Love and Devotion Ceremonies

Love and Devotion - Sal Island

This type of ceremony is an alternative to a symbolic religious blessing.

The 'Love and Devotion' ceremony is suitable for couples who want to share a romantic moment on the beach here on Sal Island, usually without the presence of family or guests, however we have held a few ceremonies where a few guests are present. We limit the Love and Devotion/ Simplicity ceremony to two with a few guests as the services we provide require approval of an official permit for a measured area on the beach which we must adhere too for operational purposes. We also use this ceremony service for couple's who are engaged. For this service we will supply a wedding arch and a small table for this ceremony, the couple will remain standing throughout the service (along with the few guests). It's a small ceremony that can be set up without taking up too much of the beach, it's limited to a time slot of a maximum of two hours from our set up to dismantlng and removal of equipment, without the additional need for chair hire, other props, additional transportation of equipment or guests and the time and additional cost needed for that. Typically, this ceremony is held on the beach in Santa Maria with a reading lasting approximately 15mins - 20mins.

If you wish to surprise your partner with this type of romantic gesture, we can help arrange that for you.

'My Love and Devotion'. A song for the ladies by Perry Como an a song for the gentlemen by Doris Day

Unlike Religious Marriage Blessings or Renewal of Vows with a Pastor, no legal documents or Pastor is required for a Love and Devotion Ceremony as it is and informal service. We will liaise with you and make pre-arrangements for the ceremony by email before you arrive. We'll arrange an initial pre-ceremony meeting with you (before you travel to Sal) to be fixed on a day and time soon after you arrive on Sal (held before the day of the ceremony), so you can meet one of us, go through what's required on the day and finalise arrangements. On the day of the ceremony we'll organise your transport for you (if required) and set up the area on the beach ready for the ceremony and your special occasion.

Normally, ceremonies are held near a venue where you can use the facilities afterwards for a social celebratory drink or have a meal whilst overlooking the beach and the ocean. Please note you do not need to use the venue to book a meal, however it is courteous to use their facilities even if only for a refreshing drink before departing.

You may be interested in our 'Simplicity' package, which we also use for small religious beach ceremonies, more info below. Please note: Dress code can be casual but respectable. We usually wish to use photographs taken at the ceremony for promotional purposes, unless requested not to.

Love and Devotion Readings

You can each choose words you want read to you by the layperson or/and words you want to say yourself to your partner. You can write your own words, make up a poem, use lyrics from your favourite song/s or look at some poems online. It’s really easy and will make the build up to this special one-off occasion much more magical. Or you can choose to use a matrimonial reading, we have one to suit some occasions such as one for newly weds, renewal of vows or you may prefer the reading of the Evangelical Church, read by a layperson who is one of our team. There are a number of readings and quotes to choose from online and we have a few short readings you can look at for consideration that we can send you, on request. All you need to do is let us know your choice for a reading.

A representative from the local Church who speaks English or another language, will in most cases act as a layperson and perform the reading or alternatively, we will provide another layperson. Those that carry out the readings are not officiants and they do not legally represent the Church. This ceremony can be to celebrate your life together, the past and embrace the future.

Here are a few simple ceremonies held on the beach where couples have celebrated their love and devotion to each.

'Simplicity'

This is a package service which can be for a blessing or Love and Devotion ceremony for a fixed fee. It currently includes transport for the couple only on the day of the ceremony, the pre-meeting, the permit, the provision of a layperson, wedding arch, small table and vase. Other transport, items or photographer are at an additional cost. For more details please access the secure zone.

If you wish to book this service, we will confirm arrangements and provide you with our bank details as we will require a non-refundable booking fee.

Weddings - what if I want to change venue or day.