The singsong lilting of Scottish accents, the haunting notes
of the bagpipes, and the soft sounds of the surf lapping the pristine white
beaches of Stocking Island, Exumas provided a perfect backdrop for a wedding
both unique and special.
Blue skies with a few cottony white clouds moved slowly over the
shimmering aqua blue waters of Elizabeth Harbor. A light breeze helped cool the intense rays of sun shining
down on the bride, the groom, and the wedding party. It was a perfect day to get married on a beach in the Bahamas.
The previous day was a
different song. Twenty-four hours earlier a steady 28-knot wind out of the
southeast with gusts up to 35 knots kicked up the waters of the protected
harbor. Imagine and boats
anchored nearby hobby horsed up and down, up and down on the swells coming in
from the cut. At times the
sheeting rain reduced visibility to less than 200 feet.
Our Scottish friends on the
catamaran, Sam the Skull, worried about the weather. John and Barbara Anderson, who hail from Glasgow, Scotland,
have been sailing since 1998. The
couple had worked feverishly preparing a special beach wedding that their son,
John Anderson and fiancé, Laura Gallacher who live in the coastal village of
Helensburgh, Scotland would remember forever. With some protection from rain slickers, the
Anderson men and Patrick Thomlin from Raleigh North Carolina lashed together a
frame of bamboo poles for a canopy on the beach under which the bride and groom
would be married the following afternoon.
That was, if the rains stopped.
Laura and future
sister-in-law Carrie Anderson kept busy ironing out the details for the
minister, flowers, music, and photographs. A backup plan took shape as the Andersons and the bride kept
their eyes to the skies. They prayed that the heavy rains would move out and
on.
In the midst of the weather, a fellow Scotsman who happed to
be passing through heard about the wedding and offered to play the
bagpipes. The irony is that he was
sailing to the United States the day following the wedding. “Timing is everything”, as my husband,
Ed is fond of saying.
Cruisers from Freebird, First Look, and Moonlight Serenade
arrived by dinghy for the ceremony on the beach. Earlier in the day, the canopy was finished. The bamboo poles were hidden, wrapped in
white fabric. The top of the canopy wore another length of fabric, creating an
awning to protect the bride and groom.
Palm fans decorated the covered poles. Conch shells had been placed on
either side of the canopy to make a path for the bride and groom. The pearly pink shells contrasted
beautifully against the white sand.
The groom and his father,
wearing eight yards of plaid wool that makes up the traditional Scottish kilt,
walked barefoot in the sand waiting for the bride. The crew of First Look tuned his guitar as the bagpiper
assembled his instrument. Eyes
turned towards Georgetown, looking for the water taxi that would soon arrive
with the bride, the ministers, and the maid of honor.
The water taxi slid right up
onto the beach to help the wedding party disembark and stay dry. The bride wore a knee length white
sleeveless dress. A panel of
appliqué with seed pearls and sequins decorated the front. While the groom remained shoeless, the
bride did sport strappy white sandals.
It was time to get the ball rolling.
On cue, the bagpiper piped. The barefooted, kilted
father of the groom escorted his soon to be daughter in law across the sand,
down the conch path and to the covered canopy. After exchanging vows and rings, the new Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson greeted the small crowd of friends and cruisers. The crew of First Look sang a wedding
song.
The wedding party hiked a
half-mile up Flip Flop Beach, also known as a clothing optional beach, to a
small hideaway created by cruisers past.
Behind the tall bending beach grasses and under some casuarinas pine
trees stood a small open pavilion constructed of local trees. There are no sides, only awnings that
hang down to protect one from the sun. Great fans of palm leaves are layered across the top
and the awnings. A make shift bar,
some benches and a small table had been built to accent the bohemian hideaway.
This day it doubled as a
wedding hall. Decorated with
garland and white balloons waving in the wind, it provided a beautiful setting
for the wedding celebration.
Champagne flowed. John, the
father, cooked Bahamian lobster he had caught and froze earlier in the
season. Coated with garlic
and wrapped in bacon, it disappeared as fast as he could grill it. Barbara made a chocolate wedding cake
with whipped cream topping and strawberries.
Soon guitars were strumming as
cruisers sang to old ballads and songs from the sixties and seventies. Yes, most of us know the words from
that era. John, the elder,
strummed his guitar while singing the words to Sam the Skull a childhood song
about a rowdy and rumbling cat that one wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
The bride and groom chatted with friends, frolicked on the beach and couldn’t
seem to erase the smiles on their faces. From the pavilion one could watch the sun setting
lower on the horizon.
The water taxi returned to
claim the bride and groom. After a
dance on the beach to the tune of bagpipes the Anderson family gathered to say
goodbye. Tears of emotion brimmed
as the lone bagpiper serenaded the young couple farewell. Standing alone with a stand of beach
grass waving around him, the haunting notes of the pipes heralded adieu to the
bride and groom as the water taxi whisked them away. Shadows fell upon the musician as he finished his
salute. The sun was setting on
what turned out to be a beautiful perfect day.
