Parisian couple weds on Guam shores

by Krystal Paco
Guam - They're from the City of Love and Lights, but a dream prompted 32-year-old engineer Benoit Jullin and his fiancé 31-year-old journalist Stephanie Hofer to book a one way trip to the other side of the world to celebrate their union on an exotic island in the Pacific. "The first dream was to get married very far away in an exotic island, and so Guam was a great place to do that and the second dream was to take a long travel so we just had a break with our job and we took seven months off for travel and so it was a good opportunity to get married and travel," they said.
Although Guam is barely visible on a globe, the two picked the island as it sat opposite to their home in Paris. "We just turned it around and we are France and on the other side Guam. So why not Guam?" they said.
And the conditions for their dream wedding perfect. Despite a rainy morning, the sky cleared to a bright blue as the sun prepared to set on Tumon Bay Tuesday afternoon - a welcome escape from the bustling Parisian city life. "Of course it's a very nice city but when you live there its like all the cities so its very stressful you have to walk everyday the people are not so so you know smiley and so its nice but when you live there its better to escape a bit sometimes and getting married on the other side of the world on an exotic island may be more romantic than staying in Paris," they said.
It's been three months since they left Paris and have since adventured in India, Burma, Singapore, and the Phillipines. Guam rounds out their tour of Asia. "We have few days more in Guam and then we go to Yap Island first and after Palau," they said.
There they'll continue to enjoy the sun and sand but also enjoy swimming with jellyfish and sea turtles. "It's a dream and also because we like to meet new people different way of life different culture different style as well and this was very important for us to also what's going on on the other side of the world in the middle of the Pacific," they said.
The honeymoon isn't over for the traveling lovers - they won't be booking a flight home for another four months. But when they do, they'll hold a celebratory party for friends and family and tell them all about their wedding on Guam. "Thanks Guam for accepting us getting married here and all the people we met everybody's very smiley open minded I think and very interested in even two lost French guys getting married here," they said.
