Drive-thru wedding? In Camas, that’s an option

Itchin’ to get hitched, but don’t want to spend a bundle of money or time planning your wedding? Leslie Rick, owner of Camas’ Mystic Gardens floral business, can help you out.

For only $50, Rick or her co-worker and best friend, Tim Carroll, will perform a “drive-thru wedding,” like the ones popularized in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada.

Both Rick and Carroll are ordained and able to legally wed couples. Rick said the idea of hosting weddings at her floral business came about when she was joking around with Carroll one day. He said they are already at Mystic Gardens all day, “so why not do weddings?”

Rick figured having drive-thru weddings at Mystic Gardens would help bring in revenue and provide something different than other local businesses.

“Some customers have joked it is ‘little Vegas,'” she said.

But the need for less expensive weddings is definitely out there.

“I’ve had three brides tell us in two days everything is so expensive to get married,” Rick said.

Mystic Gardens opened the new drive-thru wedding service in January but, so far, no couples have gone for the unusual offering.

If they had, they would have discovered that the cost for a basic drive-thru, non-denominational wedding ceremony at Mystic Gardens is $50. Adding flower bouquets and/or boutonnieres costs extra. Mystic Gardens does not sell wedding rings, but there are bracelets, necklaces and earrings available for the couple to purchase and exchange.

Couples must bring a marriage license, obtained at least three days prior to the wedding date, and at least two witnesses — age 18 or older, with identification. The ceremony can be conducted in the business’ drive-thru space, inside the floral shop or on the covered patio. Couples also can pay extra to rent the patio for receptions.

Rick said a wedding at her business can be “easy and quick,” with the entire process taking about 20 minutes. That includes five to 10 minutes for the ceremony.

If the Mystic Gardens drive-thru wedding appeals to you, but you’re already married or not ready to commit to your special someone just yet, Rick has another quirky option for you: animal ceremonies. The Mystic Gardens owner remembers seeing a “wedding” involving a dog in a tuxedo and a dog in a dress in Montana and says she can do similar ceremonies for two animals, “just for fun.” Those ceremonies would cost the same as the human wedding — $50 — but are, of course, not legally binding.

Mystic Gardens, located at 1924 N.E. Third Ave., in Camas, is open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., daily. For more information, call 360-210-4694, email info@mysticgardens.biz or visit www.mysticgardens.biz.