Think about all of the joy, energy and resources that went into planning your wedding. Now, imagine going through that experience not once, but 23 times. It sounds like a fantasy (or a nightmare, depending on who you ask), but this is actually one couple's reality.
Alex Pelling and Lisa Gant have made it their mission to not only travel the world together, but to throw a wedding in each country that they visit. Their initial goal was to have 30 wedding ceremonies, but at the time of publication, they had already completed 23 in 15 different countries, and were aiming for even more. By the end of the trip, they will select one destination to throw a final hurrah with loved ones present and make their marriage legal. They're even flying out two lucky winners—enter to win a trip to their wedding, here.
Check out their collection of amazing wedding photos, below!
Peru
Photo Credit: Luis Chiang
Mexico
Photo Credits: Dean Sanderson
Hollywood
Photo Credit: Bryan and Brandon Wright
Las Vegas
Photo Credit: Megan Finley
Hawaii
Photo Credit: Julia Bach
Chile
Photo Credit: Gardner Hamilton
Guatemala, Antigua
Photo Credit: José Pablo Martínez
Seattle
Photo Credit: Jonas Seaman
Costa Rica
Photo Credit: Kevin Heslin
Colombia
Photo Credit: Cristina Restrepo
Manchester, United Kingdom
Photo Credit: Jonny Draper
Their journey began last July, when the self-described "crazy romantics" decided to save every penny they had, sell all of their belongings and take off in "Peggy," their camper van. But they wanted to find a deeper purpose for their travels—just visiting museums or churches wouldn't cut it. Since they didn't fancy a traditional English wedding in the U.K., where they're from, they set off on the ultimate search for a venue that fit their unconventional personalities.
"The point of our journey is to experience the way other cultures celebrate marriage. It is one thing the whole world has in common—unity. The reason we thought of having a ceremony instead of just trying to be invited to one (because how hard could that be), was so that we could be involved in the decision-making process and ensure that each wedding would be relative to the culture and traditions from that particular area," said Gant.
Although all of this might sound incredibly elaborate, Gant and her fiancé don't orchestrate the ceremonies in advance. Most of the time, they "rock up" in a country, meet some locals, ask them where the best place to throw a wedding would be, and go from there. They use word-of-mouth and social media to contact vendors and loved ones who would be interested in providing their services for free or at minimal cost.
If we can learn anything from their extraordinary experience, it's that there are many different ways to approach a wedding ceremony—Gant urges brides to follow what they love. Every night, she and Pelling take the time to sit down together, cook, drink some wine, and laugh off the day's adventures.
"We know we're in love and that we're meant to be together. We wake up and pinch ourselves sometimes, because we can't believe where we are, what we're doing, and that we were both crazy enough to do this. But we know that we're doing the right thing for us!"
Visit the couple's blog to learn more about their travels and UNICEF donation registry.
— Stefania Sainato
- Anonymous's blog
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