Wedding Bells
liNda aNd michael 2nd June 2018 Villa Susanna, Marigot Bay
FROM RAINY DAYS TO
suNshiNe aNd loVe
Rain in a cool climate can be depressing (in tropical Saint Lucia we call it liquid sunshine!) Linda relocated from Manchester, the rain capital of the UK, when she was offered a job in Austin, Texas. Michael, tired of the precipitation in Portland, Oregon, quit his job and moved south. Little did either expect that running from rain would lead to love.
pre-weddiNg adVeNtures
Contacts Wedding Planner Awesome Caribbean Weddings Email: talktousatawesomecaribbeanweddings.com Tel. (758) 450 0300
Linda and Michael have energy! They drove around the island, took a mud bath, visited waterfalls, botanical gardens, went sailing, snorkeling, and climbed Gros Piton!
What you need to know to tie the knot in St. Lucia • Passports (valid for a minimum of six months) • Birth certificate • Two witnesses (stand-ins can be arranged) • Deed poll certificate (if your name has been changed) • Parental consent by way of an affidavit if below 18 • Death certificate and previous marriage certificate (if you have been widowed) • Decree absolute (if you’re divorced) • Only originals or certified copies • All legal documents should be faxed to the resort you are staying at to start the legal process. Documents in a foreign language require authorised English translation. Fees in EC: • Marriage License: $335 (seven days before marriage) • Special Marriage License: $540 (less than seven days before marriage) • Registrar fee: $160 • Marriage Certificate: $8
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T RO P I CAL T R AVELLER • AUG/SEPT/OCT 2018
Photos by Daniel Marcion at Belle Portwe Photography
L
inda, a University Professor in Marketing, is a multi-lingual globetrotter. She was born in Simferopol, Crimea and grew up in Lebanon. Michael is a Director of Accounting; he grew up spending time in the outdoors of the Northwest US. Only two months after Linda took up her new job, she met her neighbour who turned out to be her soulmate. Linda describes their first date in September 2016: “We arranged to meet after work for a quick drink but ended up enjoying each other’s company so much that we went on to dinner and talked for six hours!” Wasting no time, they arranged to go paddle boarding the next Sunday on Lady Bird Lake. “We clicked instantly and were so comfortable around each other,” says Michael. “I didn’t want anyone else to have the chance of taking her.” The couple moved in together and Michael proposed as they watched the sunset from their balcony, just over a year after they first met. Linda and Michael share a love of travelling so it was no surprise that they decided on a destination wedding, but why Saint Lucia?
“The mountainous terrain appealed to us,” explains Linda. “It reminded me of Lebanon and Michael of Oregon. Plus the climate is good. It’s lovely that our first kiss was on water and that we married over water - on a bridge across a pool, overlooking the sea and at sunset, just like the proposal.” The wedding took place on Saturday 2nd June, 2018 at beautiful Villa Susanna in Marigot Bay. Guests were greeted by Caribbean music and a coconut man with welcome drinks. The exchange of vows was followed by a sand ceremony and a champagne reception with live guitar music. An al fresco dinner under the stars was Caribbean-themed, as was the night’s entertainment - a steel pan band - which had everyone non-stop dancing, although the couple’s first dance was a nod to their Texas home: ‘Amazed’ by Lonestar. “It was magical,” reminisces Linda. “Thanks to Michele, our wedding planner, we didn’t have to worry about anything; we could just relax and enjoy ourselves.” After the wedding, Linda and Michael, inveterate travellers that they are, spent a few more days in Saint Lucia before flying on to Barbados, Paris, Manchester and Cancun. TT wishes them every happiness as they clock up the miles and years together.
