With beautiful beaches, a convenient location, and luxurious resorts, The Bahamas is absolutely perfect for tying the knot away from home.
By: Chloe BittonWith its sandy-white beaches, sparkling water and its rainbow of lush tropical flowers, the Bahamas offer a picture-perfect wedding setting. Add in the fact that the 700-island archipelago offers a wide range of full-service resorts, boutique hotels and secret island places to host weddings, and you’ve truly got something for everyone. Whether you prefer to visit uncharted terrain on Eleuthera or get pampered on Paradise Island, the Bahamas has the venue for you.
Small Wonder
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On Andros (the largest yet least populated of the islands) lies the quaint Kamalame Cay. Arriving here requires a bit of work: a connecting flight from Nassau (although some airlines fly direct), a 20-minute taxi to the Kamalame Ferry, plus a three-minute boat ride over Staniard Creek—but it’s well worth it. The 96-acre all-inclusive property offers 19 chic beach cottages with wraparound porches; best of all, the cottages are located only a few barefoot steps from the water. Before tying the knot on the resort’s beach, you can luxuriate in the newly renovated Spa
Kamalame Cay, which features overwater treatment rooms. After the ceremony, retire to the Great House, a majestic 19th-century British Colonial, for a candlelit dinner and dancing. Other resort activities include snorkeling in the third-largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, playing tennis on the resort’s oceanfront court or snuggling in a hammock with some freshly baked cookies (rates for wedding packages start at $660 and include wedding coordination services, a reception dinner, a cake, a bottle of champagne, flowers, some photography, a wedding license, a romantic boat trip with picnic lunch and a room upgrade subject to availability; kamalame.com).
Major Player
Set on a peninsula on Paradise Island, the supersize Atlantis is the definition of ritz, glitz and top-notch beachfront service. For your wedding ceremony, choose among various outdoor locations, including poolside near the resort’s famous waterfall, a patio with a lagoon view or the resort’s pink-sand beach. Once the sun sets, invite guests to one of the countless outdoor balconies for cocktails and then dine together at the ocean-view Water Edge restaurant. Finally, dance the night away in the Caribbean’s largest ballroom, or try your luck at the Las Vegas-style casino. The next day you might feel ready to work up a sweat at Climber’s Rush, a high-tech wall-climbing facility that will challenge even the most extreme thrill seekers. Or perhaps you’ll decide to splash around at Aquaventure, the resort’s 63-acre water-park extravaganza and finish the day at the Mandara Spa’s Taking the Waters ritual, consisting of sauna, steam and a cold- and hot-water plunge (wedding rates start at $3,500 for a site fee, which include ceremony setup and butler-passed water and cold towels, plus a required $150 per person food and beverage minimum. There is also a 10-room, three-night minimum; atlantis.com).
Set Sail
For a low-key and ultraintimate setting to exchange vows in, head to Eleuthera, an isle of gorgeous scenery and waters teeming with tropical fish, located just 220 miles off the coast of Florida. Discovered by explorers in the 1640s, the name is Greek for “freedom,” and the untouched landscape still evokes a sense of adventure. For a very special just-the-two-of-us ceremony, say “I do” at the Hatchet Bay Caves, a protected harbor area that was once a pirate hideaway. For a somewhat more formal affair, head to Cape Eleuthera Resort & Yacht Club, where you can host a small beachfront service at one of the property’s private cays. The recently renovated property boasts a beautiful marina, as well as 19 townhouses that are no taller than a palm tree. Area activities include diving among shipwrecks, kayaking in lagoons and swimming in the crystal-clear ocean (wedding prices are à la carte. The Schooner & Sunset package starts at $280 per person and includes three nights’ accommodations, sailing and kayak excursions, a personal golf cart and a private picnic for two; capeeleuthera.com).
Lawfully Wedded
To get married here, you must arrive in the Bahamas no less than 24 hours before applying for a marriage license. Then present yourself, a photo ID and proof of arrival date (an airline ticket or stamped passport will suffice) at the Commissioner’s office on the island on which you are to be married. You must also bring a notarized letter stating that both parties are single, and, if applicable, divorce papers or a previous spouse’s death certificate.
