What a magical day we had at Paradise Cove in Vanuatu for our wedding! The weather forecast was not so good and it was apparently drizzling in Port Vila, but out at Paradise Cove we were very lucky as it stayed dry all day. The sun came out in the afternoon in time for our 3pm wedding and our small gathering of friends enjoyed celebrating with us on the white sand beach.
Our wedding plans had started back in January and we had originally booked a different resort, but it had suffered severe damage in the cyclone. Luckily, our Wedding Planner, Virginia, found us an alternative – and we were absolutely delighted with Paradise Cove. The bay is sheltered from the SE trade winds, which meant we could safely park Aradonna right outside the resort. It was so nice to have Aradonna sitting in the background for our wedding day.
The day started with a swim and snorkel in the bay, followed by lunch at the resort before heading to our bungalows to get dressed for the big event. Our good friends Sarah and Pieter were our witnesses and they performed their duties well. Pieter and Karl went ahead and waited on the beach beside the arbour, while Sarah helped Heather “dress”.
Heather wore a simple deep blue dress with a kerchief hemline, topped with an ivory lace cape. On Valentine’s Day, Karl had surprised Heather with a beautiful necklace that he had chosen especially for the wedding day. It looked stunning! Karl and Heather both wore lays made from white frangipani and purple flowers. Sarah and Heather both had white frangipani hair flowers.
Sarah walked with Heather down the path, through the beautiful gardens of the resort as the symphony music of “Canon” played. We were married on the beach, by a local celebrant, with Aradonna sitting in the background. Just perfect! Apart from the usual service, we had each prepared our own words and it was so nice to be able to speak from the heart on our special day.
Pieter performed his task well and produced the wedding ring, which is a perfect match for the engagement ring, right on cue for Karl. As soon as the celebrant had presented Mr and Mrs Landhuis, champagne flowed, glasses clinked and our gathering shared hugs of congratulations all round. It was truly a “pinch me” moment. Good friends, a fabulous setting, sunshine, sea – everything was simply perfect! Dinner at the resort was delicious, with coconut prawns, veal escalope’s, tender eye fillet, fresh tuna steaks and beautifully presented fresh vegetables. We had brought our own wine with us, chosen months ago, and it couldn’t have been better! The Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Shiraz we had selected got the thumbs up from our little group. We finished the meal with wedding cake, coffee and cognac before retiring to our gorgeous bungalow for a night on land! In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast at the resort before returning to our floating home as husband and wife! We are so very very lucky and very very happy!