Exuma Wedding Professionals Propose to Engaged British Couple Lisa Gant and Alex Pelling andEntice them to Continue Their Global Search for The Perfect Wedding Location in The Exotic Exuma Islands of The Bahamas
Exuma Tourism Partners come together to showcase their unique offering of tours, traditions, cuisine, culture and venues by throwing an old time Bahamas wedding ceremony and village celebration for global marrying couple, Lisa and Alex of Manchester, England.
GEORGE TOWN, EXUMA, BAHAMAS (December, 2012) – Kwanza Clay Bowe, co-owner of Chat ‘N’ Chill® and the project’s visionary, saw Lisa Gant & Alex Pelling’s story on one of those entertainment magazine-style news shows on TV, and saw it as the perfect challenge to craft an authentic Bahamian wedding experience. She immediately called upon her local wedding vendors to get involved in the adventurous love story of the global marrying couple from Manchester, England. The Exuma tourism partners agreed to participate in staging a native wedding ceremony on the beach highlighting all of the most celebrated facets of Bahamian culture, traditions and cuisine.
“Typically brides come to us with their own ideas in mind and sometimes ship in all their own décor too, instead of taking delight in what’s local. With Lisa & Alex’s wedding, we have the opportunity to truly showcase what a native, cultural Exuma wedding can be, with all homemade accents and décor right here from The Bahamas. I made a few phone calls and was simply amazed at all the cooperation that we received from all of our wedding and tourism partners. This speaks volumes for what we can do in the future as we continue to brand Exuma as a premier wedding destination location,” says Kwanza Clay Bowe.
Lisa and Alex’s journey began as a longtime desire to see and travel the world. After they saved up their money, sold everything they owned and planned their escape, they decided it might be nice to get married somewhere along the way. “While we both are very romantic, we also like to do things a little bit differently than most. We looked for ‘unique wedding locations,’ ‘wild weddings,’ ‘traveling weddings,’ we read wedding blogs, travel blogs, and love stories but we just couldn’t quite find what we wanted,” Alex said. So they set off to see what they could find on their own.
This is where destiny meets destination. After seeing their story on TV, owners, Kenneth and Kwanza Bowe proposed to Lisa and Alex by inviting them down to their restaurant and beach bar, Chat ‘N’ Chill® to marry in an old time Bahamian themed wedding ceremony on the beach. “While Chat ‘N’ Chill® is accustomed to holding ‘off-the-beaten-aisle’ style wedding ceremonies, it is also the place where other world traveling adventure seekers meet up,” says Kwanza.
“Traveling and finding friends, adventure and fun whilst immersing themselves in the cultural differences of wedding ceremonies all over the World…’who wouldn’t get excited about that?’”, says the bride, Lisa Gant.
Lisa and Alex will tie the knot at Chat ‘N’ Chill® on 12-12-12 in an authentic Bahamas wedding ceremony and culminating a weeklong celebration of Exuma cuisine, culture and adventures. Lisa and Alex will stay at the luxurious Grand Isle Resort & Spa, located on the beautiful Emerald Bay Beach on Great Exuma Island. “From start to end, our festivities shall highlight all the specialties of The Bahamas, featuring Bahamian brewed beer, local musicians, the traditions of Junkanoo, Goombay dancers and the goat-skinned drum. All of the décor and design, including the invitations, wedding attire, wedding programs and wedding favors will be handmade in The Bahamas. We have partnered with local artisans to incorporate shells, coconuts, handcarved wood, handmade straw and fabric designs to showcase the beautiful talents of our 16 islands.” The ceremony space will be hand constructed using the native flora of the island, including coconut and silver top palms, seagrape and banana leaves along with the Bahamas national flower, the Yellow Elder,” says the wedding project’s visionary, Kwanza Clay Bowe, also known as The Exuma Destination Wedding Expert™.
“We’re so happy to be able to host Alex and Lisa during their stay in Exuma,” says Don Jelinek, General Manager at Grand Isle Resort & Spa. “This is such a wonderful and unique time in their lives, and Grand Isle offers that perfect mixture of romance and ambiance that will contribute to a lifetime of memories. We look forward to them returning for an anniversary or two to keep the paradise experience going!”
“This is really great for The Exuma Islands as it will certainly provide substantial exposure not only for Chat ‘N’ Chill® and Exuma but for all of The Bahamas. This kind of publicity will also assist in developing other niche markets like boating and eco-tourism,” says Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Charity Armbrister, Director of Central & Southern Bahamas.
