Adventure wedding experience

You save and plan for the perfect day, and the beginning of your marriage often results in a 20-minute ceremony, a rushed reception with the first dance, cake-cutting and all of the ceremonial traditions. You spend about two minutes at each guest table to say thank you for coming. With the best of intentions, you have a hard time slowing the day down and connecting with the people who do life with you during one of the most significant moments. One of the biggest challenges a bride and groom faces is being able to truly share the experience together with people you care about. Why not consider adding an adventure as part of your wedding celebration with your bridal party, or family and close friends, that offers more opportunities for time together? Destination weddings offer a great adventure, but it will limit who may experience it with you. If the budget does not align with international travel, consider a closer weekend adventure.

If your wedding is in an off-peak month, you will automatically save on travel weekends. A beach weekend in fall or winter is one of the most affordable getaways using home rental services or brand hotels with block pricing. A memorable wedding complete with a horseback ride along the beach could be hundreds less in February or October. And, the beach is a natural backdrop for a gorgeous golden hour sunset wedding, which reduces the amount of money and time you’ll need to spend on decor.

If that still exceeds your desired budget or isn’t quite adventurous enough, fellow Hoosiers may consider an off-road vehicle/camping/glamping weekend adventure for your bridal party or wedding guests. This hidden gem located just minutes from Vignette Farms is Badlands in Attica, an 800+ acre off-roader’s paradise complete with sand dunes, wooded trails, streams, mud, and terrain for both experienced and beginning off-roaders. Extend your time together and stay on property in their one- and two-bedroom camping villas or three- to five-bedroom houses available to rent. They also have a new grand lodge complete with kitchen and great room that sleeps 22 people.

Another nearby adventure is a hike along the picturesque Portland Arch, a state nature preserve where Bear Creek flows through and has created a massive sandstone formation and natural bridge. Portland Arch is the only place in Indiana where Canada berry can be found. Cliffs, forests, open prairies, spring-seep wetlands, and savannas - all offering an abundance of plants, wildflowers, and trees, can be observed at Portland Arch. After your hike, head to the Hooker Corner Winery in nearby Pine Village.

Getting out in nature creates memories that last. On our honeymoon, my husband and I hiked one of the twin volcanic mountains, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, in Soufriere, Saint Lucia, a Unesco World Heritage site. What an amazing experience!! The best sensory overload! Our guide led us up through the lush rain forest to see sweeping views of the Caribbean and Soufriere, then to the Sulphur Springs mud bath and tropical Toraille waterfalls. We hope to conquer that hike again on our 20th anniversary in 2022!

Symbolically, an adventure wedding experience is the perfect analogy for marriage. It is challenging, rocky and rough at times, and has its ups and downs….but, if you don’t quit, you share exquisitely breathtaking, magical moments, and it is, without a doubt, rewarding and so worth the effort.

Thanks for reading,

Chris

Attica Badlands, Portland Arch, Saint Lucia waterfall and Pitons