Who hasn’t dreamed—thanks to a little Hollywood magic—of being married by a sea captain, whether it was Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen, a swashbuckling union in Pirates of the Caribbean, or wishing it so for the star-crossed lovers of Titanic? While these cinematic moments are mostly myth, the romance of a captain-led wedding still captures the imagination.

Captain Ray Goad answered the call of the water in law school at UNC Chapel Hill, restoring a vintage Chris Craft and keeping it on the Carolina Intracoastal Waterway. As General Counsel for Westin Hotel Company in Seattle, he sailed the Inside Passage and served as an Officer of the Seattle Yacht Club. Upon retirement to South Florida, he worked for more than a decade as a professional captain for yacht charters in the Caribbean waters of South Florida—and now enjoys the sunshine of Rancho Mirage, California.

Asked by friends to officiate their wedding, Ray discovered that while most sea captains can’t legally marry couples, ordained ministers can—and he was already one, with years of leadership in a major denomination. Since 2014, Captain Ray has united couples on South Florida beaches, aboard gleaming yachts, at scenic lighthouse venues, and even at Mar Largo, always bringing nautical flair and heartfelt warmth.

A landlocked Sea Captain can authoritatively add elegance and adventure to your wedding plans. Captain Ray looks forward to making your special day as legendary as Hollywood’s most iconic love stories.