|
|
|
|
Click image to enlarge
|
|
When Nickolette Goodemote of Butler took her first cruise more than five years ago, she met new friends and developed a passion for water voyage vacations.
So when it came time to plan her wedding with fiancé Wesley Goodemote, Nikki could think of no better way to tie the knot than by making it a part of her annual cruise vacations.
The couple met at the architectural firm Burt Hill in Butler, where Nikki works as an interior designer and Wes as an engineer.
The two were engaged in July 2006 aboard a boat in Puget Sound, Seattle.
Not long after their return, Nikki got to work, planning the beach ceremony she had always dreamed of. After researching the marriage licensing and planning process of several locations, she chose the island of St. Thomas, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Having developed a network of friends she cruised with annually, the group’s organizer suggested she consider a Carnival cruise that made a Monday stop on St. Thomas.
“Being my only daughter, you want to try and help fulfill her dream,” said Vikki Schmeider of Cabot, mother of the bride.
With Schmeider taking on many of the decorating details, Nikki concentrated on cruise arrangements, inviting friends and family and securing reservations.
With a destination in mind, Nikki and Wes turned to the Internet to search for wedding necessities, a site, an officiant and marriage license details.
Their hunt was cut short, however, when a sales representative Wes worked with spoke of his recent wedding in St. Thomas, arranged by Debra Williams, owner of Fantasia Weddings.
Williams, a nondenominational minister, coordinates weddings for couples, including securing a site, time, marriage license requirements and reception details.
Though Fantasia Weddings’ package plans allow couples to choose from simple or elaborate weddings and simply show up, sign the license and say “I do,” Nikki and her mother wanted to make sure the wedding was full of her own personal touches.
“We weren’t comfortable with the ‘just show up’ idea,” Schmeider said.
Nikki and Wes chose a private beach at the Emerald Beach Resort and a luau reception on the resort’s patio.
Securing reservations was an immediate concern for Nikki, who received confirmations from about 70 friends, family members and co-workers.
“That’s really pretty awesome,” Nikki said of the large turnout.
|
|
|
Click image to enlarge
|
|
Schmeider noted that the group rate Nikki secured for the cruise allowed many people not only the opportunity to share the couple’s special day, but to embark on their first cruise vacation.
Unsure of how a cruise vacation would work, many of the first-time cruisers turned to Nikki with travel questions. “(Nikki) was inundated with millions of questions every day,” Schmeider said.
With their wedding falling on Labor Day, a holiday observed by courts in St. Thomas, Nikki and Wes were unable to complete the marriage license process the day of the wedding and instead planned to travel to the island several days in advance to secure a license and finalize details like choosing a floral bouquet.
The early arrival, however, meant the couple would not be able to board the cruise ship with their guests in Puerto Rico.
The couple turned the problem into a party, however, hosting a luau-themed picnic at their home a month before their departure.
Nikki said the party gave family, friends and co-workers the opportunity to review trip details and get acquainted before boarding the ship.
Designing the ideal ‘I do’
For the mother of the bride, attention was turned to favors and decorations for the ceremony and two receptions, one to be held just after the ceremony, and a larger one two weeks after the travelers’ return.
Through online research into the laws and policies of the area, Schmeider learned she would have to seek an alternative to throwing rice and dropping flower petals, which were not to be left on the beach.
Biodegradable confetti packed into tiny cones was used to throw at the bride and groom at the conclusion of the ceremony.
For the flower girl, soap pieces created to look like flower petals gave the impression of scattered flowers but were easily washed away by the rains and tide.
Women in the couple’s families carried wooden fan favors, and everyone received paper fans that doubled as programs.
Other special touches included a sand ceremony, in which two bottles of sand were poured into one, symbolizing the union of the couple.
Williams coordinated transportation between the ship’s dock and the resort for the 10:30 a.m. ceremony.
Despite a brief rain shower, the bright sun, white beach and blue water proved an ideal setting for the exchange of vows.
“It was totally perfect,” Nikki said.
|
|
|
Click image to enlarge
|
|
Sailing into ever-after
Following the ceremony, guests moved to the resort’s nearby patio for a luau reception. The early ceremony provided time for many of the guests to leave and explore the island before returning to the ship for the night.
The couple then joined their guests to finish the seven-day cruise, spending their days exploring the ports of Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua, and their evenings dining and dishing with their shipmates.
“We tried to spend time with everybody,” Nikki said. “Each night (at dinner), we sat with different groups.”
After months of worrying about securing details, the mother of the bride considered the cruise a welcome relief.
“It all worked out fine. We were done, and we had the rest of the cruise to enjoy as our vacation,” Schmeider said. “We didn’t have to arrange anything anymore.”
After returning from their voyage, Schmeider and the Goodemotes got back to work, putting the finishing touches on a reception for 225 guests.
Held two weeks after the cruise’s end, Schmeider sought to bring the tropical feel of the wedding to guests, many of whom were unable to share in the wedding day festivities.
“I actually turned it into a tropical paradise,” Schmeider said of Cooper Hall in Saxonburg.
Decorated with hibiscus plants, sand, seashells, live fish and orchids, the casual gathering brought the island feel back home.
“My mom is awesome,” Nikki said. “She’s sort of an artist herself, so she totally has vision.”
The Goodemotes topped off the celebration enjoying pomegranate martinis, competing in the limbo and sharing wedding photos and videos with guests.
In addition to creating her dream wedding, Nikki sensed she might also have created some new cruise-addicts.
“Everybody actually wants to go back again,” she said.
|
