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Newlyweds chose a "human slingshot" to make their wedding day memorable
Bride Natasha Johnson threw her bouquet while in the sling, groom Jacob threw the garter
The couple says the video has garnered international attention
They met at a country bar in Utah. She was riding a mechanical bull, and he couldn’t help jumping on the saddle with her.
The relationship started there, and the couple took it to new heights on their wedding day by tossing the bride’s bouquet and garter from a “human slingshot.”
Jacob and Natasha Johnson wanted to replicate the experience of a mechanical bull at their July 13 wedding. But their parents worried it was too “redneck.”
Luckily, they decided to hold their wedding at Hobble Creek Lodge in Springville, home of “Utah’s human slingshot.”
At first they thought it was a joke, but a bit of research showed that others had used it before. They decided to go for it.
A YouTube video posted by wedding guest Colton Spencer shows the bride, still in a fluffy gown, strapped to a red rubber slingshot, her feet attached to an ATV with a stretchy cord. The groom drives the four-wheeler down the lawn and releases the cord to fling his bride through the air.
Natasha says she was terrified but not necessarily for her safety.
“I was afraid of ripping my dress,” she said. She wore shorts to ensure she wouldn’t flash guests when launched in the air.
They practiced the night before, but it still took two tries to successfully launch her because she was “20 pounds heavier” while wearing the gown.
Reception guests were alerted before the launch began and gathered around. With Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” playing in the background, Natasha sailed through the air and threw her bouquet back to a crowd of eager women.
“All of the ladies were waiting and my girlfriend and niece argued when my niece caught the bouquet,” she laughed.
Then, it was Jacob’s turn. He was nervous about being strapped to the slingshot for other reasons: “I turned around and saw Tasha’s dad driving the ATV.”
The couple says the video has garnered international attention with people expressing shock and delight over the different take on a wedding tradition.
Guests will always remember the slingshot, Natasha says, but it wasn’t the only exciting moment of the fun-filled night.
“The groomsmen decided to go skinny dipping in the pond,” Natasha said. “Jacob didn’t want to tell that.”
The couple is enjoying married life and says life is back to normal, with a few extra interview requests.
“We’re just having fun with it,” Jacob says.
What else but fun would you expect from these newlyweds?