Married Around the World
Author: Ellie Thompson
Not every engaged man would agree to such a wild idea. But Chase did. Watching his bride-to-be present her powerpoint of the “greatest wedding ever” was impressive. But seeing the budget dip far below the average wedding cost closed the deal. He wrapped his head around the knowledge that they would be getting married around the world, and had no idea how it would unfold.
In American culture we often have a rehearsal dinner and a full day of wedding celebrations, then “call it good” until the one-year anniversary. Not for Alexis and Chase, who seek out adventure and consider travel in every decision they make, justifying its place in one of the biggest moments of their lives. Of becoming husband and wife.
More of a pilgrimage than an elopement, the engaged couple set their minds on 7 different cultures with personal meaning: to learn from each unique location. They wanted to meet with someone of faith who would bless their union, with others who could teach tradition and give advice. The goal: to simply let God bring them who they needed and be open along the way.
The adventure began close to home in Greenville, South Carolina. The South. Receiving a spoken blessing and prayer for both their safety on the journey and their time united as one. It was perhaps the easiest and least diverse stop, yet merely a portion of the Southern experience, as they had a reception party prepared upon their return. And per Southern tradition to bring good fortune, if you find a buried bottle of whiskey with their names on it, you will know why.
Continuing a bit further from home, the couple drove through the Scottish Countryside to experience a traditional hand-fasting ceremony. The beauty of wind-swept heather and roaring mountains, gleaming over vast, open expansions of green, was perhaps the most awe-inspiring view on the trip. The unusually warm 75-degree day was perfect for Alexis’s custom-made, forest green, chiffon wedding gown designed by South Carolina seamstress Latoya McKinney. Exchanging their vows in intimate privacy amongst the forest trees, the couple knew this would be a hard stop to beat.
Yet the journey kept getting better as they exited the next plane in a new city: Barcelona, Spain. Where vibrant colors and intricate architectural designs were everywhere, but churches were not. Running out of options as they sought someone to speak over their marriage, they ended up at a convent, where English wasn’t an option and Spanish wasn’t spoken by either bride or groom.
Thanks to friendly smiles and years of practice with Charades, they were able to explain their pilgrimage-purpose to a novice nun. She beamed with excitement, turning to explain their story in Spanish to 90-year old Padre Pedro, the convent Father. Bringing them by hand to the altar, flipping through a giant, old bible, he married them in Latin. Tears strolled down Alexis’s face as both she and Chase knew this was special.
Details from each country could be written into entire articles of their own. Perhaps sharing the traditions practiced or the wisdom given. The way travel brings trouble such as weight limits with 7 wedding gowns or the mishaps of many planes, trains, and automobiles on strict schedules. Which was certainly a trial as they arrived in their next culture. Italy. Flying into Rome, boarding 3 different trains, hoping their 11pm taxi driver would be there to drive to the tiny, Tuscan town of Pienza another hour away.
But the details and facts will fade, while the memory and images of an intimate photoshoot in the wild countryside of Tuscany–with its rolling hills and tallest Cyprus trees–will remain. Wearing a gown from South Carolina’s wedding boutique The Dressing Room South, light layers were needed as the couple shared a moment of gratitude overlooking the sun-bathed hills. Celebrating their fourth experience of learning, blessings, and opportunities ahead as a married couple.
Naturally, the “City of Love” needed to have a place on the list. Paris is a romantic city with its beautiful language, lust for love, and home to Sacre Coeur, Alexis’s favorite church. However, this stop posed to be the most difficult, with heavy rains, unfriendly locals, and strict Catholic rules. Italy and Spain had also been Catholic, yet every church in Paris–which were few–turned them away. A priest at Sacre Coeur blessed the couple individually and gave wonderful wishes of love, but Paris easily could have become the most disappointing stop if it hadn’t been for fellow tourists from around the world offering their blessings and advice in place of the French. The bonus of Paris will always be new friendships with the people from Malaysia, Japan, England, Turkey, etc. Allowing Paris to keep its nickname, “City of Love,” after all.
The train to their 6th destination brought them through fields and farm lands, forests and small village towns, into the history and color of Würzburg, Germany–Chase’s favorite stop along the way, and family home to Alexis’s Maid of Honor. The bride was led down the tree-lined aisle of a bright, yellow summer palace, wearing a traditional wedding Dirndl, and given away by her host.
This ceremony was filled with both old and new. Both German and American. And for the first time, the couple kissed as the newly pronounced “man and wife.” Many tears of joy were shed both at the ceremony and in the presence of a welcoming, warm, local pastor who spoke a blessing over the marriage with deep thought and love. Though none of it was in English, this was perhaps the most overwhelmingly emotional stop of them all.
The bride and groom turned their attention toward home, beginning the long journey to the North: Their seventh and final cultural stop just outside Canada in Alexis’s hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. Initially, their blessing came with unexpected twists, but the plan God had for them was far greater than the one they had for themselves.
The kind woman who had prepared her blessing and advice for weeks was unable to meet. She created articulate and precise notes to share and they knew her prayers were with them. In place, the couple video-called a church friend they deeply respected, who–within the hour–prepared beautiful spoken words. Alexis built her own wedding gown of light blue tulle to resemble the Lake Superior waves, was given away by her father, shared moments of preparation with her mother, and the couple publicly repeated the vows they had spoken in Scotland.
As they returned home to South Carolina, attention turned to the party ahead, which was filled with traditions from all the cultures they visited. And all the gowns, which were beautifully displayed for their friends and family to see. When asked the greatest lesson the couple learned along the way, they summed it up in three simple words. “God is love.”
The immense amount of knowledge gained, the deeper details and trials experienced, will all be openly shared in Alexis’s new book, More Than a Day, which you can pick up when published later this year. For now, the couple encourages others to follow their own path of love, to release themselves from the limiting rules and societal expectations surrounding marriage, and to live in a way that allows them to grow together.
They are currently looking forward to experiencing a honeymoon in a similar fashion once the dust settles on a new house and new union–perhaps even a sequel focused on maternity in the future. To them, the opportunities to learn together are endless.
WORLDWIDE PHOTOGRAPHER: Cherisse Hosein-Young | ITALIAN + AMERICAN GOWNS: The Dressing Room South | RED SPANISH + GREEN SCOTTISH GOWN DESIGNER: Latoya Mckenny | HAIR AND MAKEUP: Katie Cotton at Cotton Rouge Studio | SHOT OF COUPLE ON STAIRCASE: Photographer Mila Wilson
