May 16th, the Lighthouse Bahamas Wedding!
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| Carla & Dan exchanging vows |
Day 5. The Wedding! Hope Town, AbacoThe day of Carla and Daniel's wedding dawned sunny and warm, but as the day progressed it clouded over and by midday the rain was pouring down.
The wedding was supposed to take place at the Hope Town lighthouse, one of the last operational kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world and one of only 3 manual lighthouses in the world. It was built in 1862, and the drummer from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers also got married there.
Unfortunately, due to the rain, the venue was moved to the dock overlooking the lighthouse, which the wedding team decorated with flowers, conch shells and palm leaves, making it look very pretty despite the weather.
Bride and groom arrived separately by van, the groom in a white linen shirt and light coloured trousers, and the bride in a more traditional wedding dress with train which had to be held up out of the rain. They exchanged vows on the dock with the lighthouse in the background and boats sailing by with locals calling out their “congratulations” and “don't do it”s! It was a beautiful ceremony, and the team who made it happen joked that it was a typical island wedding as everything was very fluid!
After signing the register, the bride and groom toasted their marriage with bubbly before taking a “just married” golf cart back to the resort. There, the restaurant opened especially for them and their witnesses for a celebratory dinner overlooking the water.
Leaving the couple to celebrate married life, it was time that evening to sample the hospitality of Hope Town by going for dinner at the Harbour's Edge restaurant which serves tasty food right on the water. A few drinks with the locals later, and a ride back to Firefly on a golf buggy, made the perfect end to a lovely day.
Day 6. Abaco and Grand Bahama
A lazy start was needed the next morning before taking the lunchtime ferry back to Marsh Harbour on Abaco. After a spot of shopping it was time to catch the flight to Freeport on Grand Bahama. While sitting at the airport, luggage was loaded in to the nose of a very small plane, which turned out to be our flight to Freeport. This tiny aircraft held 8 passengers, the pilot and a dog, and spending the 30 minute flight looking at the different colours of the sea, with its sand banks and deep gullies turning the water from dark blue to light turquoise was delightful. The sea looked like a jewel in places, so we focused on that and tried to ignore the smell of the dog in the seat behind!
Staying at the Grand Lucayan Bahamas in Freeport was an good end to our stay in the Bahamas. This large resort makes a safe and easy holiday if you'd like to relax and have everything taken care of. A large amount of the rooms overlook the pool and beach, and soon after out arrival a Junkanoo (street parade) procession started up by the pool and the balconies filled with guests watching the spectacle. This resort is also the original wedding location in Grand Bahama, with most couples choosing a gazebo wedding in the grounds, and will be celebrating their 10th anniversary at the end of the year.
Visit tomorrow for the final installment of our Bahamas blog.
See wedding providers in the Bahamas here
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