Little did Trish know she would be getting married when she boarded Wind Star in mid-August. Sailing on Windstar Cruises for the first time, Trish and her fiancé of seven years, Ron, came on board for two weeks of relaxing vacation, sailing through Greece and Turkey, and visiting with their old friends, Captain Aristeidis, (‘Aris’ to his friends) and Ruby.
“We were sitting at dinner in Bodrum on one of the first nights with Aris and Ruby, talking over good food and wine, when the idea formed that we should get married on board,” said Trish.
And Captain Aris wanted to be the man to do it. Since the couple was sailing on back-to-back voyages, they decided to do the ceremony in Santorini, with its romantic and picturesque cliffs.
The details quickly came together. They hopped off the yacht in Istanbul to buy wedding rings. Ron picked up a wedding shirt. Trish bought her ‘something new’ in the form of a bracelet from the Wind Star gift shop. Luckily, she had the perfect white dress already packed! Trish even found a ‘wedding planner’ in a new friend made on board, Tina, a producer for BBC, who helped pull everything together. Laurie, another guest sailing on board who Trish and Ron had befriended, happened to be a wedding photographer and offered to take pictures.
As Wind Star anchored in Santorini, there was not a cloud in the sky. Tina ran to shore to pick up fresh orchids from a local florist, a garter and other wedding essentials. The ship’s chef brought up a wedding cake. The champagne was chilled. The sails were unfurled. Captain Aris took his place. The guests on board gathered round. And then, as the sun set, Trish and Ron were married.
“It was such an honor to be part of the special day,” said Captain Aris.
After the ceremony, Windstar’s signature deck barbeque kicked-off, making it the perfect reception. The party carried on late in the night as guests feasted on lobster and paella and danced to live music. Ron and Trish opened wedding presents, including a romantic lunch in Mykonos the next day, that thirty passengers on board happily contributed to.
“So many of the guests onboard helped make this day special. They ended up becoming friends,” said Trish.
Once the cruise ended, Ron and Trish headed to England for a short honeymoon and to visit Trish’s family to share the good news before they headed back to their home in Dallas.
“The wedding itself was a dream come true. Everything was perfect,” said Trish.
Just another day in the life of a Windstar guest. A journey 180 degrees from ordinary.
Sounds like a wonderful experience! Was a legal ceremony performed? We’re sailing on the Star Breeze in September and would like our ceremony to be legal. I can’t seem to find a definitive answer. 🙂 Thanks!
Clara, there was no legal ceremony performed. However, you may try to contact the local government to see if I can be possible for you.