(PRWEB) September 10, 2013 -- Places for wedding ceremonies are becoming more and more exquisite – romantics are seeking special places for such a special occasion. For Poseidon Expeditions, one of the only 2 companies operating icebreaker cruises to the North Pole, summer of 2013 has become “polar weddings season”.
“This year we’ve had 2 weddings and 3 wedding anniversaries celebrated on the North Pole,” – says Jan Bryde, the Expedition Leader of Poseidon Expeditions Company. “We’ve been operating North Pole icebreaker cruises since 1999, and have never had such a wedding boom before. One of the couples told us about their wedding plans before the voyage. We prepared a wedding arch to place it in front of the ship while parked in the solid ice, on top of the world, 90°N – geographical coordinates of the North Pole. The flower arch on the pack ice with the biggest icebreaker ever built at the background looked very extraordinary. It was a surprise when 4 more couples wished to stand under the arch to celebrate their wedding day. We have now included a note on our booking form asking to let us know about special anniversaries. We are always happy to accommodate such celebrations.”
Julia, one of the brides, explains why they have chosen the North Pole as a start point for their married life: “This is the place with only one direction – South; the point without time zone, with no sense of time to be discovered. Here all the meridians meet and you can circumnavigate the globe in no time. It seems to be the unique place perfect to start a new life.”
The North Pole is also one of the least visited places on Earth; the “wedding voyage” was just the 99th reaching of the North Pole in the history of icebreaker navigation.
Though there are also less romantic reasons that inspire adventurers to exchange with rings on top of the world. “We thought we should seize the moment. According to some researches Arctic Ocean will be almost entirely free of sea ice by the summer of 2016. It means there will be no chance to stand on Earth’s top as there is no any land there,” – says Kyan from Switzerland.
Antarctica is another polar destination popular for wedding ceremonies. While the North Pole is a rather iconic place, Antarctic expeditions attract grooms and brides from all over the world because of ethereal beauty which will be experienced and because of opportunities to share breathtaking explorations and discoveries.
“Do you, Lisa, promise to be true to Ian in good times and in bad, in seasickness and in health” – the captain of Sea Explorer is improvising. He means an unpredictable Drake Passage, which separates the south of Argentina, from where most of expedition cruises start, and Antarctica. “I definitely do” – Lisa is following a lead. Lisa and Ian have already undergone a test of crossing the Drake Passage on their way to Antarctica. What is more important – they have undergone shared discoveries and experience in the wildest and most fantastic place on Earth.
The first wedding in Antarctica took place in February 1978 at the Argentinean Esperanza research base. In 1985 the chaplain of U.S. McMurdo Station flew to the South Pole to preside over a wedding ceremony; the bride looked very touching with a banquet of fresh vegetables in her arms.
Shipboard weddings with the captain presiding don’t have official status though. But who cares about officiality when the point is the most special event in the most special place.
Andrey Vlasov, Poseidon Expeditions, http://poseidonexpeditions.com/, +7 4952760123, [email protected]
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