First of all, the person performing the wedding doesn't have to be a minister, a ship's captain, or even an "official" of the State. Any person can marry a couple and then report or register it with the State whenever they get back to civilization. Actually that makes it a lot more personal to have your friends marry you instead of some stranger.
And, of course, weddings can be in quite exotic places.
Here is one that was published last month in Kodiak's paper.
They married at the Kodiak's Resanov Museum, among friends & family.
And, yes that is a bear under their feet.
Other "on-lookers" included a stuffed eagle and I think an otter as well.
And here is one of our friend's wedding, on the beach.
Married in a gown brought form India, under the watchful eye of a seal who kept looking over the waves, as ne noticed something going on that he had never seen before.
Of course, since a wedding is a formal affair, the guest are wearing their "best" to the ceremony. But just in case there is a chance for a hike before or after the big event, here it is completely appropriate to wear you Xtra Tuf rain boots on such occasions.
And, if you still don't see the "flavor" of life in Kodiak and Alska, here is an article from this Monday's Kodiak Daily Mirror newspaper.
Of course, there are the last minute touch-ups.
We don't think we could summarize it any better than the paper's writer. So we'll just copy and paste it here in its entirity:
A river wedding
"The bride wore an elegant
sleeveless white gown. The groom donned a purple and yellow striped shirt with
purple tie. Both wore hip waders.
Kodiak has been the scene of unique weddings before, but the marriage of Dake Schmidt and Kadie Walsh may take top prize. On Saturday afternoon, the pair waded in the middle of the Buskin River, accompanied by their wedding party.
For the operators of MemoryMakers Tour and Guide service, the scene was a reminder of how they work and play.
“That’s about as Kodiak as it gets,” Schmidt said after emerging from the water.
Schmidt, a fishing guide and photographer, and Walsh, who also runs Smarty
Pants Graphics, met about nine years ago at the former Buskin River Inn, a
hotel and restaurant on the banks of the river.
Since then, they’ve worked together and lived together as Schmidt opened a photography studio and ran his fishing guide business. Walsh started her own graphic design business and continues to help with the guiding operation.
A one-year hiatus in their long friendship only cemented their bond. “It was a long time coming, supposedly,” Schmidt said of the ceremony and his friends’ reaction to the announcement.
Groomsmen and bridesmaids alike carried fly fishing rods into the river — the groomsmen’s were strung in yellow, the bridesmaids’ in purple.
The wedding couple’s rings arrived in the mouths of a pair of fresh-caught king salmon kept in a cooler for the purpose.
After the pair exchanged vows, pledging to stick together “in big houses and small, fish slime and all,” they exited the river beneath a ceremonial archway formed by the fishing rods held by the wedding party.
As spectators left for the wedding reception, the new Dake and Kadie Schmidt found a quiet corner of the river to catch their first fish together — a pair of pink salmon — before joining the party.
Since then, they’ve worked together and lived together as Schmidt opened a photography studio and ran his fishing guide business. Walsh started her own graphic design business and continues to help with the guiding operation.
A one-year hiatus in their long friendship only cemented their bond. “It was a long time coming, supposedly,” Schmidt said of the ceremony and his friends’ reaction to the announcement.
Groomsmen and bridesmaids alike carried fly fishing rods into the river — the groomsmen’s were strung in yellow, the bridesmaids’ in purple.
The wedding couple’s rings arrived in the mouths of a pair of fresh-caught king salmon kept in a cooler for the purpose.
After the pair exchanged vows, pledging to stick together “in big houses and small, fish slime and all,” they exited the river beneath a ceremonial archway formed by the fishing rods held by the wedding party.
As spectators left for the wedding reception, the new Dake and Kadie Schmidt found a quiet corner of the river to catch their first fish together — a pair of pink salmon — before joining the party.
Jason Fox, a friend of Dake Schmidt, presided over the wedding ceremony. Fox met Schmidt when the two worked at Pillar Creek fish hatchery. “We just became instant fishing buddies right away,” Fox said.
Though he no longer lives in Kodiak, Fox jumped to come to the island when he heard Schmidt and Walsh were committed. Having the ceremony in the river was simply an added bonus. “Knowing Dake, I couldn't imagine him doing it anywhere else.”
Read more local stories form the North Pacific island of Kodiak (our former home) at:
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