We're (not) going to the chapel Alternative wedding locations add personality to the ceremony

These days, a wedding ceremony is no longer bound in holy matrimony to a church building. Creative couples are getting married at wineries, caves, exotic islands, tourist destinations, places of business and more. Here, three couples share how they tailored their wedding to suit their personalities:

Chuck and Rhonda Wilson

Married May 19, 2012, at Kimbeland Country Club

Chuck and Rhonda didn't just get married at the country club. They played 18 holes of golf and then exchanged vows on the 18th green at Kimbeland Country Club in Jackson.

Chuck has been a member of the club for several years and plays a lot of golf, Rhonda says. When they started dating, she took up the hobby as well. When they became engaged, they knew they wanted an outdoor wedding but were unsure of the location.

"One evening I asked him if it was OK with him if I didn't wear an actual wedding dress," says Rhonda. "We've both been married before. I've had the big wedding, and we both just wanted this to be fun and relaxed, and a good gathering of our friends and family."

It was actually Chuck's idea to get married on the golf course.

"I loved the idea! I think he was surprised when I said, 'OK!' So, that's what we did. Several of our golf friends played that day with us," says Rhonda.

The couple scheduled several extra tee times before and after their wedding that day so there wouldn't be other golfers following closely behind them. When they got to the 18th hole, a friend quickly placed her golf-themed decorations on the green, and guests who had been waiting on the patio came down to the green for the wedding. Chuck's dad, a retired minister, performed the ceremony. Talented friends and family also took care of the music, cake, flowers and entree, while Kimbeland prepared the side dishes. Rhonda's bouquet even had golf tees in it.

"It was, for both of us, the perfect day. We were having fun all day long, from the time we teed off until the band quit that night. There was absolutely no stress. It was simple, fun and could not have been better," says Rhonda. Her advice to other brides toying with the idea of a nontraditional wedding location is to go for it.

"Our goal was to have fun and make it the best day of our lives, and we did that," says Rhonda.

Trisha Nance and Ivan LaGrand

Will be married Oct. 13, 2012, at Fire Station No. 1 in Cape Girardeau

A fire station wedding is only fitting for Trisha Nance and Ivan LaGrand of Marquand, Mo. Ivan is a fire inspector/captain for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, and Trisha is very proud of the work her husband-to-be does.

"The fire station is special to me because that's also where I knew I was in love with him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him," says Trish.

On Oct. 13, the couple will be married in a traditional Christian ceremony at Fire Station No. 1, on South Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau. All they had to do was ask permission from the fire chief and city hall and promise to clean everything up after the wedding, since there will still be a crew working that day.

"I think a wedding should be about the couple and their likes, so thinking outside the box adds that special touch," says Trisha. "Wedding planning should be a fun and exciting adventure you two take together to start your new life together ... My advice to other couples would be to have fun planning your wedding and keep in mind both of your personalities. A church wedding is awesome, but as I say to people, it's been done. How many people can actually say they got married in a fire station?"

Deana and Chad Ludwig

Married June 6, 2012, at the Beaches Resort in Negril, Jamaica

For Deana and Chad Ludwig, their dream wedding was low-key, intimate and tropical, and that's what they got in Jamaica.

"We wanted our wedding to be about joining us -- me, Chad and my 3-year-old son Keegan -- as a family," says Deana. "We had a Christian ceremony there on the beach. It was important to us to make it an intimate ceremony with just our closest friends and family."

Deana had been married once before, but her husband Barry Brueggeman passed away while she was pregnant with their son. They had a huge church wedding, she recalls, but she hardly remembers it because she was so stressed. This time around, she wanted to cherish the day and not worry about the details.

Planning a destination wedding was a breeze, says Deana. A travel agent helped them coordinate their marriage documents and obtain a notarized letter so that Keegan could return to the U.S. with Deana's mother after the ceremony, while the newlyweds stayed for a honeymoon. The travel agent also connected the couple with a wedding planner in Miami who works directly with Beaches Resorts.

"She sent an email with all of the themes of weddings, cost, extras -- we just picked and chose what we wanted," says Deana. The wedding was actually free with their room upgrade, and the entire package included flowers, preparation of the marriage documents, appetizers, the officiate, a two-tier cake, wedding planner, a honeymoon dinner and breakfast in bed. The couple added a dinner reception and a photography package.

"I think that it is important to remember that your wedding is just that: your wedding. It is not about the size, whereabouts or other people involved in your wedding," says Deana. "Research, use a travel agent and find a wedding planner ... Our wedding was fun, intimate and stress-free because we had professionals do the planning for us."