Each of The Bahamas’ 16 main islands offers a unique way to say ‘I do’
and to celebrate that diversity, on 16 May 2012, 16 lucky couples, each
accompanied by two wedding guest witnesses, will take their vows in 16
simultaneous wedding ceremonies across the 16 main islands at 16:00 hours (4.00pm) local time.
A competition was organised by The Bahamas Tourist Officein the UK to find couples who wanted to get married in The Bahamas.
All over the UK brides- and grooms-to-be uploaded their snapshots and videos
to say why they wished to win a free island wedding in The Bahamas. They
had to choose between 16 different islands and wedding styles, from
barefoot-on-the-beach ceremonies to marrying on the ocean floor with dolphins
in attendance. The public cast thousands of votes via Facebook and texts for the 255
entries. The 16 couples who won a luxury wedding on 16 Islands of The
Bahamas, including a designer dress (courtesy of Benjamin Roberts),
rings (courtesy of Goldsmiths) and wedding ceremony,
are:
THE ABACOS Carla Nevill and Daniel Coote from Baldock, Hertfordshire : Wedding venue is the candy-striped Hope Town Lighthouse
ACKLINS Louise Murfin and Steven Bennett from Ferndale, Huddersfield : Golden Cove Beach – secluded beach wedding
ANDROS Helen Hewett and Jonathan Briley from Tufnell Park, London : Captain Bill’s Blue Hole (after taking vows a plunge into a 300-foot
deep lake)
THE BERRY ISLANDS Jade Chin and Mikhail Tokarczyk from Kentish Town, London : Catamaran just offshore
BIMINI Karen Michelle Minns & Kane Nelson from Leeds : Undersea Atlantis-themed beach wedding
CAT ISLAND Joanna Wicenciak and Peter Dennis from Scunthorpe : Vows taken at the Hermitage, a miniature stone monastery built by hand by an architect/priest
CROOKED ISLAND Felicity Carpenter and Andrew Webb from Amesbury, Wiltshire : Seashell themed beach gazebo
ELEUTHERA Jill Barthram and Phillip Jones from London : Secluded
beach wedding Sky Beach Club (palm frond arch, petal strewn sand)
THE EXUMAS Grazina Zaveckaite and Ruslanas Nekipelovas from Edinburgh : Garden gazebo with sea views
GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND Mary Gleeson and James Potter from Dover : Underwater wedding with dolphins
HARBOUR ISLAND Laura James and Richard Baker from Whiteley, Fareham : Beach wedding, (bougainvillea and palm fringed arbour, on famous pink sand beach)
LONG ISLAND Sarah Wassall and Colin Beechey from Blackpool : Beach
wedding (gazebo decorated with banana and palm leaves, bright
bougainvillea & hibiscus flowers)
NASSAU Claire Gordon and Jason Harris from Rhyl, North Wales : Richly decorated gazebo and
with masked & costumed Junkanoo dancers
MAYAGUANA Claire Wilcox and James Williams from York : At a
monument marking the landing in 1959 of a piece of the rocket that took
the first pictures of Earth from space.
PARADISE ISLAND Adele Freeman and John Applin from Balby, Doncaster : The Cloisters – reconstructed 14th century Augustinian cloisters –
with ocean views
SAN SALVADOR Teresa Maria Gilarranz Pena and Tarik Demnati from
London : Landfall Monument, marking the site where Columbus first set
foot in the new World in 1492
More background info can be found on the website: http://www.bahamas16weddings.co.uk/home including details on the unique entries made by each couple.