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Bahamian weddings
Gorgeous locations and expert planners
With unspoiled beaches, swaying palm trees, turquoise waters and an abundance of warm sunshine year round, there is little wonder that The Bahamas is billed as the place to get hitched.
Year after year, thousands of couples, including A-list celebrities, flock to the islands to exchange vows.
Star-studded nuptials include those between: Spanish actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, who tied the knot in a beach ceremony in 2010; Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, who were wed in Eleuthera; singer Jewel and rodeo star Ty Murray, who were married at Atlantis; and actor Jason Priestly, of Beverly Hills 90210 fame, who married longtime girlfriend Naomi Lowde, also on Paradise Island.
But The Bahamas is not a wedding locale just for the rich and famous. Bahamian resorts, particularly in Nassau and on Paradise Island, offer a variety of packages to suit all budgets, from basic to over-the-top.
Resort nuptials
Recently, the Wyndham Nassau Resort on Cable Beach hosted an elegant and exotic wedding that challenged local organizers.
Wyndham’s catering sales manager, Shenika Young, said of the full-scale Ethiopian wedding, “The couple was adorned with gold crowns and wore red velvet robes,” adding that the ceremony was conducted by an Ethiopian Orthodox priest. “It was very extravagant … rich with culture and far different from the norm. It was truly a sight to behold.” Hotel guests watched and were amazed by the tradition-rich ceremony.
This was one of about 130 marriages conducted at the Wyndham every year. May to August are the most popular months, says Young.
The resort offers an assortment of packages from the most basic to one that includes everything–music, cake, décor and accommodations for guests.
Like most hotels, the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort has a wedding specialist on staff to help couples plan their ceremony and reception, either outdoors on the beach or indoors in one of the hotel’s spacious ballrooms.
SuperClubs Breezes, also on Cable Beach, offers a Dream Weddings package, which is free for couples staying six nights or more. This package includes the cost of the minister and wedding planner, along with a cake, champagne, a bouquet and boutonniere, music, a framed photo, four guest passes and souvenir “just married” T-shirts, along with the marriage certificate. Breezes also offers a variety of other more extravagant packages at additional costs.
Sandals Royal Bahamian, the luxury all-inclusive resort for couples, also offers a free wedding package for concierge category guests who stay a minimum of six nights.
Called Beautiful Beginnings, this package includes the services of a wedding consultant, marriage official, marriage licence, bouquet and boutonniere, a two-tier wedding cake and a reception with hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine for the bride, groom and two guests.
Add a few more bells and whistles and couples can choose from five other themes designed exclusively for Sandals by Martha Stewart. They range from a beautiful pink butterfly motif to an opulent Island Paradise theme featuring all the colours of the Caribbean.
On Paradise Island, the Atlantis resort is so popular that couples are urged to reserve wedding dates six months ahead of time.
Under the general heading of Love, Atlantis, the resort offers a choice of three packages that can be highly customized to suit individual tastes.
Depending on the package, Atlantis offers 15 wedding and reception sites including Stingray Falls, a beautiful garden setting next to a waterfall; Royal View Terrace, with a commanding view of the Royal Towers and lagoon; and Palm Point, known for a solitary curved palm tree that grows on a spectacular stretch of beach.
Although the Love, Atlantis packages are exclusive to resort guests, there are several wedding options for day visitors.
Also on Paradise Island is the
très exclusive One&Only Ocean Club, home to two very special wedding venues, Versailles Gardens and The Cloister.
The Cloister was once part of a 14th-century Augustinian monastery in France before the structure was bought by American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who transported it to the United States in the 1920s.
Millionaire playboy Huntington Hartford purchased The Cloister in 1962 and had the ruins reconstructed on Paradise Island. Today, The Cloister and Versailles Gardens are two of the most sought-after locations for traditional wedding ceremonies.
Wetted bliss
Couples seeking a less traditional locale to exchange vows might consider a wedding at Dolphin Encounters on beautiful Blue Lagoon Island.
Trained dolphins act as flower girls, unofficial witnesses and even ring bearers during the ceremony. While having a dolphin as ring bearer may raise a few eyebrows, Dolphin Encounters sales and marketing supervisor LaToya Rolle says the dolphins “have never lost a ring.
“We had a nervous groom once who dropped the ring during the ring exchange,” she says. “We had to send one of our trainers in to retrieve it.”
Although dolphins apparently take their wedding responsibilities seriously, they have been known to provide some lighthearted moments, says Rolle.
