Despite coming to Bermuda last year for a for a wedding in paradise - but ending up in a nightmare road traffic accident - the bride returned to take another shot at an Island-perfect wedding this week.

The Nashville, Tennessee native originally came to Bermuda last August for her dream wedding but she got hit by a car while riding her rented scooter.

Ms Coats ended up in the hospital with a broken hip - and had her wallet stolen - just days before her intended nuptials.

She and her then fianc?e Art McDonald, 58, were forced to cancel their August 9, 2003 ceremony.

Undeterred, the couple got married the next day at the Botanical Gardens - close to the grounds of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

While sealing their love, it was not quite the ceremony they had dreamed of.

So, the couple have returned to Bermuda to re-tie the knot the way they had intended.

Overcoming bad memories of the previous year, the couple renewed their vows yesterday in St. Anne's Church in Southampton.

This time, however, the bride was able to walk down the aisle, rather than roll down it in a wheelchair.

The couple were joined by 23 overseas guests, including her sister who was the maid of honour.

Tomorrow, they will cruise home on the Zenith, leaving last year's sorry tale behind them forever.

The McDonalds told they felt it was important to set their bad memories to rest and make new ones filled with joy.

Mrs. McDonald said she is still haunted by last year's crash, which left her with a broken hip and a 15-inch gash in her leg.

Added sting was given to the injuries when someone lifted her wallet from her handbag as she lay on the road getting treatment at the accident scene.

The driver of the car involved in the accident, however, felt so bad they called the hospital every day for a week.

And coverage of the bride's experience in prompted someone to return the wallet.

“I cried for three days,” Mrs. McDonald said of her experiences last year.

However, her roommate at the hospital, Pat Barboza, convinced the couple that they had to return to Bermuda to tie the knot the way it was meant to be.

“I had to face my fears,” Mrs. McDonald said. “Everyone was so nice and kind here. And it was beautiful, at least the view I saw out the hospital window.”

The 46-year-old automotive executive had to undergo painful hip surgery when she got back to Nashville and while the couple thought they “would never get over” their Bermuda experience, yesterday they did with a fairytale wedding.

“We wanted to finish the story with a happily ever after,” said the bride.