When we set out to define utility cycling, we did not list every single type of utility cycling activity we could think of at the time. Fortunately, the concept of utility cycling is quite vast, so we found ourselves creating general categories and subcategories of the practice, which if you have been following this site, you are probably familiar with at this point. I have slowly been whittling away at writing all of the category (such as bicycle delivery) and subcategory posts (like mobile bike businesses), in order to create a resource and information source online about all kinds of utility cycling. But some days, it’s just more fun to write about specific kinds of utility cycling. Which brings me to the topic of the post for today: bike weddings!
Why Bike Weddings?
What on earth inspired me to write about bicycle weddings you might wonder? Well, I am getting hitched here myself here within the year, and I couldn’t imagine not have a bicycle wedding of sorts. So thanks for bearing with me as I search for and share a little inspiration.
What Constitutes a Bike Wedding?
Bike weddings don’t necessarily function according to any strict definition, and naturally, they all vary depending on the tastes, desires, and inspirations of the bride and groom. Nonetheless, the general principle of a bicycle wedding is that as many people as possible – who are willing and able – arrive to the wedding by bicycle. According to Rose Pedals Bike Weddings:
A bike wedding is an event where as many guests, wedding providers, and bridal party members as possible travel to the location by bicycle. Why? Because it’s healthy, fun, and keeps the carbon footprint of the wedding low!Cycling to the event isn’t mandatory of course; it just adds to the esprit de corps, merriment, and environmental friendliness of the day. It also burns a few clean calories, offsetting the impact of that wedding cake.
Bike weddings vary greatly in scope. In some cases, only the bride and groom ride to the wedding, or they might ride from the wedding ceremony venue to the reception venue by bike. In other cases, the entire wedding party might arrive and depart by bicycle. The text quoted above is from a wedding service that provides marriage licenses and a wedding officiant who arrives and departs by bicycle. And if desired, the service – Rose Pedals Bike Weddings – will accompany the bridal party on a post-wedding parade with “The Contessa” – or the official Rose Pedals Bike Weddings bike.
The Contessa – Image Credit: Bridal Bike Blog
In many cases, bike weddings involve pedicabs, which often carry the bride and groom from the ceremony location to the reception location. So as you can see, bike weddings come in many shapes and sizes – just like non-bike weddings, I suppose – but all of them involve the bicycle in some capacity or another, and that is definitely a kind of utility cycling. And of course, the more bikes the merrier!
Examples of Bike Weddings
Perhaps my favorite examples of bike weddings are those that take place in cities where one would never imagine a bike wedding could be possible. The first example is a Brazilian couple who had their bike wedding in Sao Paulo, which has some pretty terrible traffic…so much so, that many people use helicopters to get around the city. Nonetheless, this couple, who also happen to be bike activists, had their bike wedding in style! You can read more about them at Treehugger.
Image Credit: Luddista
The next example is a couple in Anyang City in China. Their wedding looks to have featured a bridal party parade, and everyone’s bikes are adorned with beautiful decorations, while the couple is riding a tandem. This couple’s wedding happened to take place on World Car-Free Day, as well.
Image Credit: China View
The last example is a couple who got married in Chicago. In order to accommodate guests that might not have been able to ride their bikes, they used pedicabs and rickshaws to ensure that the entire wedding was bike centered. The bride and groom also rode in a pedicab. Brilliant!
Image Credit: Chicago Bike Blog
Thanks for bearing with me and enjoying this post about bike weddings!