Wedding at sea
About a year-and-a-half ago, I had the pleasure of attending the “wedding at sea” of my nephew and his bride, both of whom were in the Navy at the time. Although the wedding was not a Navy ceremony, there were plenty of sailors on board the catamaran in San Diego, and the wedding was officiated by the ship’s captain. I was a guest, not the official photographer, at the wedding, but I also took the opportunity to take shots of Silver Strand Beach and the Coronado Bridge (1) on the day before the wedding, the famous Hotel del Coronado, folks sailing San Diego, sailboats coming into the marina as we were going out, the hangars where my nephew performed maintenance on helicopters, Point Loma just after sunset (the vows were almost exactly at sunset off Point Loma), and folks sailing at sunset.
The wedding was beautiful and quite memorable. After we motored back into the bay, the captain took us on an after-dark tour of ships in the harbor, including the oldest active ship Star of India, Vietnam War and Desert Storm aircraft carrier USS Midway (the largest aircraft carrier museum ship), and the modern aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which was in port at that time. The lighted skyline of San Diego was also a treat.
If you are contemplating a wedding at sea, San Diego is a great place to have the ceremony performed. The climate is just wonderful. There are some things to remember…in the case of my nephew’s wedding, the bride was to join her groom at the starboard bow. However, she made her way forward with her father on the port side of the catamaran, which meant that they had to cross a slightly rolling deck with her long train. They made the crossing without incident, but it might have been better for them to come up along the starboard side, where a railing was always available, if needed. 
If you are not planning a wedding at sea, I highly recommend an evening/after-dark cruise of San Diego Bay, if you live in California, or if you are just visiting.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®.
