Whether it’s a traditional church or on the Las Vegas strip, a wedding venue is often a chapel.
But over the past few decades vows have been exchanged in new and often bizarre ways.
And while an idea coming to a Middlesex County town isn’t entirely unique it is different.
Outside the Trinity Chapel in Ailsa Craig wedding planner Tessa De Almeida is pondering ways to make her company’s next exchange of vows perfect.
But the ceremony won’t take place at the chapel. Instead, it set for Ailsa Craig’s Main Street.
De Almeida and her team at Safire and Lily events are offering to perform a wedding ceremony, for free, during a parade.
“What if we got a couple that legitimately wanted to get married on our float, how cool would that be?”
In part, it is an idea taken from London’s 2017 Pride parade where a couple tied-the-knot.
But while Pride is all about celebrating love, the parade selected for Ailsa Craig’s wedding has another big attraction people come to see — Santa Claus.
De Almeida said the ceremony, on Saturday, Dec. 10 won’t overshadow him.
Tessa De Almeida, a wedding planner in Ailsa Craig, Ont. is looking for a couple to be married during the town Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 10, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
“Hopefully we’ll be a little ahead of him. We did throw around the idea of having our officiant in a Santa suit, but we didn’t want to upstage the big guy in red,” said De Almeida.
The lucky couple, selected by testimonials or a draw, depending on the number of entries on social media, will get a free ride to wedded bliss.
They will not pay for the float decor, the officiant or the photographer and photo book. All they need is a marriage license, warm and jolly wedding attire and a way to get here.
If all goes according to plan, the wedding ceremony near the intersection of Queen and Main streets in Ailsa Craig’s east end will then take about 25 minutes to pass along the parade route.
The couple should be saying their ‘I do’s’ by the time the float reaches the community centre.
In the small community with plenty of history, a wedding traveling down the Main Street is a first. The chair of the local village association is thrilled.
“I thought it was brilliant. I just thought, ‘Why not?’” said Heather Otten, chair of Ailsa Craig Village Association
Planning for the float design is underway but it is hoped the trailer will hold key members of the wedding party.
And with everything taking care of, the happy couple will surely be “floating” with happiness.