Couples with theatrical streaks are making sure that their wedding receptions have big opening numbers or dramatic closers. An arrival by helicopter fueled one couple’s big moment; other newlyweds made an impression by departing on a Jet Ski and in an ice cream truck.

A crucial element is surprise, sometimes even for the bride. In May 2010, Katie and Nathan Schwarz left their church ceremony in Lorena, Tex., on an ice cream truck that had been secretly arranged for by the bride’s father, Terry Jones. “I had a dream for Katie to have a special exit from her wedding,” Mr. Jones said. “Then I discovered my friend had an ice cream truck. It was perfect since our family saying is, ‘A home without ice cream is a home without love.’ ”

Hanne and Brian Duncan of Philadelphia, fans of bicycling, met at a race, and their second date was a 60-mile ride. So it seemed fitting for them to leave their wedding last August at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kan., on a tandem. Guests rang bicycle bells as they rode off.

Mrs. Duncan pedaled in her billowing white gown and three-inch pink-and-orange heels. “I practiced beforehand,” she said.

Even so, part of the dress dragged and was streaked with black. “I knew that if my wedding dress didn’t show evidence of a good time,” she said, “then it wasn’t a fun wedding.”