Think you had a rough time of it on your wedding day? Consider Donna Fay and Erik Gainer of Fort Thomas, who donned masks, fins and wetsuits last month to exchange vows inside the shark tank at the Newport Aquarium.
"We won this contest with a radio station," recalls Gainer. "We had faxed in our top five reasons for wanting an underwater wedding, and we won."
Real TV covered the ceremony as Hamilton County Pleas Court Judge Robert Ruehlman, a certified scuba diver, officiated among the toothy wedding guests. Why an Ohio judge in Newport? "We couldn't actually find a Kentucky judge who was a scuba diver," Gainer says.
Yes, some couples choose to forgo a walk up the aisle - the aisle of a traditional church, anyhow. The Gainers represent a growing sentiment for wacky weddings. Dozens of couples, for instance, "took the plunge" and got married on The Drop Zone ride at Paramount's Kings Island last year.
"It's amazing. I've had people get married on bridges," notes Stephen L.J. Hoffman, a Justice of the Peace in Covington. "On the Suspension Bridge, there's a little landing portion up there. A flight attendant from Delta and her husband had a nighttime wedding.
"I had to do a wedding at the Ameristop in Covington once. The guy met his girlfriend there when he was a cashier. I've done weddings in maternity wards - why people wait that long I don't know - on the U.S.S. Nightmare floating haunted house, at a White Castle, in a parking lot (the guy was a vice president at Central Parking Systems), Jack Quinn's, Pompilio's, Dee Felice, Licking Riverside B&B and Carneal House B&B. I had one couple who wanted to do it at Riverfront Stadium, but Mike Brown said no."
One of Hoffman's most unusual experiences was marrying a couple aboard a chartered Flamingo Air jet out of Lunken Airfield.
"Does it surprise me when someone comes up with an even newer, more outlandish one?," asks the plucky justice of the peace. "Not anymore. Will I jump out of a plane one day? Sure."
Hoffman says people wonder if he's not taking the romance out of weddings when he officiates at such crazy ceremonies.
"I disagree," he says. "If it's really stupid, like a nude wedding, I won't do it. But if you do it at Ameristop, and the reason is (the couple) met there, then there's a romantic reason. I say follow your heart. It's your life, not anyone else's."
Here, in no particular order, are some nutty places for nuptials:
The Beach Waterpark
2590 Waterpark Drive, Mason.
398-SWIM.
"Yes, we've had marriages here," says Doug Martin, marketing director for The Beach. "We had a marriage out here last summer. And somebody got engaged at our holiday fest in December. Our Santa was the one holding the ring. The guy proposed while the woman was sitting on Santa's lap."
The 35-acre waterpark has water slides, inner-tube rides, a wave pool-in short and lots of wild rides to accompany your wild ride.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams. 421-3888.
"We had someone get married on the Smoke on the Mountain set, which was a rustic little chapel with pulpit," says Peter Robinson, public relations director. "Not during a performance, of course. They actually first met at a play here."
Cincinnati Zoo
3400 Vine St., Avondale. 281-4700.
"Oh, sure, we've had people get married here," says Chad Yelton of the public relations department. "Marriages, of course, are more rare than just standard receptions, but we had somebody get married on the bridge overlooking the white lions. It's pretty popular here."
Consider the new Manatee Springs complex for a taste of a Key West wedding. Or "Jungle Trails" for the animal in you.
The Maisonette
114 E. Sixth St., Downtown. 721-2260.
"Yes, we've had weddings here," remarked the reservation manager we called. Of course, The Maisonette being oh-so-reserved and well-mannered, the manager wouldn't spill the beans on exactly who got married.
Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter
10 W. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington. 261-2900.
"We had a small wedding in our gazebo last year," said the front-desk clerk we called. The granite-columned gazebo is located in a soaring 14-story atrium. There's a cozy library at this hotel with fireplace and high-back leather chairs and, of course, lots of reading materials. Makes a nice place to stretch out before the ceremony.
Embassy Suites
10 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington.
261-8400.
"We sure have," the manager on duty tells us. Couples have gotten hitched in the towering atrium lobby, with its marble floors and a splashing fountain.
BB Riverboats
1 Madison Ave., Covington. 261-8500.
Get hitched aboard the open-air barge RiverRaft, the large-capacity FunLiner, the steamboat-era River Queen or an authentic replica of a Mark Twain sternwheeler.
Celebrations Riverboats Inc.
848 Elm St., Ludlow. 931-6752.
The 400-passenger excursion ship Celebrations is a popular option to BB Riverboats. As with BB, Kentucky marriage laws apply since the entire Ohio River is under Kentucky rule.
Rabbit Hash General Store
Ky. Hwy. 338 at Lower River Road, Rabbit Hash. 586-7744.
No one knows exactly why, but the general store in this village is a popular spot for marriages. Opened in 1831, the store serves sarsaparilla to the happy couple.
Behringer-Crawford Museum
1600 Montague Road, Covington. 491-4003.
If getting married among the dinosaurs appeals, consider the only museum devoted to Northern Kentucky's natural and cultural heritage. Behringer-Crawford sits atop Devou Park, offering terrific photo ops with its sweeping vista of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline.
Coney Island
6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. 232-8230.
Consider a ceremony aboard a pedalboat trip on Lake Como or atop the Ferris wheel. And, of course, there's always Sunlite Pool for a splashy reception afterwards.
Eden Park Gazebo
Mount Adams. No phone.
The gazebo at Mirror Lake is reputedly haunted by a wife who was murdered there by her husband. That tale hasn't discouraged dozens of couples from getting married on the spot.
Oceanic Adventures Newport Aquarium
1 Aquarium Way, Newport. 261-7444.
Yes, the couple mentioned in this story got married among the sharks. But there are also piranhas, Antarctic penguins and Asian fish. Five acrylic tunnels let you walk under and into the ocean and get up close and personal with sharks and other toothy denizens of the deep. And you thought your future mother-in-law was scary.
Paramount's Kings Island
I-71 and Kings Island Drive, Mason. 573-5700.
"Yes, actually, we had several couples married on the Drop Zone last summer," notes Jeffrey Siebert, marketing communications manager for Kings Island. "We already have had requests for this summer for the top of Eiffel Tower and on Son of Beast (the park's new coaster)."
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
I-275 and Donaldson Road, Hebron.
767-3144.
What a way to start a marriage: Among the hustle and bustle of jetliners and travelers. Heck, your guests can fly in, get off the plane and get right back on it after the ceremony. Yes, there's even a chapel at the airport.
Spring Grove Cemetery and ArboretumB
4521 Spring Grove Ave., Winton Hills. 681-6680.
Visit a cemetery with a wedding party? Most definitely, at least in the case of this particular graveyard. Spring Grove's name includes the word "Arboretum," and it's actually a place that's full of life. People regularly get married here, renting the chapel or simply getting hitched among the rolling hills and gardens.
Carew Tower Observation Deck
Carew Tower, Downtown. 579-9735.
The observation deck atop Cincinnati's tallest building is a cool site for a wedding, with an unobstructed view in every direction. To get there, take an elevator to the 45th floor of the Carew Tower and then walk up four flights.
Millennium Monument Center
Monmouth and York streets, Newport. 655-9500.
A few couples have already gotten married under this, the largest free swinging bell in the world. Ring in your new life together with style.
