Couples Hitched in the Buff in Jamaica

February 18, 2002 9:21 am EST

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Eleven American couples exchanged vows on Valentine's Day in Jamaica's second mass nude wedding but unlike last year, the event prompted no protest, resort officials and police said.

It was the second straight year the Hedonism III resort, located at Runaway Bay on Jamaica's north coast, staged a nude wedding. The property has an exclusive section for nudists.

Unlike last year when there were howls of protests about the event along moral lines, there was not even a whisper from church leaders or members of religious groups this time.

Jamaican police said there were no demonstrators outside the property and the event went incident free.

"The police had a small presence outside the hotel, but we were not needed," a police spokesman said.

Nude weddings in private places are not against Jamaican law. There have been a few single nude weddings at various hotel properties across the island in recent years, but they are kept low-key for fear of outcry from spiritual leaders and members of their congregations.

Hedonism III, one of the several properties in the SuperClubs group of all-inclusive resorts, hailed the event as a success.

"Everything went according to plan. We deliberately did not publicize the event this year because of the response we got from locals last year," an employee of Hedonism III said.

"Although we got good publicity from the international media, we are still concerned about local reactions and the implications that come with them. That's why we were a much more low-key than last year," the official said.

Among the 11 couple tying the knot were five first timers. The remaining six were renewing vows.

The couples were wed by an American priest, Rev. Frank Cervasio of the Church of Florida Naturist, which is affiliated with the Universal Life Church.

Cervasio was "well dressed" for the occasion, wearing short trousers, shirt, sneakers and socks.

"Ten of the couple were considered fully nude, with no covering over the genitals, with some of the men wearing simple bow ties. One couple decided to tie the knot wearing underwear," a hotel source said.

Scores of guests watched and applauded the couples.

[sorta goes with that Berkeley story the guy in the Idaho garage wrote, doesn't it?]

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2002

Answers

Yeah Barefoot.........maybe Idaho looks more interesting than I thought???

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2002