Okay, so looking at Danielle's Vegas wedding photos in the new dresses thread got me seriously thinking about my time working as a wedding photographer, for two years, in Las Vegas (of all places!).
Needless to say, I've seen my fair share of unique weddings. Here's the story of my favorite one...
I show up to shoot a wedding in a place called Bonnie Springs, Nevada. This place is in the middle of the desert, like, WAY out in the middle of the desert. Its modeled after an old mining town, and is sort of like a mini theme park in that way (best way I can describe it, but is super tiny, a one street kinda town). I show up early, as I have NO idea whats going to happen for this wedding. I find the place where the wedding is about to take place. All the seats are set up - facing a very large platform with a NOOSE hanging down (one of my first implications what this is going to be a "wtf" wedding).
People are all sitting down, and its obvious the ceremony is about to start. I have NO idea where to look or whats about to happen (this is not typical for when I'm shooting a wedding, these people - they just didn't tell me anything!). I start hearing a bunch of yelling and gun fire from the direction of the building that had "bank" written on it. Out come two guys, dressed in full western get up, and they're dragging the groom out - in hand cuffs. They take him up the stairs, and put the noose around his neck (!!!), and are yelling at him that he's not going to get married today, because he was robbing the bank or something.
THEN, out of no where, the bride's father comes out - with a shot gun (of course). He starts yelling at the men to unhand the groom, while aiming the shot gun at them. He finally "buys" the grooms freedom, by throwing a bag of gold at the two men. The men take the gold, and the father of the bride frees the groom from the handcuffs and the noose. He then goes and gets his daughter, and walks her down the isle. This is when it turned into a "normal" wedding. (besides everyone square dancing during the reception)
Basically, imagine about twenty minutes worth of yelling and gunfire by men dressed like Clint Eastwood, and that was the intro to the wedding....
