Splashing Into Marriage: Canadian Couple Has Wedding on Water Skis

The bride wore a life jacket under her wedding dress

  • Share
  • Read Later
Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press / AP

Newlyweds Cam Auge and Caylee Wasilenko share a kiss as they water ski in Bedwell Bay in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013.

Most brides fear even the tiniest drop of water on their wedding day. But bride Caylee Wasilenko dove head first into a potentially drenching situation during her wedding on Wednesday – getting married to Cam Auge while on waterskis.

In reality, the couple had already exchanged the typical wedding vows just moments earlier at the Vancouver Waterski Club, but the standard “you may kiss the bride” had to wait until Wasilenko ditched her high heels for something a bit flatter. Strapping on the water skis, the two hopped behind a roaring motorboat to seal the deal, but the post-wedding bliss wouldn’t be on Wasilenko’s side – she quickly tumbled into Bedwell Bay, $1,600 wedding dress and all. “Nice day for a wet wedding,” aptly touted the Vancouver Sun.

But on their second lap around the bay just 10 miles north of Vancouver, the couple, both 33 years old, managed to lock lips – with a cameraman snapping away in the boat in front of them, and British Columbia’s North Shore Mountains behind. With their thrillingly memorable wedding album complete, they dried off in time to host a reception in the city.

As untraditional as a waterski wedding may sound, theirs was hardly the first. UPI reported back in 1963 that the “world’s first marriage on water skis” was held in Cincinnati – but then, the bride and groom weren’t dressed to the nines: they were wearing swimsuits instead.

In fact, it was the wedding dress that almost prevented Wasilenko’s seafaring endeavor post-nuptials: Sheryl Wasilenko was worried that the heft of the wedding dress would sink her daughter like a stone if she fell over in the water. “So, I put a life-jacket underneath the dress to make her happy,” the bride told the Sun.

After all, her wedding dress is probably more memorable with a bit of water damage.

Cam Auge Caylee Wasilenko

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press / AP

Auge and Wasilenko attempt to kiss during their wedding on waterskis.