Read the complete magazine article - Cayman Islands

Bride: Kathryn Bannell
Groom: Jeremy Taylor
Home: Cornwall
Destination: Cayman Islands
Date: July 28th, 2011
TAKING THE PLUNGE
in Paradise
Images courtesy of: davidwolfephotography.com
As well as being over the moon after taking their vows
on a luxury yacht in the beautiful Cayman Islands
Jeremy and Kathryn were also over the side, straight
into the crystal clear Caribbean in fact!
For every couple planning a traditional local church
ceremony there is another yearning for a completely
different setting for their special day. An Alpine village
with a backdrop of lakes and mountains perhaps; the
idyllic unspoilt and exotic beauty of Polynesia; or
maybe a historic, vibrant, romantic city such as Paris
or Rome. As this is our summer issue we thought we’d
provide a little inspiration if blue skies, tropical sun,
swaying palms and turquoise waters feature in your
wedding dreams. Jeremy tells us how he and Kathryn
tied the knot “somewhere” off the coast of Grand
Cayman and as you’ll see they really “splashed out” in
more ways than one!
Cornish couples are lucky enough to live in one of
the most dramatic settings imaginable for a perfect
wedding day. Fantastic beaches, rugged coastlines and
some equally impressive venues – in fact, the only factor
we can’t rely on is the weather!
It was this love of the Cornish landscape that brought us
here from the South East just six months ago when my
fiancé swapped her GP practice in Hampshire for one
in Cornwall. I had proposed while we were out running
together at New Year. Kathryn was already short of
breath and I correctly assumed it was easier to gasp
‘yes’ than put up a reasoned argument.
Move the clock forward ten months and we now spend
too much time in wetsuits, the kids are experts at tide
times and we drive cars full of sand. In that short period,
Kathryn has found a new partnership near Bude; her
three children have successfully made the transition to
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different schools, while we have exchanged a railway
line at the bottom of the garden for picture postcard
views of the Cornish coast.
The icing on the cake took a little more organising
however - a romantic wedding day in the Cayman
Islands…
Our decision to travel overseas to get married wasn’t
taken lightly. In the end, despite the wonderful setting
of our new life in Cornwall, we wanted to treat the whole
family to a holiday of a lifetime as part of the wedding
adventure. With the weeks running out before Kathryn
started her new job and my diary filling up, we started
searching for our dream location.
We must have bought every travel magazine in the
village shop before I suggested Grand Cayman. I had
visited the island to write a wreck-diving feature and
knew it was the perfect location for combining a family
break and an amazing wedding. We only had a week to
spare and cramming it all in as we settled in Cornwall
was going to be a tall order.
For those of you who didn’t listen carefully in geography
classes, the Cayman Islands is still a British Overseas
Territory, a short flight south of Cuba in the western
Caribbean. Originally discovered by Columbus in
1503, nowadays it is best known partly as a centre for
international finance and also a haven for tourism,
blessed by one of the most glorious beaches in the
Caribbean, if not the world – Seven Mile Beach.
It is also one of the greatest places in the world to
dive and enjoy a long list of water sports. The clear,
warm water lures divers from around the globe, while
children can snorkel for brightly coloured fish just yards
from the shoreline. You can swim with huge friendly
stingrays, get up close and personal with giant turtles
and the prehistoric Blue iguana, as well as enjoy some
breathtaking Caribbean scenery.
Most holidaymakers stay along Seven Mile Beach
and we obviously wanted somewhere special to
enjoy our special moment. The team at Celebrations
suggested The Caribbean Club – Seven Mile Beach’s
most luxurious semi self-catering development. The
With boxes lying unpacked in the hallway and school
holidays threatening, we decided to take the strain out
of the whole affair and use a wedding planning company.
Celebrations have been putting the icing on the cake
for couples in the Cayman Islands since 1988, including
assorted celebrities and well-known faces.
Both Kathryn and I have been married before and had
already decided on a simple ceremony. So instead of a
traditional beach location, we asked Celebrations, one
of Grand Cayman’s best wedding organisers, to find a
luxurious boat to let us tie the knot at sea. And while
the children knew they were going on holiday, we had
deliberately neglected to tell them that we were getting
married at the same time!
apartments are simply huge, most with views of the
ocean and every conceivable extra including a lovely
restaurant and infinity pool.
We arrived at Owen Roberts Airport in Georgetown five
days before the big event. So by the time we stepped
aboard the 42ft Cayman Illusion, run by Cayman Luxury
Charters, we were already relaxed and sporting a
suitable tan. The original plan had been to marry the
day after we landed from an 11 hour flight – a very bad
idea indeed!
The Illusion is an air-conditioned dreamboat, polished to
perfection for the biggest day of our lives. The children
seemed more interested in the flatscreen TV in the
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stateroom, rather than the incredible scenery whizzing
by at 20 knots outside!
We must be one of the few couples who actually have
no idea of exactly where we were married. Our brief to
Cayman Luxury Charters was to take us ‘somewhere’
off the coast. And so it was that at 7.05pm on July 18,
‘somewhere’ off Starfish Point, Grand Cayman, Kathryn
and I took our vows.
Kathryn read me some words of her own, while I
recited Balloon, by Graeme King. Ten-year-old Rosie
then managed a faultless rendition of the Owl and the
Pussycat, before we released a bundle of red balloons
into the sunset. It was the most relaxed, emotionally
charged moment, with just the five of us, plus Kathryn’s
mother Rosemary on the passenger list.
Within minutes of me slipping a gold band on Mrs
Taylor’s finger, the children had stripped off and were
diving in to the water. As they circled the boat looking
for starfish, we decided to take the plunge too and
jumped off the bow in full wedding gear.
The only adventure we didn’t have time to do was a trip
to Little Cayman, a paradise coral bay just 40 minutes
away by twin otter. That is a treat we have in store for
our next trip.
The Cayman Islands adventure is still a favourite topic
of conversation around the kitchen table. The fish the
children caught have grown larger, the pirate ship they
sailed on even more scary. For Kathryn and I, we have a
lifetime of memories safely stored away. And every time
we walk on a Cornish beach, we keep an eye out for a
bunch of red balloons…
Fact
File
Jeremy and Kathryn’s
wedding was arranged by
Celebrations, a local wedding
planner
www.celebrationsltd.com
The family stayed in a
three bedroom suite at the
Caribbean Club
www.caribclub.com
The wedding ceremony took
place on a boat arranged by
Cayman Luxury Charters
www.caymanluxurycharters.com
British Airways fly direct
to Grand Cayman four days
a week and twice daily
via Miami with
onward connections
www.ba.com
Virgin Atlantic fly daily
to Miami with onward
connections to Grand Cayman
www.virginatlantic.com
Cayman Airways fly daily
from Miami to Grand Cayman
www.caymanairways.com
For information on weddings or honeymoons in the
Cayman Islands visit
www.caymanislands.co.uk
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