Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, old postcard courtesy Lighthouse Digest.

Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, old postcard courtesy Lighthouse Digest.

Weddings take place in a variety of places. In addition to traditional church weddings, many couples opt for more picturesque or unique settings. From beaches to gardens to mountaintops, marriages are performed in places significant to the two being wed.

Lighthouses have long been chosen for wedding sites. In the past, weddings of lighthouse keepers’ children often took place at lighthouses or keepers’ houses, as that was the most practical location. Today, many couples love the romantic atmosphere a lighthouse can add to the ceremony and the wonderful setting it provides for wedding pictures.

But some couples go to great lengths, or heights, to have more unique weddings.

One such example happened at Mile Rocks Lighthouse which stood south of the Golden Gate Bridge near the entrance to the harbor of San Francisco, CA. Called “The Wedding Cake Lighthouse,”  the lighthouse resembled a wedding cake with its three different size tiers topped by the lantern room.

Not only was the location unique – it was dangerous to reach, set on top of rocks and accessed by a boat, then climbed by way of a Jacob’s ladder. Rough seas could make a boat’s approach difficult and could also prove challenging and possibly life-threatening to someone climbing the ladder, as history has shown.

Wedding at Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA 1924, photo from Library of Congress, courtesy of Lighthouse Digest Magazine

Wedding at Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, photo from Library of Congress, courtesy of Lighthouse Digest Magazine

 

But two vaudeville performers took the risk when they wed at Mile Rocks in 1924. Married high above the water on the gangplank of the lighthouse, the couple became Mr. and Mrs. Ole Olson, and their wedding photograph is now preserved in the Library of Congress.

 

Wherever weddings take place, the result is a marriage. As my oldest son gets married this weekend, I’m thankful it won’t take place on the gangplank of a lighthouse. And I’m deeply thankful for this blessed event between him and his wonderful fiancé as they become one.

 

 

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22

 

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