During their stay, Exuma Tourism Partners are laying out the red carpet and Lisa and Alex will experience the Best of the Best that The Exumas has to offer, including a visit the world famous swimming pigs. Young entrepreneur, boat captain and operator of Four C’s Adventures (ExumaWaterTours.com), Capt. C. Patterson Smith says, “Every single day that I take people out, I never cease to be amazed at the incredible beauty of my country. It makes me proud to help people experience the variety of our natural safari of sea life including dolphins, sharks, snorkeling amongst hundreds of fish in the 007 Thunderball Grotto where the James Bond movie was filmed, and of course enjoy thousands of The Exumas’ unspoiled white sandy beaches.”
About Lisa and Alex
Lisa Gant and Alex Pelling left their home in Manchester, England, more than 18 months ago and have driven across Canada, America and visited every country in Central America, and most countries in South America in their camper van, affectionately known as “Peggy”, which they ship from continent to continent. Always wanting to travel the world, they saved their money like crazy, threw caution to the wind, sold all of their possessions, including a home and business, and set off on their globe-trotting journey. They also decided they would like to get married, possibly, whilst on their trip of a lifetime. When they began to research, they couldn’t find exactly what they were looking for so they decided that they would research unique ways and unusual places to get married and build a database to help other couples find the wedding of their dreams.
“We want to experience the difference in each ceremony and find out what it is that makes the bringing of two people together such a worldwide tradition, and of course let the world know!” says Lisa and Alex. While initially their trip was 100% self-funded, Lisa and Alex, were surprised at the generosity and response of the global community when hearing their story. Not only did they attract worldwide media attention, but also amazing offers from people who just wanted to help them to achieve their dreams in some of the simplest ways to really big ways. At the end, Lisa and Alex will pick their favorite place where they will return to officially say their “I do’s” where they say, “it will be an extra special wedding ceremony to celebrate both their marriage and the start of a new adventure.”
If you want to help Lisa and Alex to support UNICEF through their UNICEF-Zankyou Wedding Registry you and a friend are in for the chance to be flown out all expenses paid to their final mystery destination wedding! For more stories about their journey and how it all began, visit their blog at http://2people1life.com.
About Chat ‘N’ Chill®
Chat ‘N’ Chill®, the world renowned Bahamas beach bar and social hub was founded by entrepreneur and University of Chicago trained economist, Kenneth “KB” Bowe in 1998, after a career in international banking. It was his desire to return to the “simple island life” and to deliver what he researched and determined what clients wanted: “The Charm of the Old Bahamas”. Since then, not only has Chat ‘N’ Chill® grown into the go-to spot for escapees from the corporate world looking to slow down and get off the grid, it has also become sought after party venue and destination wedding location. Chat ‘N’ Chill® features a full service Exuma wedding planning division, A Wedding Breeze, created by by his wife, co-owner and Certified Wedding Specialist, Mrs. Kwanza Clay Bowe. Chat ‘N’ Chill® has been featured on the NBC Today Show, in Cosmo Bride, Conde Nast Traveler, Caribbean Travel & Life, Islands Magazine, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons and has appeared on the cover of Martha Stewart Destination Weddings & Dream Honeymoons. For more information, and to explore private event and destination wedding options,
visit Chat ‘N’ Chill® at http://chatnchill.com.
About Grand Isle Resort & Spa
Located on Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, a magnificent island located in The Bahamas, Grand Isle Resort & Spa is a stunning ocean front villa resort. The exclusive gated community consists of 78 luxuriously appointed 1- to 4-bedroom villas, decorated in color palettes inspired by the sea, lush landscape and tropical ambience. The villas range from 1,250 sq. ft. to over 5,000 sq. ft. and offer a fully equipped kitchen, spacious living area, high-end amenities, and extraordinary views. Getting around the resort is quick and convenient, as every villa is equipped with a personal golf cart. Complimentary high-speed wireless internet is also available.
Grand Isle is one of the finest resorts in the Caribbean and is the perfect location for a Bahamas Out Islands vacation. Ideally suited for family holidays, romantic getaways, destination weddings and honeymoons, or for simply enjoying the beach, a luxury villa vacation at Grand Isle is an experience never to be forgotten. Villas are available for sale or rent.
Contact reservations at 214.393.2841 or reservations@grandisleresort.com. We’ll book both your air and hotel reservations for convenient one-stop travel planning. Visitwww.GrandIsleResort.com for more information. To help visualize the beauty of the island’s pristine beaches, multi-hued turquoise seas, unique attractions, and authentic local lifestyle, the Grand Isle Experience offers a video show, 360o tours of the villas and resort grounds, and lifestyle photos.
Contact:
Kwanza Clay Bowe
954-636-1300
http://chatnchill.com