Laid-back wedding at Great Bay Beach
GREAT BAY — Rebecca Brooks and Thomas Graziano from New York chose St. Maarten to celebrate their anniversary. They got married on November 11th. When they saw online that 11-11 is St. Maarten’s Day, they decided they wanted to celebrate their wedding on our island.
St. Maarten’s Day commemorates the sighting of the island by Christopher Columbus on this day in 1493. For Brooks and Graziano yesterday, January 15th, was the first time they set foot on St. Maarten. The couple, both thirty years old, came aboard the Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Harmony of the Seas and brought 29 family members and friends with them.
The ceremony took place at Great Bay Beach, in a public area near Walter Plantz Square. White chairs were lined up on the beach, on both sides of an isle leading to the wedding arch. The wedding cake and champagne were waiting on a table under the palm trees. A steel plan player performed Despacito and other popular Latin songs.
With five ships in port, a busy beach and new cruise tourists arriving with the water taxi every twenty minutes, the wedding ceremony received a lot of attention. Dozens of bystanders took pictures, and some tourists started dancing to the sounds of the steel pan music. The wedding guests didn’t seem to mind. Neither did Brooks and Graziano, who put on their sun glasses and enjoyed a laid-back celebration, drinking champagne and eating cake.
Around noon the couple was ready to return to the ship. “I want to get out of this dress, put on comfy clothes and go on a tour,” said Brooks. “I can’t wait to see more of the island.” Her husband nodded: “Yes, it’s time to explore St. Maarten.”
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