From fires to spilling the beans, sometimes area weddings go awry

DESTIN, FL - What is hailed as the most popular month for weddings is now upon us.

Brides everywhere search for the perfect date, time and place to launch what they hope to be a perfect life with their one true love.

Some are able to pull that feat off and some are not. Sometimes, the unexpected and offbeat make for the most fun memories and stories for grandkids in years to come.

Bert Summerville and Jim Kain got married on Dec. 21, 2007, at the WaterColor UPS store. Randy (the owner) was their "minister" -- actually, he was the notary and Lynn (his wife) was Summerville's "bridesmaid" (witness). "We got married just before the store opened at 8 a.m. Lynn and I cried. It was moving and emotional," said Summerville of her unusual ceremony.

Brenda Nunnery recalls a wedding reception she attended about 20 years ago where there was a fire in the kitchen. "We had to evacuate to the parking lot for an hour while the firemen put it out. The couple now have three sons and are still married -- a hot marriage," she said.

Buz Livingston's dad and stepmom have been married for 35 years. Only a couple of years ago did they confess they are second cousins. "I started tracing the family tree and over a couple of drinks they spilled the beans," said Livingston. "Dad said that after mama died, Carolyn was the only date he had that didn't whine about her ex-husband."

Cindy Meadows remembers her brother Jon's wedding as a disaster. "I was a bridesmaid. However, the night before at the rehearsal dinner I must have eaten something that sent me to the hospital the day of the wedding. I spent my brother's wedding in the ER. My older brother's girlfriend was the same size and looked amazingly like me, so she stood in for me as a bridesmaid. Someone commented that brother and sister were very friendly to each other, hugging and kissing in the hallway, not knowing that she was his girlfriend and not his sister. I missed the entire wedding and regret it to this day," she said.

Dave Rauschkolb said he had a bride at Bud ‘n Alley's who lost her shoes on her way down the isle. "The wedding was in the Gazebo at Bud & Alley's and as she walked, both her shoes, one step after another got caught in the cracks of the deck. She stepped out of her shoes without missing a beat and continued on. Everyone burst out in laughter and it really set the tone for one of the best weddings ever," he said.

David Bludworth said, "Family lore has it that a relative, Columbus Bludworth, was a no show for his wedding ceremony in the late 1920s. When asked on Monday why he was a Saturday nuptial date no show in Eucheanna (then county seat of Walton) he stated the newspaper reported the Barnum and Bailey Circus was in Pensacola for a one-night stand, so he hopped a train Saturday morning for the big tent. His reasoning was that you could get married any day but the circus would be there only one day a year. He never married."

"How about, got secretly hitched at the courthouse, didn't tell a soul until the next night when we had friends over for dinner," said Geri Golding of hers and David Higgs'. "We still didn't reveal our secret until we brought out the wedding cake for dessert. They were shocked. Then we all acted out a hilarious wedding ‘ceremony' spoof. Sooo much fun!"

Holly Speight said she and Brad married almost 21 years ago in Nashville when having a wedding and reception put on video was a new thing. After their honeymoon, they anxiously awaited receiving their video. "When we received it, much to our surprise, the guy, who was an aspiring country music songwriter, set our images to terrible country songs such as ‘Behind Closed Doors,' ‘Your Cheatin' Heart,' ‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls,' and ‘If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold it Against Me.' My father was not amused. But it's really funny now," she said.