Created for eternal love by the Almighty Himself, the Maldives is the number one destination for overseas wedding ceremonies. In contrast to domestic registry offices of varying degrees of fun, Maldivian newlyweds are offered rustling arches of palm crowns and accompanying exotic vegetation, instead of “the name of the Russian Federation …” sound incomprehensible, but attractive melodic play of Dhivehi, and fussy relatives on both sides are absent as a class – the high cost of the venture, you know, it stops. Among other things, a wedding ceremony in the Maldives has another important property – the exchange of vows and rings here is purely unofficial and is not recorded in any incriminating documents.
This means that absolutely everyone can hold their hearts together: gray-haired old men and enthusiastic starlets, bigamies and beauties hidden from their legal spouses, and finally – a young frivolous (but at the same time quite well-to-do) generation from the category of “why didn’t you warn that this bummer is for life?” In a word, lovers of all ages – you have a direct road to the Maldives!
Standard ceremonies …
“Default options” for a wedding ceremony in the Maldives – the traditional “doni” boat, garlands of flowers and national costumes for the bride and groom, the host of the ceremony, also known as the “marriage”, and other cute delights: decorating a hotel room with flowers, a bottle of champagne and a festive breakfast For a present. Usually, a significant day is built as follows: in the morning, the newlyweds separately prepare for the ceremony – the groom is offered a 2-hour relaxation in the spa center, the bride – hair-make-up and other marafet.
Then the future husband goes to the meeting place of his wife – to an intricately decorated symbolic altar, as a rule, on the opposite side of the island or even on the neighboring uninhabited atoll. A little later, the bride appears – in a carriage or palanquin (if it happens on the “native” atoll) or sails from the azure distance of the ocean on the “doni”. A couple meets on the shore and, showered with flower petals and rice, approaches the altar.
The master of the ceremony makes a simple but painful speech: invoking the elements of Water, Air and Earth, he seals the union of two hearts. The couple exchange vows, rings and kisses – and voila! – the bride and groom become husband and wife. The newlyweds then go on a honeymoon trip around the islands with a picnic or return “home” for a romantic yacht cruise with dinner at sunset. Their hotel room is decorated with great care, and in some cases, for the first night in a new capacity, lovers are provided with a secluded luxury hut away from prying eyes and ears.
… and exceptional
For convinced divers and just those who want to “dodge” as much as possible in the wedding ceremony, the Maldives offers marriage under water. In this case, the dive instructor acts as the administrator of the ceremony, and silent and agreeable fish and other representatives of the cold-blooded are attracted as witnesses. You can dive both in national wedding suits and in European attire – a tuxedo and a white dress, or wetsuits. The “doni” boat picks up the spouses from the hotel and takes them to the blue lagoon – the temple of love, where the immersion takes place.
In front of the altar installed at the bottom, the couple exchange silent, but no less eloquent oaths of allegiance, the dive manager seals the union, and … “now the groom can take off his mask and kiss the bride.” Then the newlyweds return to the shore and continue the festive program “in the air” – a cruise around the islands, dinner on the shore, a secluded picnic on an uninhabited atoll, etc. Another option for an exceptional wedding ceremony is the signing of marriage documents on board a seaplane. True, this does not happen in flight – the plane is parked in the middle of the azure lagoon, but it gives no less impressions. Decorated with flower petals, garlands and ribbons, the “ceremonial hall” on the water is an exotic sight even by Maldivian standards.
Where and how much
Wedding ceremonies in the Maldives are in great demand, and each of the numerous “resorts” considers it their duty to invite guests to seal their hearts in the Maldivian way. The louder the name, the more sophisticated the ceremony is arranged and, accordingly, the more expensive it will cost the newlyweds. For example, on the Ari Atoll, weddings are “thundering” at the Hilton Maldives Resort & SPA and Nika Maldives hotels.
The first is famous for its dive center, suitable for both experienced snorkelers and scuba divers, as well as for novice divers – that’s why underwater wedding ceremonies are held here with a bang. And it is in the “Hilton” that you can get married in a seaplane with the romantic name Chapel of Love, and then go on a cruise on a long ocean yacht. Nika Maldives bet on privacy – the western side of the atoll is uninhabited, and the ceremony is carried out there. In the luxurious Kanuhura Beach & SPA Resort (formerly One & Only), on Lhaviani Atoll, the ceremony is luxurious, pompous and at the same time very traditional – with the national Maldivian Bodu Beru drums, palm branches-fans, a silk sarong for the bride and extensive retinue.
The wedding is held here on a separate, specially rented for this occasion, the island of Jehunuhur, and for the night the newlyweds are left in an individual luxury villa.
The cost of a wedding ceremony in the Maldives starts at USD 800 for a standard set of options – a ceremony on land, a dhoni cruise and dinner on the beach, a night in a decorated room and a festive breakfast the next morning. In addition, you can pay for the services of a stylist and spa treatment for two, photography and video filming, a drum band and an individual menu dinner with French champagne.
The dive wedding will cost at least 1200 USD , and the ceremony on board the hydro-chapel of love will cost from 1500 USD . For celebrations at Kanuhura Beach & SPA, prepare to pay from 2,700 to 4,000 USD – in the latter case, everything is really included, and even beyond that – from the rental of European wedding suits to a certificate for a discount when celebrating a wedding anniversary in the same hotel. But the most important thing is priceless – delightful memories of the fabulous union of two loving hearts in the heart of the primeval nature of the Indian Ocean islands.
