's lap, who then, only after the bride and groom's mothers had sprinkled a circle of rose pedals around the couple, delivered it to the podium to complete their vows.

Imagine a waterfall cascading along the Columbia River Gorge as a crowd of people, dressed to the nines, sit in rows at the water's edge. Bridal Veil Falls, a short splash from Multnomah Falls and a popular spot for weddings, was witness to another romantic move that surely left guests talking for days. When Colin and Carrie got married last year, the guests sat patiently in their seats looking at their watches, awaiting the wedding party. On time, the groom and the reverend silently paddled up to the anxious crowd in a canoe to begin the ceremony. This natural, aquatic arrival was not only very Oregon, but also very romantic.

There was no need for bags of rice or tiny bubbles at Brittany and Craig's wedding last fall. They instead passed out Monarch butterflies that were released as they walked from the altar as husband and wife. Guests released each butterfly, encased in a delicate envelope and kept in a climate-controlled space, as someone from the wedding party read an old Indian legend. The legend, in short, encouraged the crowd to whisper a wish to the captured butterfly before it was set free. The legend declares that since butterflies can't speak, it would forever keep the secret wish for the couple and take it to the heavens. The sea of winged color was not only romantic, but also breathtaking, as each butterfly and wish for their future was given wings.

These stunning moments, witnessed by hundreds of tearful eyes and warm hearts, are sure to be on any of the guests' short list of exquisitely memorable weddings. I may never open that used dress shop, but I will always remember with a striking recollection the platinum rings coupled gently in the box and the way it lovingly moved through the crowd. I'll never forget the way Colin floated on misting water to the altar. And locked in my memory is the vision of Monarch butterflies, flapping their bright wings, carrying well-wishes for Brittany and Craig. And even if I'm forever only a bridesmaid and never the bride, each romantic memory, wrapped in ingenuity and love, will live on in my mind and in the hue of each dress.

By Gina Daggett

Published in Portland Tribune, 7 February 2003