I Got Married at Ikea
And other unusual (or just unusually honest) wedding tales.
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(Photo: Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger) |
Twins Married Twins
“We all met at a twin convention in Ohio. My identical twin and I ended up in long-distance relationships with another set of identical twins we met there, Mark and Craig. We wound up getting engaged on the same night and thought a joint wedding just made sense. My sister and I wanted to invite the same people, and that meant that our parents only had to pay for one reception. We decided to wear the same type of dress, too—mermaid style, nothing too puffy because my dad needed to walk both of us down the aisle at the same time. Now when we look back on the photos, our husbands have a hard time telling us apart!” —Darlene Nettemeier Sanders
I Was Six Months Pregnant
"I had a small wedding in my parents’ backyard—and I was nearly six months pregnant. My parents were supportive; my dad was the one who suggested I get married before the baby came, and he made me realize I wanted that, too. I found a maternity wedding dress at David’s Bridal; it was flowing and fitted around the waist. I tried not to focus on how other people thought I looked, but I do think you’re the most beautiful when you’re pregnant. I had that glow going on. I wore flat sandals decorated with flowers; heels were out of the question. We decided to make the whole day very informal, and after the ceremony I was too tired to party, anyway. We went to a restaurant and spent half the budget on filet mignon. I wanted it with blue-cheese sauce and crab cakes.” —Tiffany Moegen Hagan
Ikea Was the Venue
“I met my husband at the Elizabeth, New Jersey, Ikea ten years ago. I thought he was cute, and it turned out we were both Ikea freaks. We discovered that we had the same living-room-table sets; I also had the coordinating throw pillows to his black sofa. We spent many weekend dates at Ikea, just walking around and shopping. When it came time to get married, we decided we had to honor the store. We had the actual ceremony at my husband’s grandmother’s house, but first we went to Ikea— our 20 guests ate breakfast in the cafeteria, then a female pastor said our vows; a bunch of customers were following us around the store taking pictures. Ikea gave us a big suitcase full of merchandise with JUST GOT MARRIED engraved on the side.” —Shirley Smith
I Married My Dog
“About four years ago, I took a trip to Croatia with Sheba, my two-year-old Jack Russell terrier. We went by boat and train, and I kept stumbling on all this wedding stuff along the way: a discarded veil, a Bible, a bouquet of flowers. And then we walked into this beautiful ancient building that had once been a church but is now a polysexual performance space. It felt like a sign. I’m a performance artist; I’m fascinated by the wedding as an “event.” And so I decided I was going to marry my dog there. I put the whole thing together in three days, spreading the word around the city and even handing out flyers. About 200 people showed up! My bridesmaids were two burlesque performers. The wedding isn’t legally binding, but I know that Sheba and I will be together forever.” —Amanda Rodgers
My Groom Didn’t Make Enough Money (According to My Parents)
“When my screenwriter husband and I first got engaged, my parents didn’t say it outright, but it was obvious what they were thinking: He certainly doesn’t make enough money, but you’re not getting any younger. And then my dad’s speech at the wedding was unforgettable: His first language is Russian, so maybe certain things got lost in translation, but he spent 12 of his 15 minutes speaking about his hopes that my husband become gainfully employed and that we end up financially stable. Everyone was like, “Wow, your dad has just spent all this time wishing that your husband makes more money.” But, you know, I’m used to the way my dad is, and it didn’t stop me from having a great time. Plus he was totally overshadowed by one of my husband’s friends, whose speech included a story about jerking off.” —Anonymous