In “Father of the Bride,” the 1950 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy, a very young and beautifully gowned Taylor vanishes from her lavish wedding reception only to reappear in a smart traveling costume. Just as quickly, she and her new groom are whisked off in a car to live happily ever after.
Exiting — almost fleeing — a wedding reception to get on with the business of being married was the formula of the era. In Taylor-like tradition, scores of newlyweds left their nuptials with scant ceremony after the cake had been cut. As often as not, the groom would be at the wheel of a nondescript car notable only for a tail of noisy aluminum cans tied to the back bumper and a “Just Married” sign scrawled across the window.
Present-day wedding couples, however, are a different breed. Being unique is what counts and “cookie cutter” is a phrase that causes shivers when mentioned in connection with any bridal plan.
Hot-air balloons, horse-drawn carriages, streetcars and gondolas have become popular modes of transportation after the couple has been toasted and the bouquet tossed.
Christie Brinkley and Richard Taubman skied into wedded bliss after their 1994 wedding ceremony atop 12,000-foot Telluride Mountain. The marriage lasted only eight months, but no one denied theirs was a spectacular exit.
“Brides today do anything they can do that is different,” said Beverly Clark, a wedding consultant and author of the best-selling wedding guidebook, “Planning a Wedding To Remember.”
“It never ceases to amaze me what people come up with,” Clark said, adding that she has seen everything from helicopter liftoffs to couples pedaling away on bicycles built for two.
On the other hand, just as many couples skip the show-stopping exit and simply don’t leave, Clark said. Newlyweds who have invested a lot of time, energy and hard cash pulling together their wedding reception and far-flung friends, want to stay and enjoy their own party.
“Brides and grooms aren’t rushing off like they used to,” Clark agreed. “I think they are older today. They’ve lived together. Their friends and family are flying in from scattered locations, and they want time to visit with them. Getting back to the hotel room for a romantic evening isn’t as much a priority as it used to be.”
Amy Plowman Meehan wanted to make the most of socializing at her traditional Irish and Navy-themed wedding held last year in Haverton, Pa. Throughout the planning stages, she was just as mindful of her 150 guests as how she and her husband wanted to exit the wedding reception.
Knowing her reception included two open bars, Meehan wanted to ensure everyone’s safety after the festivities ended. She and her mother devised a relay system using teetotaling husbands and wives as designated drivers.
“It worked out so smoothly,” Meehan said. “At the end of the reception, our DJ made an announcement for all the people who had been drinking to hand over their keys to the designated drivers.
“I was so proud of my friends,” she added. “They were more than willing to cooperate, and my parents’ friends who were the designated drivers had so much fun interacting with the younger set. After they dropped off my friends and the rental cars at the hotel, they went back to my parents’ house for another party just for them.”
Then, Meehan and her husband, Larry, set off with a splinter group of guests for another celebration at a local bar down the road.
Bill Trumpfheller of San Diego, and bride, Nola, bid adieu to the 170 wedding guests at their bayside ceremony by climbing aboard a 27-foot sailboat and tooling around the waters for an hour to enjoy the sunset. Bill said this leave-taking was strategic as much as it was romantic.
“There were several friends of mine who had a long-running history of seeing who could most wreck the bridal suite on the wedding night,” he said. “I had been on the giving end in the past, but I decided I didn’t want to be on the receiving end, and my wife made it clear I would be in deep trouble if anything happened to our room.”
Sheri and Randy Roonan of Fairfield, Conn., had a two-boat departure from their West Coast reception. While Randy rowed his bride out to a waiting motorboat at the end of a pier, 130 guests lined the pier shouting out joyous remarks.
“I remember getting kind of worried because the boat started to tip and it went within an inch of going into the water,” Sheri said. “I was thankful we didn’t go in because my dress was gauze and I’m sure if it had gotten wet, it would have been quite see-through.”
However, after Sheri was safely helped aboard the motorboat, Randy was divested of his oars, pushed back into his rowboat and pointed toward sea. With nothing but a champagne bottle to paddle with, Randy eventually reunited with his waiting bride.
As with most wedding reception finales, all ended well. And the Roonans have been married for 13 years.