Cuban couple say “I do” under the sea in Havana
HAVANA, Oct. 20 A young Cuban couple, lovers of adventure, made their dream of getting married come true in an unusual, risky and unforgettable ceremony:Anet and Yoel celebrated their wedding under the sea, in the waters of the Havana coast.
The organization of the underwater event was carried out by the Cuba Divings project and became a challenge to the ingenuity of the team that had to overcome obstacles and difficult situations, such as making it possible for the families of the couple to be present at that important moment in their lives, despite of never having practiced diving.
Yoel Fernández Gómez and Anet Toledo Herrera said “Yes, I want” – of course through signs – on September 27, in the peace, harmony and beauty of the seabed.
Their initial idea was to get married by jumping from a parachute or paraglider, but it became more difficult for them, and since they had done diving practice with Cuba Divings, they agreed to seal their love under the sea.
The impressive images of the wedding were taken by the actress and influencer Camila Carballo, who documented the entire “backstage”, the ceremony and the post-event on her YouTube channel.
Nerves were tested almost all the time during the more than a month of preparations. This was not the first underwater wedding in Cuba, but perhaps the first in which the majority of attendees were not professional divers, which represented one of the most challenging goals.
Logistics was another challenge for the organizers, who had to move the entire structure and furniture about three meters from the coast, assemble and secure it with gym counterweights, and then do the decoration, just two hours before the event.
“Many are the words that come to mind of excitement and satisfaction, after having organized this wonderful event together with my team.
They were days of work, of emotions, of sadness, and even of thinking about giving up due to the obstacles that we were encountering: the creativity, tenacity, effort and love with which everyone contributed made it possible for this dream to come true ( …). So simple but at the same time so powerful,” Cuba Divings wrote on its Instagram profile.
As in all weddings, there were also unforeseen events and moments of comedy. When everything was ready, a sudden heavy rain threatened to “wash out” the event, impossible for a celebration that would be surrounded by sea.
Yoel and Anet, dressed in their wedding suits -she in white, with frog legs and a matching mask-, with complete diving equipment, swam to the marine “altar”, where the master of ceremony made the wedding official by showing an original poster: “As there will be no one to oppose because no one can speak, by the power that Poseidon has given me, I declare you mermaid and merman, you can now kiss your girlfriend.”
And there was a kiss to seal the union in the sea, where “life is tastier.”
