Weddings showcase the love and life two people have built together. Friends and family members travel great distances just to take a glimpse into the world of the happy couple.

For newly engaged whitewater kayakers, that world has likely befuddled the non-river recreation types within the family, eliciting questioning stares and rolling eyes.

However, a wedding offers a glimmer of hope.

Finally, the opportunity has come to show everyone why you've followed the flow of the river. It is the moment when you can illuminate the rewarding qualities behind the crazy, alternate lifestyle of a whitewater boater that has eluded your friends and family members since you took your first river trip.

It's time to get your friends and family out on the river to celebrate your big day with the best outdoor wedding activity.

You've tried to describe the definition of a "boof" to an aunt. Your prioritization of paddling, especially in cold weather, forces a cousin to question your sanity. The chronic stench of wet gear in your car gets discussed around every Thanksgiving meal.  You don't understand why you get surprised looks when you talk about sleeping in the back of your truck.

You are a whitewater kayaker, and your family just doesn't get it.

To you, it is simple: the rush of paddling through a technical rapid, the bliss of camping alongside the river during a multi day kayak trip, the vast community of paddlers who share in the experience.

While these simple joys are hard to understand for outsiders, family and friends of kayakers are often intrigued by your consistent sense of adventure and enduring happiness (mostly evident by their jealous and amazed comments on your Facebook photos). You know that if they could only experience the thrill of whitewater for themselves, they may understand why you have chosen the life of a kayaker.

A wedding whitewater rafting trip presents the perfect scenario for introducing the river to your loved ones while providing them a memorable experience.

A rafting trip adds a unique and exciting element to the standard wedding routine. Either before or after the ceremonies, a wedding rafting trip can help break the ice between friends and family who have never met. By providing the opportunity for your guests to have their own adventure, your wedding also becomes that much more desirable to attend.

Most of all, you will help everyone to experience the magic of whitewater rafting for themselves. You may find that they become inspired to seek out more river adventures on their own. They may even understand you a little bit better.

As a kayaker, you are invited to paddle along with the rafts or hop in one yourself. The whitewater rafting trip as a wedding activity also works for couples with only one kayaker. Your soon-to-be-spouse can accompany you on the water, making the river a shared experience.

Of course, you may assume that adding another activity to the biggest event you've ever organized will add more items to your to-do list. You'd be wrong there.

We make it easy to set up a trip for your friends and family to experience the river. After you book the trip your guests will reserve and pay directly through us. You'll have plenty of time to get the centerpieces perfect and guest book printed.

Our White Salmon River trip, located in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge just an hour outside of Portland, Oregon, is perfectly designed for a busy weekend of wedding festivities.  Arrive in the morning or afternoon for the half-day trip at our riverside accommodations and spend the other half of the day celebrating.  We'll take care of all the gear, transportation and professional guiding.

Help your family get to know you a little better and add a white water rafting trip to your wedding celebration. Heck, you might even get some new paddling partners out of it.

Author Susan Hollingsworth writes for Wet Planet Whitewater, Canoe & Kayak Magazine, American Whitewater, and any other river-related publication she can find.

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