Crystal + Tom | That one time I crashed a wedding at the Whiskey Tavern
You can call it kismet, fate or a force of the universe. Sometimes the stars just align and we end up doing that one thing we really love no matter where we’re physically located at the time. This is one of those stories. It’s a story about that one time I crashed a wedding in Carson City, Nevada. Now when you think of wedding crashers, you probably picture those unwanted guests (maybe even Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson) who show up, steal the spotlight and disappear with a couple of your attendants in tow. This isn’t exactly like that; in fact it’s actually nothing like that.
In the late summer of 2017, I tagged along on a road trip with a few friends. We were destined for Carson City Nevada, though how we’d chosen that particular city was beyond me. It was a mix of looking at a map, pointing a finger and deciding it wasn’t too far to go. The four of us packed up one of the cars and headed south. Two days, dozens of voodoo doughnuts, 700 miles and a lot of pit stops later, we pulled into the Gold Dust West for a weekend of girl time and casino fun.
The weekend took us exploring Virginia City, and a spur of the moment decision (which seems we were all good at) left us searching for a tattoo parlor. After finding all of the local ones closed (or by appointment only) we began to head back to our hotel for the night. Along the way, one of the friends noticed the Whiskey Tavern along the road and suggested stopping for some beer and pool. With nothing better to do, and still hours before bed, we pulled over.
Three steps into the Whiskey Tavern and we realized we’d walked right into a wedding reception. All four of us legit backed out the door slowly, looking like something out of a scooby doo cartoon. However, one of the bartenders came running out and informed us that the bar was open to the public, and invited us inside. We hesitated, then decided to grab a quick beer out of obligation since we’d already made fools of ourselves by stepping in the door.
Inside the Whiskey Tavern, we grabbed our beers and tried to remain inconspicuous, choosing a table in the corner and the empty pool table. But small towns aren’t easy to hide in, and everyone wants to know where the outsiders are from. Before long, we were approached by the best man who wanted to know what brought us to that bar in Carson City. The conversation turned to what we do, and out of the four of us, two were wedding photographers. Upon hearing this tidbit, the best man informed us that the couple’s wedding photographer was a friend and hadn’t been able to get off work, leaving the couple without photos of their wedding or reception until he showed up.
As with most photographers, we traveled with our gear (not all of it, but enough). Another friend and I sprung into action, snagging our cameras out of the car and loading clean memory cards on our way back in. The best man introduced us to the bride and groom as their new wedding photographers and we were off. Portraits were to be taken, dances were to be danced, and a party was to be held.
We covered until the photographer was able to show up, and returned to our hotel well fed, beer’d and satisfied from our wedding crashing experience. Walking into that bar had been a total accident, but in the end, fate had our passions at heart. I was thrilled to be able to present Crystal and Tom with a small token for letting us crash their wedding and enjoy their company for the evening.
