'Perpetual honeymoon' for stranded cruise ship couple married at sea

They should have been on a round-the-world cruise for the next three years - instead they were stranded in Belfast.

The Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship was to depart from Northern Ireland last May, but issues with its rudder stocks meant its guests were marooned in the city for more than four months.

Shipmates Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni met while commuting daily from hotel accommodation to the ship, where they were allowed to work remotely during the day while repairs were carried out.

Behind schedule, and on the dry dock, the maintenance work was long enough for the pair of strangers to meet, fall in love and get engaged by the River Lagan.

They "started to become friends, then best friends, and then romance bloomed", Gian said.

From delays to departure, the next step was "I do" - on board the liner itself, off the coast of Costa Rica in April.

They got engaged on the banks of the River Lagan in Belfast - and Gian said the location was "just as exotic" as Costa Rica.

It was to be Angela's first time down the aisle, while Gian has children from a previous marriage.

The couple also got matching Celtic trinity knot tattoos.

They told BBC News NI the wedding ceremony on board was "incredible".

"It's been magical, it's beyond my wildest dreams," said Angela.

"We're on a perpetual honeymoon now, for real.

"After we got engaged, he looked at me so sincerely and said, 'you know honey, I'm going to take you on a world cruise for our honeymoon'.

"I just cracked up laughing of course, because that's what any woman would want to hear, but it's our life, so it's pretty wonderful. He was a man of his word."

The pair had a private ceremony with family and friends on board, before a second ship-wide event with 300 guests the following day, including around 100 of their original Belfast shipmates.

They had friends and family fly in "from the four corners" to the wedding off the coast of Costa Rica, before sailing north towards central America.

Celebrations included conga lines, bubble machines, dolphins swimming in the ocean alongside them, and sunsets burning orange on the horizon.

Their foundations in Northern Ireland played a part in the nuptials 5,000 miles away.

"From Belfast to Forever" was inscribed on the flooring used as the wedding aisle for Angela to walk down.

Both the officiators at the two ceremonies mentioned Belfast in the weddings. The second ceremony was officiated by the ship's captain which the couple described as an "honour".

Gian added: "He was there for the whole four months in Belfast as well, and he understood the frustrations.

"At the time it was a sore point - 'we're still here' - but now it's kind of a funny story."

Gian said the couple will return to Belfast as soon as they can.

"We can't wait to visit again to retrace our steps," he said.

"I'm half-Irish myself, but I truly understand the luck of the Irish now. It's pretty cool."

The couple's families had met before the wedding, but it was a chance to meet each other's friends for the first time.

"It was really nice to get everyone in one place, and for them to have that destination wedding."

The Odyssey is a residential, around-the-world cruise that was scheduled to depart from Belfast in May 2024, but was beset by months of delays as the ship underwent repair work.

The company's website states that the cost of buying a cabin can range from $99,999 to $899,000 (£75,000-£685,000).

Passengers on the cruise were given the option of buying their cabin outright rather than paying a daily rate for their room like a traditional hotel.

It allows them to remain onboard beyond the Odyssey's initial three-year tour.

Residents on the cruise are encouraged to treat the ship like their home, with some opting to bring pets aboard for the journey.