Want a Mermaid to Officiate Your Underwater Wedding? You're in Luck.
Calling all engaged mermaid enthusiasts! (Yes, apparently there are some.) One Florida hotel is offering a mermaid wedding package that’s perfect for pairs who have always wanted to be a part of their world under the sea.
More on Yahoo:Woman Celebrates Love, Freedom, and Joy by Wearing a Wedding Dress Every Day for the Past 10 Years
Brides- and grooms-to-be can now take the plunge, quite literally, under the water at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel That's right. Under the guidance of a mermaid officiant, happy couples can exchange rings, have a first dance, share a symbolic kiss (by blowing bubbles) and even exchange vows (via waterproof signs) submerged in the 8-foot-deep end of the hotel’s pool. The package, which launched April 1, doesn't come with scuba gear, but rather "the bride and groom will take a lesson in aquatic training with the resident mermaid to learn breath control and choreograph the ceremony," says a hotel spokesperson. The aquatic portion of the nuptials lasts 10 minutes with the bride, groom, and mermaid occasionally popping up to the surface to catch their breath. The prevows sessions also include a his-and-hers fin fitting and photo shoot. As for cost, the hotel charges $95 per guest and requires at least 30 guests, which means water-loving couples will have to shell out at least $2,850. And then there's the fine print: Additional lessons with a mermaid trainer may be required for an additional fee.
More on Yahoo Shine:Wedding Guest Etiquette: 6 Golden Rules
And if you happen to be invited as a guest to a siren-of-the-sea-themed wedding, be warned that proper attire isn’t swimwear. Attendees watch from the hotel bar’s shiplike portholes, which offer a view into the pool’s deep end. Because the mermaid doesn't have the correct credentials to properly call the couple husband and wife, the party continues on the beach with an additional half-hour ceremony.
George and Lee Sprague, who've been married for 50 years, were the first couple to test the waters for their vow-renewal ceremony. "I thought it was great,” Lee gushed to WHDH.com. “It's taken us out of our comfort zone a little bit to learn how to get down under the water.” Even their granddaughter thought it was cool (and getting a tween girl’s stamp of approval is rare).
Throwing an underwater wedding isn’t really all that unique. Companies all over the world offer options for scuba diving aficionados to make their love official in places such as the Maldives, the Bahamas, and Mexico. But the Sheraton is the first to offer a mermaid officiant as an added bonus.
Looking for another unique wedding idea? In New Mexico, the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Festival lets high-flying couples say become man and wife in midair. The Bridal Cave, named after Osage Native American legend, in Missouri has a special Bridal Chapel. (Decorations are included in the package price and include natural stalactites). For an incredibly intimate, but kind of cold, destination wedding Pearson’s Pond, an inn in Juneau, Alaska, specializes in glacier ceremonies.
After this long, cold winter, we'll take mermaids over glaciers any day.
More on Yahoo Shine:
The H&M Wedding Dress is Here!
When Did People Stop Having Regular Old Weddings?
Town Plans Big Ol' Texas Wedding in Record Time to Make Dying Dad's Day