“When the couples kiss, so do the dolphins, and then they offer wet kisses to the happy couple,” she says. “Sometimes kisses offered by the dolphins are longer than the human ones, and everybody has a laugh.”
The dolphins have participated in hundreds of weddings over the years, and they have also been included in many engagement ceremonies.
“The ladies are very happily surprised, and the moment is always special for the couple,” says Rolle, noting that the engagement service is free for guests who participate in any of the dolphin encounter programmes.
Blue Lagoon Island also has several beach and tropical settings for ceremonies and a dining pavilion with views of the ocean and lagoon.
Wedding experts
Because weddings are such big business here, there is an army of wedding planners and decorators on hand to help create that special day.
Wildflowers Weddings & Events, for example, assists with everything from transportation and accommodations to securing all required legal documents. But it specializes in the wedding ceremony and reception décor.
Vice-president of operations Alexander Appleyard says the firm averages three weddings per weekend throughout the year.
“From about the beginning of March to the end of June is busy with about four to five weddings each weekend,” says Appleyard, noting that destination weddings account for 90 per cent of their business.
Wildflowers handles most of the weddings at Atlantis and also oversees many more at the Sheraton, Wyndham, One&Only Ocean Club and Lyford Cay and Old Fort Bay–two exclusive communities in western New Providence.
Appleyard recalls a particularly extravagant $1 million wedding held recently in Guana Cay, Abaco.
“We worked with another company from New York to set that up,” he says. “It was for 350 people and had two 60 by 60 ft tents, fully air conditioned with beautiful mahogany floors. They chartered two planes for the flowers for the wedding reception. It was something out of this world.”
Another wedding specialist is Floral Arts Limited, which has been designing and planning weddings and receptions since 1979. It creates dreamlike arbors, aisle settings, centrepieces, bouquets, boutonnieres and more.
Their client list includes a who’s who of celebrities: supermodel Cindy Crawford, Stevie Wonder, Jason Priestly, NBA star Jermaine O’Neal and tennis great Chris Evert. They also worked with renowned designer Colin Cowie for Survivor finalists Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich’s wedding at Atlantis in 2005.
For ideas on planning your own dream wedding in paradise, consult the following directory.
Marriage licence requirements
Marriage licences are issued at the Office of the Registrar General, 50 Shirley St, Nassau, open Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm (closed weekends and Bahamian public holidays), tel (242) 323-0594/5/6.
• Couples must be in The Bahamas at the time of application.
• Couples may apply for the licence at the Registrar General’s office 24 hours after their arrival. Proof of the arrival date must be provided (airline ticket, stamped passport), along with a government-issued photo ID from their home country such as a passport. No blood test is necessary. Licences are usually issued within 48 hours. The licence fee is $100.
• If either party is a minor (under 18), parental consent is required. Consent forms may be obtained at the Registrar General’s office.
• If either party has been divorced, the original final decree or a court-certified copy must be produced.
• If either party is widowed, an original or certified copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse must be produced.
• If either party is a citizen or resident of the US, a declaration certifying he/she is not married must be sworn before a US Consul at the American Embassy in Nassau (fee required) or a Bahamian notary public.
• If either party is a citizen or resident of a country other than the US, a declaration certifying he/she is not married must be sworn before a notary public or other person authorized to administer oaths in that country and this document must accompany the application.
• Persons who want to be married on a Family Island (any island outside New Providence) can obtain a marriage licence from the Family Island administrator.
Directory of services
BRIDAL ACCESSORIES, LINGERIE & NOVELTIES
The Kama Sutra Shop
International Bazaar, Bay St (downtown)
tel (242) 328-1365
www.weddingaccentsbahamas.com
EVENT PLANNERS/CATERERS
Floral Arts
46 Collins Ave
tel (242) 325-3581
www.floralartsbahamas.com
Wildflowers Weddings & Events
Marlborough St
tel (242) 325-1676
www.wildflowersbahamas.com
Florists/Arrangements
Floral Arts
46 Collins Ave
tel (242) 325-3581
www.floralartsbahamas.com
Wild Seed Designs
Shirley St east (at Village Rd)
tel (242) 393-1042
www.wildseeddesigns.com
Wildflowers Weddings & Events
Marlborough St
tel (242) 325-1676
www.wildflowersbahamas.com
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Feature_BahamianWeddings_WBN11
Bahamian weddings
Gorgeous locations and expert planners
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