A real wedding story from the Bahamas—and our advice for planning your own
When people imagine a wedding, they often picture a grand venue, months of planning, a packed guest list and a timeline so full there’s barely a moment to breathe. That never felt like us.
My husband and I have always done things a little differently, and the more we talked about a traditional wedding, the more it felt like we were planning a day for everyone else instead of ourselves. We wanted something smaller. More intentional. A wedding that reflected who we were, rather than what was expected of us.
In fact, most of our friends had no idea we were getting married.
We quietly disappeared for a few days, shared a single photo on social media afterwards, then turned our phones off again. It wasn’t because we wanted to keep it a secret. We simply wanted the day to belong to us.
So, on 4 May 2022, surrounded by our immediate family, we got married onboard a 65ft power catamaran in Shroud Cay, deep in the Exumas, Bahamas. Looking back now, I genuinely wouldn’t change a thing.
Well… almost.
Why We Chose a Yacht Wedding
The Exumas have always been one of our favorite places in the world. Crystal-clear water, deserted beaches, hidden anchorages and the feeling that you’ve somehow escaped the rest of civilization. It was the perfect place to begin married life. We also loved the simplicity that came with getting married on a yacht.
Instead of booking a venue, organizing accommodation, arranging transport and worrying about how everyone would move from one place to another, everything happened in one extraordinary setting.
The yacht became our venue, our accommodation, our transport and our celebration space. For an intimate wedding, it simply made sense.
The Day Before
We arrived in Nassau the day before the wedding before making our way to Shroud Cay.
The plan was simple.
Find the perfect beach.
One of the biggest advantages of a power catamaran is its shallow draft and incredible stability. We were able to cruise right up to an isolated stretch of beach that felt completely untouched, and immediately knew we’d found our ceremony location.
The backdrop couldn’t have been more beautiful. The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, laughing with family, writing our vows and quietly taking in the fact that in less than twenty-four hours we’d be husband and wife.
Meanwhile, the yacht was slowly transforming.
The Crew had arranged simple green dianthus and white orchids from a local florist. Delicate bouquets and boutonnieres added just enough color without overpowering the natural beauty around us. My sister took care of my hair and makeup, while my dress was a simple A-line design with lace detailing across the shoulders. Everyone wore white too.
Looking back, that’s all we really needed.
The flowers.
The rings.
The table setting.
The photographer.
And the people we loved.
Then the Weather Changed Everything
I woke up the next morning to grey skies. The anchorage had become choppy overnight and rain quickly followed.
Not the gentle kind.
Proper tropical rain.
Meanwhile, our photographer was making a three-hour journey by speedboat from Nassau. We later discovered she’d been seasick for most of the trip.
Our carefully planned beach ceremony suddenly looked impossible.
For a while everyone kept saying, “Let’s give it another fifteen minutes.”
Eventually my husband and I looked at each other and laughed. Why were we waiting? The yacht itself was beautiful. So instead of hoping the weather would improve, we simply changed the plan. Within minutes, the flybridge became our wedding venue.
The Ceremony We Never Planned
Standing on the flybridge while the rain fell on and around us wasn’t what we’d imagined.
It turned out to be even better.
My father had registered to marry us, making the ceremony deeply personal, while my mother-in-law led a rope-tying ceremony before reading On Marriage from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
One line has stayed with me ever since:
“Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.”
It beautifully captures the balance between building a life together while still encouraging one another to remain individuals.
One memory still makes me laugh.
The night before, I’d been persuaded to tone down my heartfelt vows in favour of something a little more traditional. My husband ignored everyone’s advice. So there he was delivering beautifully personal vows from the heart while I followed with something that suddenly sounded rather generic.
Safe to say… he won that round.
Breakfast Instead of a Ballroom
After the ceremony, there was no rushing off to another venue. We simply moved downstairs.
Breakfast was served onboard where we could stay sheltered from the wind and rain while everyone relaxed and enjoyed simply being together.
There was no strict timeline.
No pressure.
No venue staff waiting to reset the room for another event.
Just family.
Good food.
Great conversation.
And the overwhelming feeling that we’d made exactly the right decision.
The Best Photos Were the Ones We Didn’t Plan
Once breakfast was over, we utilised the dry areas on the yacht with our photographer before deciding to do something a little unconventional.
We jumped straight off the swim platform wearing our wedding clothes. My sister filmed us kissing underwater while our photographer captured the moment from above.
If I could relive one moment from the entire day, it would be that underwater kiss.
Afterwards I changed into a skirt and swimsuit (still got my outfit change in!) that my mother-in-law and I had made together, and we continued taking photos around the yacht before saying goodbye to our photographer.
T
hen, almost on cue… the sun came out.
Of course it did.
The Celebration Was Only Just Beginning
With blue skies finally appearing, we climbed into the tender with good music, a few drinks and our family. We spent the afternoon exploring Shroud Cay’s famous lazy river, spotting turtles and laughing about how our wedding day had unfolded.
By sunset we were back onboard for dinner. There were speeches from my dad. An incredible dinner prepared by the chef.
Celebratory cigars.
Great music.
And one of those evenings you wish you could bottle forever.
What We Learned About Getting Married on a Yacht
People often assume a yacht wedding is all about luxury.
For us, it was about freedom.
Freedom to change the plan when the weather didn’t cooperate.
Freedom to celebrate with only the people who mattered most.
Freedom to wake up in one of the most beautiful places in the world rather than drive to a venue.
Freedom to spend the entire day together instead of moving between locations.
Ironically, many people also assume a yacht wedding is dramatically more expensive than a traditional wedding. But when you consider everything that’s included—your venue, accommodation, breathtaking scenery, transport between destinations and an unforgettable experience—it can actually be surprisingly comparable, particularly for smaller, more intimate celebrations.
Our Advice for Planning a Yacht Wedding
If you’re thinking about getting married on a yacht, here are a few things we’d recommend.
Choose your crew carefully. They’ll become part of your memories just as much as your guests will. The right crew can make the entire experience feel effortless.
Book a professional photographer AND videographer. The day passes far quicker than you expect, and you’ll never regret having those moments captured.
Embrace the unexpected. Weather changes. Plans evolve. Sometimes those unplanned moments become the ones you’ll treasure most.
Book early. The most sought-after charter yachts are often reserved a year or more in advance, especially for popular destinations and seasons.
Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely.
The only thing I’d change would be taking a few more photographs together before we jumped into the water. Everything else—even the rain—I would leave exactly as it was. Because years later, I don’t remember feeling disappointed that our beach ceremony never happened.
I remember laughing on the flybridge while we made a new plan.
I remember jumping into the choppy water in my wedding dress.
I remember kissing underwater.
I remember chasing turtles through Shroud Cay with the people we love most.
And I remember sitting down to dinner as the sun set over the Exumas, knowing we’d celebrated our wedding exactly the way we wanted to.
If you’re dreaming of a wedding that’s intimate, unforgettable and entirely your own, a yacht might just be the perfect place to say “I do.”
