It all started in early 2018 after Carlos and I returned home from our Round the World trip. On that trip, we had the privilege of visiting 22 countries on 5 continents (South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia). Since we lived in North America, that only left one other continent for us to be able to say we had stepped foot on all 7 continents together! Carlos joked “Wouldn’t it be funny if we got married on Antarctica?” My eyes lit up immediately thinking of penguins being in the background of our photos with their naturally dapper “tuxedos” on. I do love a good ‘shock and awe factor’ and getting married in Antarctica definitely had all the pieces to make for one insanely epic way to “seal the deal” on our final continent. Once he spoke it into existence, we knew that was the only appropriate way for us to get married, so of course I ran with the idea and started planning for our big day and our most memorable trip to date.
planning the trip/elopement and keeping it secret
We were in no rush to get married and in no state to do it right after Carlos thought of this brilliant idea, seeing as though we had just returned home from spending tens of thousands of dollars and almost a year abroad – we needed to put down some roots and build up our bank accounts again. So I didn’t start really researching the idea until 2019. I began looking into how to get to Antarctica. The only feasible way to do so (without doing some sort of government or scientific work) is to take a cruise from either Chile or Argentina.
Now knowing that this was not a trip we could take without guidance, I started reaching out to tour operators and travel agents to find out our options and to see if getting married on Antarctica was even possible. Luckily, I found the Antarctica Travel Group on Facebook early on and connected with the group’s creator, Neill Drake who assured me we could have a little ceremony and take some photos but there was no way to legally get married in Antartica.
In April 2020, we booked our cruise and subsequent elopement for March 2021 with Oceanwide Expeditions. It came at a price of about $7000 per person (just for the cruise itself) + $290 per person for kayaking. We put down $1000 deposit with the rest to be paid 60 days prior to embarking on the cruise. We scored a great deal booking with Neill Drake who is well connected to many Antarctic tour operators, and because it was right at the start of the pandemic. As we all know, the supposed 2 week quarantine to stop the spread, lasted much much longer and had prolonged effects on the travel industry. In August 2020, we learned that the entire 2020-2021 Antarctica cruise season would be cancelled, and therefore our cruise would be pushed back to February 2022. With this change, we were also given the option to pay in full to get a room upgrade that would take us from a window to our own balcony, so we jumped at the opportunity. We opened three 0% interest credit cards to pay for the trip over the next 18 months without incurring any interest.
Fast forward to August 2021, we were still under the impression that the 2021-2022 Antarctic cruise season would continue as planned and we would be departing for the White Continent in roughly 6 months. A lot was still contingent on whether Argentina would be open for tourism again by the time the season started in November – as of August, they still hadn’t announced anything. We got a message from Neill asking if we could schedule a video call. We were nervous about the news he was going to give us. We had already had the trip booked for almost a year and a half by now and had managed to keep the secret from all but a few people. He called to tell us that the company we had booked with, Oceanwide Expeditions, was cancelling this upcoming cruise season as well. We were devastated but he had some good news to follow up the bad news – he was working with another cruise company who was planning to move forward with their season and they had openings on their cruises in November, December, and February. And the even better news was this boat was brand new and we could transfer the cost we originally paid to get on this even better boat! We took the deal and got a major upgrade by changing our reservation to the Ocean Victory boat with Albatros Expeditions! And we chose to leave in December meaning we had 2 less months to prepare for our elopement trip. We also had to cancel an upcoming trip to Cancun and explain to family that we decided to go “trekking in Argentina” instead. That was our cover-up story for the cruise and why we wouldn’t be able to be reached for 10 days. Surprisingly, no one questioned us and our secret was still safe, even though we would now be missing Carlos’s father’s 70th birthday and not returning home until Christmas Day.
With less than 4 months until we were leaving now, we had to start getting all our plans finalized. Not to mention, all our wedding gear. We picked up our wedding rings in August, I started making my wedding dress in September, and we picked out Carlos’s suit in October. We made countless Amazon purchases in November for things like dress bags, bow ties, cuff links, polar camera batteries, waterproof bags, thermals, beanies, etc. All of which needed to remain hidden. I worked on my dress every single day for hours, up until 3:00am the morning we took off. We spent hours and hours packing, trying to fit everything for the wedding inconspicuously in our carry-ons and all our cold weather clothes in our checked bags without it looking weird or like we had packed too much. That was a serious challenge, but we made it work!
