Forget saying, "I do" at a church, courthouse or home. The latest wedding trend -- adventurous weddings -- really resists tradition.

"We always say marriage is an adventure, so why not start it with one?" asks Tui Frye, who owns and operates Blue Butterfly Events, an eco-ethical planning company in the Arenal volcano in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. "Since the pandemic started, obviously, more people are eloping and hosting microweddings outside. I think in these circumstances, more and more couples are freed from the expectations that their friends and families might have to host traditional weddings."

Couples are saving money on big weddings closer to home and instead choosing to splurge on traveling to epic destinations where the big wedding expenses are great photographers and videographers.

"We love adventure weddings," says Frye, who specializes in intentional and intimate events in incredible waterfall, volcano, jungle and rainforest venues. She says the area is known as the adventure capital of the Americas.

When she meets couples, she always asks them what level of adventure they're looking for. Many of her clients' ceremonies or photos are done at waterfalls, which typically require at least a little hiking. Other weddings require horses or a 4x4 to access the right spot. She's also hosted weddings in canyons used to operate waterfall rappelling and jumping tours, where couples jump off waterfalls fully dressed in their wedding attire.

*Adventure Appeal

Event planner Heidi Haglund of The Framework Events recently planned the wedding for an adventurous couple in Park City, Utah. The couple found the venue -- a Girl Scout's camp that's only available to outside events twice a year -- while they were snowshoeing in the mountains. Also, after the groom and groomsmen helped set up the tables and chairs, they cooled off with a dip in the lake before they got ready for the ceremony.

"The appeal of the adventurous wedding is that it's a day based about the experience and not the pomp and circumstance that sometimes comes with having a traditional wedding," says Karen Norian, a planner at Simply Eloped, a company that plans affordable intimate weddings and elopements across the U.S.

She says that couples want a celebration that's "authentic to them." Adventurous weddings might feature mountaintops, jumping into the ocean, exploring a new city, visiting a ghost town in the desert, and other nontraditional wedding activities and spots.

*Laid-Back Style

"The most appealing thing about having an adventurous wedding is that you can offer yourselves and your guests a wildly fun wedding experience while making it feel a little more laid back and less formal," says Gabby Pinkerton, founder and event planner for 'Cause We Can Events. Many of her clients plan a wedding weekend so they can savor extra time with their guests.

Pinkerton and her team have planned all kinds of adventurous weddings, including a four-day festival-style wedding in the Moab desert that they called WeddingChella, as well as an intimate wedding in Scotland where the couple had their ceremony by the river and a multiple-course dinner in an old manor that was surrounded by trees.

She suggests starting wedding planning by choosing the type of location you want, such as beach, desert or mountains. Next, hire a wedding coordinator to make your vision a reality.

"We always encourage our couples to picture their wedding with all five senses in mind," says Pinkerton. "That's what truly makes an adventurous wedding experience incredible for both the couple and their guests."

*Adventure Advice

Haglund suggests couples planning adventurous nuptials consider the weather they might encounter on the wedding day. For example, think about forecasted temperatures, sun exposure and wind, which could mean renting/stocking up on weather-related supplies like blankets, sunscreen, umbrellas, fans, generators and ice.

Frye advises couples planning an adventurous wedding to find someone who can guide them in the process, especially someone who keeps safety at the forefront of the planning process.

"It is best if you can find someone who has actually been to and experienced the venues to understand what is involved in getting you there and keep you safe," she says, noting many photographers and planners specialize in these kinds of events. "In some cases, you want someone who includes a machete in their emergency kit!"

With the right team of people around you, your adventurous wedding will be the perfect experience to catapult you into wedded bliss.