The collapse of the airline XL almost caused the cancellation of the wedding plans in Antigua of Kimberley Cuthbert and Richard Black. Kimberley and Richard hail from Norwich in eastern England and met ten years ago. They had been planning the wedding in Antigua for the past 18 months.
The bride, whose mother is Antiguan, wished to be married on her mother's home island. Friends and family from the U.K. flew to Antigua, renowned as a wedding destination, for the ceremony.
Cost was a consideration for the wedding party and most were staying in the homes of local Antiguans. Flights were booked direct with XL and, on its collapse, were not protected by either ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) or ATOL (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing). Many of the guests could not afford the £300 fare back to the U.K. and were not covered by their travel insurance unless the wedding was cancelled. The bride and groom gave serious consideration to canceling the wedding rather than burden their family and friends with debts they could not afford. The wedding was set to take place less than 24 hours after the collapse of the airline
Wedding organiser, Tracy Guerrero of Indigo Event Services brought the plight of the wedding guests to the attention of Antiguan residents, Colin and Alison Adams who head up a tourism information website, AntiguaNice.com. Colin and Alison enrolled the services of the Antigua & Barbuda Marine Association and, together, the two organisations set about raising funds to cover the cost of the return flights.
Despite the short notice, some funds were promised before the wedding was due to take place and Antigua's Ministry of Tourism offered to underwrite any shortfall in the fund raising. A delighted bride and groom were able to walk up the aisle and complete their marriage vows at the Wesleyan Holiness Church in Ottos, Antigua. The reception was held at La Bussola, Runaway Bay, Antigua.
Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Harold Lovell, expressed his best wishes to the happy couple stating "It was most unfortunate that the airline XL collapsed just 24 hours before the marriage of Kimberley and Richard. I was concerned that the wedding may have to be cancelled but relieved to hear that the people of Antigua were pulling together to ensure that this day would be 'happy ever after' for Kimberley and Richard. The people and Government of Antigua felt they had to assist in at least making Kimberley and Richard's dream of their perfect day come true."
International Money Orders were presented by the Antigua & Barbuda Ministry of Tourism and by AntiguaNice to Richard and Kimberley in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Tourism in St. John's, Antigua on Thursday 16th September.