We also had to print off tons of documents to present at the airport – negative COVID PCR tests, travel insurance, proof of vaccines, DDJJ immigration forms – all required for admittance into Argentina. We gathered all our bags, passports, travel documents, and the marriage license we acquired 3 days before leaving the country, and got dropped off at the airport at 9am December 7, 2021 to start our journey – and I’m happy to say, our secret was completely undetected by any of our friends or family members! So far, so good 🙂
getting there
Our cruise was departing from the port in Ushuaia, Argentina so the first step was to get into Argentina by way of Buenos Aires. We had no issues getting to Buenos Aires on our red eye flight after a layover in Dallas, Texas, and had a full 24 hours there prior to our flight to Ushuaia. We built in plenty of time between flights and for layovers because flights at the time were getting cancelled a lot and were very unpredictable. And if you miss one connection on your way to Antarctica and arrive late, you will miss your one chance to board the cruise. It was not a chance we were willing to take. December 9, 2021, we boarded our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. By the time we landed, we had about 20 hours in Ushuaia before we would be boarding the boat.
Although we needed a negative PCR test to get into Argentina in the first place, we needed another negative test to be able to board the boat. This was perhaps the most stressful part of all. Can you imagine getting all the way to Ushuaia and then testing positive, meaning not only could you not board the cruise and get married in Antarctica but you also had to pay to stay in a hotel and quarantine for the next 14 days (5 days longer than the cruise itself)?!
To my relief, we both tested negative, as did every single other person set to board our boat. We all cheered in elation and at the realization that now, after all this time, cancellations, COVID protocols, and secrets we would finally be able to say with confidence that we were going to Antarctica (and getting married)!
on the ship
We were the second group of the day to board the brand new ship (only one voyage had sailed before us). The staff started greeting us and introducing themselves to us and immediately brought us up to our room. We were on the 6th floor (2nd from the top) and had a gorgeous balcony thanks to our pre-payment upgrade. We were also smack dab in the middle of the ship (between the front and back) which was the best place to be to prevent seasickness.
We walked around checking out all the amenities, eating and drinking the Welcome snacks they had laid out for us, and meeting our fellow shipmates. Upon telling a few people that we would actually be getting married while onboard, it was really funny to hear that the rumor already started spreading about our elopement. “Oh you are the couple getting married?!!” That’s us 😁
The first two days of sailing entailed a pretty easy crossing of the Drake Passage, otherwise known as the “Drake Lake” this time around. The waters were fairly calm and not many of the ship’s passengers felt sick. We attended lectures in the Shackleton Lounge about penguins and seals and got briefed on how kayaking, snowshoeing and camping work if we were to win one of those lottery opportunities.
Before embarking, we had made 2 friends, so we reconnected with them on the ship for meals, lectures, and hang out sessions in their Suite (free upgrade say what?!) and also made some new friends as we sailed. After 2 days of knowing each other (one day on the ship feels like one year in friendship time), we officially anointed this couple as our Best Man and Maid of Honor. And they were ready to fulfill their duties just like one would in a normal wedding.
We were originally told we would be given 24 hours notice prior to our wedding ceremony being conducted. We couldn’t know too far in advance or pick a specific day because it was weather dependent and up to the Captain where a good location would be. But lo and behold, after our first landing for the day, as we were recuperating in our room and getting ready for lunch, a knock came at our door. Neill, the agent we booked with, who just so happened to also be an expedition guide said, “I hate to do this to you guys, but are you ready to get married today?” What choice did we have? Today was the day (December 13, 2021)! The weather was good, the spot we were having our afternoon landing at was gorgeous, and they didn’t want to risk us missing out on our ceremony in case the rest of our landings weren’t expected to be as smooth.
At this point, we hadn’t steamed our wedding attire, I had no make-up on, my hair was a mess, Carlos hadn’t shaved, and we also hadn’t written our vows yet 😳
We called our boat BFFs a.k.a our Best Man and Maid of Honor, to share the news and to tell them to get ready also, as they’d be joining us during our ceremony. We contacted the ship’s spa/salon and were able to arrange time to get my hair done in a simple style. I did my own make-up while Carlos and his Best Man had an impromptu Bachelor Party in our tiny ship bathroom which I’m pretty sure consisted of taking a shot of whiskey?
Carlos had his suit on and I had my wedding dress on, but we still needed our layers and waterproof gear for at least the Zodiac ride over to land. I wore 4 pairs of pants under my dress (2 thermals, 1 wind-proof, and 1 waterproof), my Albatros Expeditions issued waterproof parka, and a white pullover sweater (specially purchased for my wedding day) so I could stuff my dress up into the sweater and unfurl it again once we reached land just like all the Instagram influencers do to get their dreamy princess dress shots in far off locations.
the wedding ceremony
We were one of the first Zodiac boats to get to the landing (after the snowshoeing group) so we could perform the ceremony in uninterrupted peace. We got our phones out, which we had written our vows in a Notes app in haste prior to getting on the Zodiacs, took our gloves off, unfurled my dress, got in position, and prepared to say our ‘I Do’s!’
Unbeknownst to us, we were going to be married by a penguin. No, not the cute little flightless Gentoos that accompanied us on the beach where we had our ceremony, but the expedition guide, Marc who officiated our ceremony. We were told he had a tux that would be perfect for officiating, but it was actually a penguin onesie 😂 We were caught off guard by it but loved the ridiculousness of it so much.
