Our Underwater Wedding at Sea World, Orlando Fl 1976 Yes! I actually got married underwater My wedding was Published in "Peoples Magazine", "The Times" in a Jacques Cousteau article, "News Week" also newspapers all over the country. The National Enquire even fifteen years later published a big article and photo. I talked on the radio over the country about how the wedding went. It was on the news two days in a row in Florida and local news all over the country. It was announced by the famous actress Joanne Woodward who is married to Paul Newman on a TV show called " Crazy things Americans do." I was 19 and Mark was 21 years old. Both from Miami brought up with sailing, Water-skiing, scuba diving, all water sports. We went to Seaworld one day and I saw this girl in side this giant 600,000 gallon aquarium. She had a clear divers bell over her head which made her face dry. She was talking to the people with a microphone inside her helmet. We could hear her outside the tank. Sea World recreated a gorgeous tropical reef and had 600 varieties of beautiful fish. This is where I got the idea to ask Seaworld if we could get married inside the tank. They agreed thinking it would be a great publicity stunt. I just wanted to get married underwater in that reef. Scuba diving was my favorite sport, gliding around underwater where no one else had ever been. An adventurous and dangerous sport. Sea world had to take out their most dangerous shark called a Lemon shark and put him in a separate tank. During the rehearsal the day before the wedding, one of my bridesmaids slipped. Her foot went into this tank and the shark headed straight for it. But she was quick and pulled her foot out in time. The night before the wedding I was not partying but sewing fishing weights to the inside hem of my dress. My sister who was my maid of honor next to me in the tank was sewing also. This was to keep the dress from floating up over our heads as is what happened during rehearsal. During rehearsal my brother Fred, Mark, my sister Karen and I all went into the tank weighted down with 16 pounds on our weight belt. Many things did not go right. An 85 pound turtle named Fred grabbed my brother's booty on his foot and would not let go. My brother's name is also Fred. Funny coincidence!! Finally he let go. We were breathing off of experimental compressors above. My sister and I on one and the guys on the other compressor. We all had trouble breathing. The water was ice cold, we could not hear through the underwater speaker clear at all. The guys were wearing tuxedo tee-shirts. My sister and I were wearing plastic lace dresses made from a table cloth. We had to have that tested as well as our shoes and flower bouquets to make sure nothing we were putting in the tank was toxic to the fish. The ceremony went fantastic May 15, 1976. The four of us descended into the tank and took our places. We we could see the many guest outside the tank sitting in their chairs watching us. We had to push the fish away from our faces. There were so many fish; I think they were curious or looking for food from us. The vows had started, we could hear better from the speaker sitting in the water near us then in rehearsal. Not long after the vows stated Fed the sea turtle heard the vows also. He went to the speaker and started to bit it. Then he turned, saw me and came over to eat my dress. His big beak was ripping the bottom of my dress. I started kicking him on his beak and Mark was reaching down punching him until he let me go. He swam away leaving us alone after ripping a 12" hole at the bottom of my dress. I was not worried about it and the ceremony continued. Soon it came time to write our I DO's on the underwater tablets to show the guests. I wrote my O in a heart shape. We could hear the guest all together say "AAAAWWHHHH " when they read it. Then it was time to exchange rings which we did with no problem and then time for the kiss. We each took off our mouth pieces and kissed with bubbles flying every where. The whole ceremony was about a half hour. Seaworld gave me a present. A kissed by Shamu the killer whale during one of their shows. Right after the ceremony my sister and I dried off our dresses with a towel to get ready for the reception which took place the in Hawaiian Village. Soon it was time for the kiss. I walked out on a gangplank over the tremendous size fish tank. The host of the show was dressed like a pirate. He holds me still as Shamu jumps up out of the water to kiss me. Shamu gave me a big wet kiss on my check. The pirate asked me how would I rate that kiss from 1 to 10 ?. I said a 10, thinking it meant the highest score. He said, Oh you did not like it? I will give you another kiss from Shamu. So Shamu came back to kiss me again. This time I kissed Shamu on the tongue. I do not know why I French kissed this whale but I did, LOL. |
1) Begining of the ceremony before my sister came down. Notice the sting ray rubbing his belly on my face mask almost knocking it off. The big fish to the left is a nassau grouper. |
2) Still the beginning of the ceremony. My brother if on the left, then Mark, myself and my sister. See the turtle below the 6ft shark. He is getting ready to eat my dress. |
3) This is before the ceremony that Fred the big 85pd seaturtle grabbed a bite of my wedding dress ripping a 12" hole in it. I was knocking him on his head and Mark had to kick him to push him away. At first he was eating the speaker then he came over to me. |
4) Here we are exchanging rings |
5) Here we are kissing |
Shamu giving me a whale of a kiss |
Mark and I on our Freeport Island honeymoon 1976 |
Mom and myself in1998 |
Michael 2004 |
Aunt Babe, my dads sister |
My Dad, Fred Zacharias |
Sister Karen |
Brother Fred |
Brother JIm |
