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Getting married in paradise
WBN09 - Feature_Getting married in paradise
Getting married in paradise
Hotels provide all the trimmings
What could be more romantic than strolling along a powder beach, hand-in-hand with your loved one? Well, you could go one step further and get married on one of those gorgeous beaches.
The Bahamas is made up of more than 700 islands, and they include some of the most beautiful beaches on planet Earth. In fact there are several around New Providence, either at, or not far from, your hotel.
Aside from the beaches, there are tropical gardens, seaside resorts, historic forts and even the crystal- clear ocean. Some couples pledge their troth in or under The Bahamas’ famously clear ocean waters. Some don scuba gear and marry on the ocean floor; others arrange an above-the-waves swimming ceremony with dolphins in attendance.
With all this to choose from, it’s no surprise that thousands of couples flock to The Bahamas each year to get married.
According to an exit survey carried out by the Ministry of Tourism, about 115,000 people came to the islands in 2007—either as members of bridal parties or as wedding guests. Honeymooning couples accounted for another 73,000 visitors.
Most resorts offer experienced wedding coordinators to handle the details and make sure your wedding and reception come off like clockwork.
Pedicures and massages
Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort on Cable Beach, which specializes in couples’ vacations, has a bridal concierge service that includes an assortment of perks.
For example, the resort’s signature WeddingMoons package includes the services of a personal wedding consultant, a bouquet of fresh-cut roses, Caribbean-inspired hors d’oeuvres, a two-tiered wedding cake, sparkling wine with keepsake Beverly Clark flutes, a wedding album with a dozen photographs taken at the ceremony and a DVD of the wedding and reception.
Couples are pampered with a floral petal turndown and a scented bath followed by a pedicure for the bride and a half-hour massage for the groom, plus breakfast in bed, his-’n-hers flip-flops and T-shirts that proclaim they are “Just Married.”
Also on Cable Beach are the Sheraton Nassau Beach, Wyndham Nassau and SuperClubs Breezes resorts, all popular wedding venues.
Director of sales Donella Bethel at SuperClubs Breezes says the resort handles up to 800 weddings a year, mainly due to its all-inclusive wedding package, which is cost-free to couples staying for three nights or more. Included in this package are the marriage licence, minister’s fees, wedding planner, decorated wedding area, champagne, flowers and a candlelit dinner for the bride and groom.
Weddings big and small
Whether you’re planning a small, private affair or a lights-out extravaganza, Paradise Island has much to offer.
At Atlantis, which hosts up to 150 weddings a year (guests only), there are several popular sites. For example, the Royal Overlook—graced by tropical plants and flowers—is an intimate setting for weddings and receptions. For larger ceremonies, Flying Fish Knoll, just off the main walkway of the Royal Towers, can accommodate up to 100 guests.
For a fancy beach wedding, Atlantis’ spacious West Beach is a perfect setting, with the resort and the ocean as a backdrop. There’s room here to accommodate 300 people at the wedding, plus seating for 600 people at the reception.
Atlantis’ newly opened Cove resort offers weddings (again, guests only) for the rich and famous. Singer Jewel and rodeo star Ty Murray recently celebrated their nuptials there, complete with a dramatic fireworks show.
The exclusive One&Only Ocean Club was the setting for supermodel Cindy Crawford’s wedding to Rande Gerber in 1998. And in 2008, golf legend Greg Norman wed tennis star Chris Evert at this luxurious resort.
Wedding coordinator Anne Marie Williams, who has been organizing weddings for 25 years with Weddings in The Bahamas Ltd, remembers the Norman-Evert nuptials very well.
“I assisted with the wedding and was at the One&Only Ocean Club around the clock,” she says. “There was so much security … it was an unbelievable wedding.”
The One&Only is also the setting for two more popular wedding venues that were created by the late Huntington Hartford II as part of his initial development of Paradise Island. Multi-tiered Versailles Gardens, patterned after those created for Louis XIV of France, include a stunning backdrop of bougainvillea and hibiscus, along with statuary and a lily pond. Across the road is The Cloisters, which is the recreated ruin of a medieval cloister from France, overlooking Nassau’s attractive and busy inner harbour.
Dolphins in attendance
For a wedding on the flip side, Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island, three miles away from Nassau, offers packages that involve bottlenose dolphins as part of the ceremony.
“Many couples choose to be married in the water with the dolphins as flower girls, ring bearers and unofficial witnesses,” says Dolphin Encounters wedding coordinator Solandra Davies. An underwater platform, where guests interact with the marine mammals, is one of several places on the island that serve as wedding locations.
Packages at Dolphin Encounters include the minister, decorations, cake, champagne, catering, photos and video. This programme is so popular that reservations should be made at least three months in advance.
While the resorts on Cable Beach, Paradise Island and Blue Lagoon Island are among the most popular venues, there are plenty of others.
On almost every given day, year round, there are weddings taking place on a beach somewhere in New Providence or at other intriguing locations.
Popular ones include the gazebo at Sandyport, just west of the Cable Beach strip, and the gardens at the historic Graycliff Hotel on West Hill Street, a stone’s throw from downtown Nassau.
Details and extra fees
Couples ready to tie the matrimonial knot should remember a few key points about getting married in The Bahamas.
Foreigners must be in The Bahamas for at least 24 hours before they can be married. Enquire beforehand about documents that are required for a marriage licence. The licence is $120, although that cost is folded into the wedding package at some hotels.
There are other fees to consider if you’re not having an all-inclusive wedding. Ministers charge between $150 to $175 for their services; videographers can cost up to $350 an hour and photographers may charge up to $300 per hour.
The time of year should also be considered. Although The Bahamas is known as “the isles of perpetual June,” the weather can be unpredictable at particular times of the year. If you plan to wed during the months of June to November, for example, be mindful that this is hurricane season. From May through October the weather is usually wonderful, but this is considered the rainy season in The Bahamas, so it’s a good idea to arrange an alternative indoor venue.
For a complete list of the ins and outs of getting married in The Bahamas, visit the Ministry of Tourism’s website at www.bahamas.com. A wedding application form and list of wedding planners are also available online.
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