Having never officiated a wedding before (and it being very much unofficial), Marc the penguin officiant, skipped right to the actual ‘I Do’s’ (but not before getting my name entirely wrong when asking if Sara would take Carlos as my husband). We all froze in confusion (not because we were slowly getting frost bite), but because we didn’t know what Sara he was referring to, especially after JUST saying my name – “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage ceremony of Ashly and Carlos.”
After we cleared up the confusion about my name, I suggested we do the vows first and Carlos started us off with a real tear jerker, but in true Carlos fashion, finished with a Borat reference, bragging that he would finally be able to say “MY WIFEE” (I hope you read that in a Borat voice). I rounded out our vows with some humor as well, but not nearly as eloquent.
At this point, we moved onto the ‘I Do’s’ for a second time and then of course, “You may kiss the bride” to which we kissed, and the small audience that had gathered since more Zodiacs had started arriving cheered. Only to be quickly reminded by our guides that there was wildlife around and we needed to be quiet. Reality quickly set back in when a skua, a penguin predator, then started trying to steal a penguin egg from a nest right after.
We finished up our dreamy ceremony with a mini photoshoot and then got all our layers, gloves, and beanies back on, tried to regain feeling in our newly ringed fingers, hiked up my dress, and trekked into the snow to see the bases everyone else came to the landing to see.
reception party
We got back on the boat, attended the de-brief we had every evening after landings, and went to dinner all dressed up in our wedding attire the whole night. We walked into both the ship’s restaurants welcomed by warm applause and congratulations. After dinner, we joined our friends in their Suite for champagne, good company, and an amazing view of our wedding spot surrounded by snow, ice, mountains, and glaciers. We stayed up entirely too late considering the sun never sets in Antarctica in summer so there’s no cue to go to sleep!
coming home and sharing our exciting news!
We spent the rest of our trip experiencing more Antarctic landings, a “Drake Shake” Drake Passage crossing with 40 foot waves (!!!), an incredible ‘honeymoon’ stay at Arakur Resort and Spa, and lots of hiking, eating, and sightseeing in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires before heading back home to Las Vegas to share our news with friends and family!
We had a long flight ahead of us – 10 hours to get back to the U.S., then a 6 hour layover in Dallas, and finally a 3 hour flight to get back home by noon on Christmas Day so we can surprise everyone in time with our “MARRY CHRISTMAS! SURPRISE! WE ELOPED IN ANTARCTICA!” sign before the holiday was over. Everything on our trip had gone without a hitch, until this last little flight of course. We ended up being delayed 2 hours on the tarmac so they could fix an error code on the plane. We had a 3:00pm appointment at the courthouse to get legally married in Nevada and now our plane was projected to land at 1:45pm…leaving us around 30 minutes to get to the courthouse after deplaning and getting our luggage.
When we landed, we raced off the plane, changed into our wedding clothes in a bathroom near baggage claim, scooped up our luggage and trekked through the airport in a suit and wedding dress looking for Carlos’s mom. Once we found her, she exclaimed, “Oh look at you guys!” in reference to how fancy we just so happened to be dressed to be picked up from the airport coincidentally. Carlos said, “Ya, let’s go get married. No time to celebrate.” And she said, “WHATTT? You guys are kidding!” But we weren’t. So in the middle of the airport moving walkway, amid happy tears, we explained the situation about our elopement and how we had actually spent much of the last two and a half weeks on a cruise to Antarctica instead of trekking through Argentina, getting unofficially married by a penguin, and celebrating on a cruise ship at the end of the world, and now we had to get the government to formally recognize our marriage by getting to the courthouse before 3:00pm so we could seal the deal for real.
We made it to the courthouse in the nick of time and were able to leave that day saying we were legally, officially married! The plan for the rest of the night was to head to Carlos’s brother’s house for Christmas dinner where we were going to show up in our wedding attire to surprise all of them with the news too! But in true COVID fashion, this gathering had to be cancelled after someone tested positive last minute – and the whole family had been together the night before. So we spent the rest of the night calling and Face-timing friends and family to show off our rings and momentarily confuse them with the news that we weren’t just engaged, but we actually went ahead with the whole damn thing and eloped in Antarctica! We capped off the night with dinner in the Carl’s Jr. drive-thru since it was Christmas Day, nothing was open, and the whole family was potentially exposed to COVID 😂
What a whirlwind experience the whole thing was from start to finish! I’m so obsessed with our elopement and how we did it exactly how we wanted to, even with all the delays, pitfalls, and challenges that were presented. I think the most important thing to remember about your wedding is that it’s not about other people’s opinions and what they think you should do, it’s about what you and your partner want to do. And if that means eloping on a continent that less than 1% of the population will ever visit, then follow that dream and do it!
