A British couple have said 'I do' 66 times in a bid to find the perfect wedding location.
Hopeless
romantics Alex Pelling and Lisa Gant, from Manchester, have spent the
last three years travelling the globe and have been married 66 times
along the way.
The
couple have had a traditional wedding ceremony in every destination they have
visited on their journey - but are yet to legally tie the knot.
The Mancunian lovebirds at their most recent ceremony in Pakistan, where they're currently based
In 2011, after four years living together, Alex and Lisa made the brave decision to uproot their lives and follow their dream to relocate in Australia, beginning their location hunt.
Just one day after they said I do for the first time in a traditional ceremony in their hometown of Didsbury, they started their search for the very best place Down Under.
The couple
rented out their house and sold
their possessions to get funding for their trip. Lisa quit her job as a retail manager for
Marks and Spencer while Alex sold his car body repair business.
Their aim was to find the most exceptional and unique wedding locations possible, blogging about their experiences so others could better chose where to tie the knot themselves.
During their third wedding in Michigan in 2011, near the beginning of their search
Shortly after this first ceremony in Didsbury, the pair quit their jobs for a trip around the world
A vintage-style English wedding that was held in
Didsbury just before the couple started their journey - they flew to
Canada the very next day
Alex
said: 'Lisa and I are crazy romantics - we had looked at getting
married in the UK but found that most things on offer were very
conventional and we really are not.
'So we thought about looking for unusual places to get married in each country as we travelled around.
'We
thought we would share our experiences via a blog for those out-of-the-box thinkers like ourselves that didn't fancy the usual
wedding.
The couple getting hitched on an Air Tahiti flight on their incredible journey
Hilton Waikaloa Village in Hawaii during one of their weddings - but they're yet to legally marry
Taking part in a traditional Peruvian wedding on their 21st Big Day in Peru in June 2012
'Then,
a bottle of wine or two later, we decided it would be a good idea to
have a ceremony everywhere we went so we could experience them all first
hand.
'Our
friends and family thought we were crazy, but once we explained the
idea they loved it - as long as we didn't get legally married by
accident.
'The
point of our journey is to experience the way other cultures celebrate
marriage. It is one ritual that the whole world has in common - unity.'
Guatemala, where hopeless romantics Alex Pelling and Lisa Gant, from Manchester, got 'married'
The couple after
their traditional Guatemalan wedding which took place on the terrace of a
hotel with stunning views of the three volcanoes. The Xaman lit a fire
of cigars, rose petals and candles and made offerings to the Gods and
held the ceremony in Mayan
The beautiful Villa de Leyva was the location
for this traditional Colombian farmer style wedding. Lisa arrived at on a
donkey and they had a sheep as a guest 'as it is tradition'
After a traditional Mayan service in Quintana Roo, Mexico, the couple had an underwater photography session
A map of Alex and Lisa's extrodinary journey around the globe
Their blog has had millions of views, and their Facebook page has more than 47,000 followers, as they experience the wonderful variety of cultures and traditions around the world.
Introducing themselves on their blog the couple say: 'We are Lisa and Alex, a couple in love, who, on failing to find the answer to the all important question; ‘Where can we get married’, decided to have a wedding ceremony in every country we visit in search of the perfect place to tie the knot!
‘On an adventure of a lifetime, we are going to drive (and ship) around the globe in our 27-year-old camper van Peggy exchanging vows in the most unusual and unique wedding locations we can find.
‘Not wanting to drag a "White wedding" around the World, we decided to try our hardest to embrace the culture and local traditions of each place we visit.
‘We want to experience the difference in every ceremony and find out what it is that makes the bringing of two people together, such a worldwide tradition, and of course let YOU know!’
A million-dollar yacht, a canoe chapel and, you guessed it... a wedding! Lisa and Alex's Bora Bora nuptials
This wedding was held at Mitad del Mundo (the
middle of the world) in Ecuador, where artist Cristobal Ortega held the
ceremony. The highlight, say the couple, was being blessed with smoke by
the entire congregation
A Texan ranch wedding held in a stunning
location Las Brisas Farm. The entire wedding was made completely from
reclaimed materials and covered in fairy lights. The couple clambered on
hay bales and Alex even lassoed his bride!
A truly traditional Tahitian tying of the knot! The wedding took place in a Tiki village on the island of Moorea
The wedding in Utila, Honduras, took place at a
magical wonderland all created by one man. Glass marbles, coloured
stones and pottery, even cutlery adorns every surface making the place
sparkle in the amazing sunlight
A wedding in Portugal which included a tour of
Lisbon by tram, motorbike and sidecar. The wedding was held on the
highest point in Lisbon overlooking the stunning city
The couple have experienced a vast range of unorthodox ceremonies in more than 30 countries, including a vampire wedding in LA.
They have also enjoyed their 'big day' in destinations most people can only dream about, such as Las Vegas, New York, Hawaii, Marrakech and Bora Bora.
They've tied the knot in an ancient Pagan ritual in Lithuania, and even had a topless Embera tribe wedding in Embera, Panama where they were painted with traditional tribal tattoo designs and beads.
Their experiences have been supported by local experts including shamans, Zulu chiefs in South Africa, pastors, vicars, rabbis and even a Voodoo priestess.
And even got married 30,000 feet above ground on board a flight to Tahiti.
The couple's topless Embera tribe wedding in Embera, Panam,a saw them adorned with ink and traditional beads
The incredible ceremony at the 'Centre of the World' in Quito, Ecuador
Lisa throws her bouquet after the couple's Ecuadorian nuptials
The wedding in the Toledo Villages of Belize was
conducted with the help of the TEA Belize, a volunteer organisation who
helps the local villagers see some of the benefits and profits of
eco-tourism
After the wedding Seattle, which took place in the Pike Place Market. Alex and Lisa are the second couple to marry at the market
At the Chappelle St Agnes Vineyard in Quebec.
'We stumbled upon the amazing European-inspired vineyard, complete with
chapel and heart shaped lake, while on a wine tour'
Lisa said: 'We are together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and live in a 6 feet by 16 feet space in the camper van.
'And we take it turns to make each other breakfast in bed every day.
'If there is anything that can make a couple sure that they are meant to be together it is surviving this trip without a single argument.
'But we still get nervous before every single ceremony.'
Lisa and Alex's pagan wedding in Lithuania
Their Turkish wedding was in two parts: first,
the couple took part in a A henna ceremony before marrying on a boat
against a backdrop of ancient tombs
The El Salvador wedding took place at sunset on the beach
Wedding on horseback! The couple married in
Banff, Alberta, Canada at Warner's stables. It was Lisa's first ever
time on a horse and Alex wore a cowboy outfit on their big day
The wedding in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica was
held in crashed plane with a mysterious history overlooking the coast of
the beautiful country
After their wedding in Chile. The couple wore
typical huasa and huaso for the wedding in the small fishing village
Horcon. People gathered around to wish them well after the small
intimate ceremony
Each wedding, along with its preparation is captured by a photographer, who also shares their experience on the couple's website.
Their first wedding was a traditional English ceremony in Manchester, attended by 40 of their closest friends.
Lisa chose a stunning cream Charlotte Balbier gown, which she has worn at 14 of her subsequent weddings (including one underwater!), and carried a bouquet of peonies, sweet Williams, lavender, mint and vintage English rosebuds for her dream ceremony.
‘I felt like a very spoilt princess!’ Lisa says on her blog. ‘About 30-40 of our family and friends sat there to see our first wedding!'
And the loved-up pair have no plans to stop until they find their dream spot.
Pictured in Ireland last April on their 41st wedding, a Celtic ceremony on the beach of Doonbeg Lodge
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